South Africa

South Africa public holidays 2026

South Africa has 13 nationwide public holidays in 2026. After them, 2026 has 250 working days. Next up: Local Government Elections on Wednesday, November 4, 2026, in 36 days.

Public holidays in South Africa in 2026
Date	Holiday
January
Jan 1Thursday	New Year's DayNationwide
March
Mar 21Saturday	Human Rights DayNationwide
April
Apr 3Friday	Good FridayNationwide
Apr 6Monday	Family DayNationwide
Apr 27Monday	Freedom DayNationwide
May
May 1Friday	Workers' DayNationwide
June
Jun 16Tuesday	Youth DayNationwide
August
Aug 9Sunday	National Women's DayNationwide
Aug 10Monday	National Women's Day Day off in lieuNationwide
September
Sep 24Thursday	Heritage DayNationwide
November
Nov 4Wednesday	Local Government ElectionsNationwide
December
Dec 16Wednesday	Day of ReconciliationNationwide
Dec 25Friday	Christmas DayNationwide
Dec 26Saturday	Day of GoodwillNationwide

Nationwide: 13public holidays
By region: 13no regional days
Working days: 250after nationwide days off
Long weekends: 5+3 with 1 day off

Dates come from the open-source holidays project, which compiles each country's statutory holidays from official sources. Governments sometimes add or move days at short notice, so check official announcements for critical plans. See our sources.

Long weekends in 2026

Stretches of three or more days off built from nationwide holidays and the weekend, plus the ones you can make by taking a single day off.

4 daysThu, Jan 1 – Sun, Jan 4 · New Year's DayTake Fri, Jan 2 off to join it up
4 daysFri, Apr 3 – Mon, Apr 6 · Good Friday, Family Day
3 daysSat, Apr 25 – Mon, Apr 27 · Freedom Day
3 daysFri, May 1 – Sun, May 3 · Workers' Day
4 daysSat, Jun 13 – Tue, Jun 16 · Youth DayTake Mon, Jun 15 off to join it up
3 daysSat, Aug 8 – Mon, Aug 10 · National Women's Day
4 daysThu, Sep 24 – Sun, Sep 27 · Heritage DayTake Fri, Sep 25 off to join it up
3 daysFri, Dec 25 – Sun, Dec 27 · Christmas Day, Day of Goodwill

South Africa public holidays by year

2026
2027
2028

2026 holidays in other countries

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More for 2026

Frequently asked questions

How many public holidays are there in South Africa in 2026?

13 nationwide public holidays: New Year's Day (Jan 1); Human Rights Day (Mar 21); Good Friday (Apr 3); Family Day (Apr 6); Freedom Day (Apr 27); Workers' Day (May 1); Youth Day (Jun 16); National Women's Day (Aug 9); Heritage Day (Sep 24); Local Government Elections (Nov 4); Day of Reconciliation (Dec 16); Christmas Day (Dec 25); Day of Goodwill (Dec 26).

When is the next public holiday in South Africa?

Local Government Elections, on Wednesday, November 4, 2026 — in 36 days.

How many working days are there in 2026?

250 working days, counting Monday to Friday and taking out the nationwide holidays that fall on working days. Regional holidays and company closures can lower it further.

What does "Day off in lieu" mean?

When a holiday falls on a weekend, the day off moves to a nearby working day, usually the following Monday. Those substitute days are listed separately.