Zambia

Zambia public holidays 2026

Zambia has 17 nationwide public holidays in 2026. After them, 2026 has 247 working days. Next up: National Prayer Day on Sunday, October 18, 2026, in 19 days.

Public holidays in Zambia in 2026
Date	Holiday
January
Jan 1Thursday	New Year's DayNationwide
March
Mar 8Sunday	International Women's DayNationwide
Mar 9Monday	International Women's Day Day off in lieuNationwide
Mar 12Thursday	Youth DayNationwide
April
Apr 3Friday	Good FridayNationwide
Apr 4Saturday	Holy SaturdayNationwide
Apr 5Sunday	Easter SundayNationwide
Apr 6Monday	Easter MondayNationwide
Apr 28Tuesday	Kenneth Kaunda DayNationwide
May
May 1Friday	Labour DayNationwide
May 25Monday	Africa Freedom DayNationwide
July
Jul 6Monday	Heroes' DayNationwide
Jul 7Tuesday	Unity DayNationwide
August
Aug 3Monday	Farmers' DayNationwide
Aug 13Thursday	General Election DayNationwide
October
Oct 18Sunday	National Prayer DayNationwide
Oct 19Monday	National Prayer Day Day off in lieuNationwide
Oct 24Saturday	Independence DayNationwide
December
Dec 25Friday	Christmas DayNationwide

Nationwide: 17public holidays
By region: 17no regional days
Working days: 247after nationwide days off
Long weekends: 8+4 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
3 daysSat, Mar 7 – Mon, Mar 9 · International Women's Day
4 daysThu, Mar 12 – Sun, Mar 15 · Youth DayTake Fri, Mar 13 off to join it up
4 daysFri, Apr 3 – Mon, Apr 6 · Good Friday, Holy Saturday, Easter Sunday, Easter Monday
4 daysSat, Apr 25 – Tue, Apr 28 · Kenneth Kaunda DayTake Mon, Apr 27 off to join it up
3 daysFri, May 1 – Sun, May 3 · Labour Day
3 daysSat, May 23 – Mon, May 25 · Africa Freedom Day
4 daysSat, Jul 4 – Tue, Jul 7 · Heroes' Day, Unity Day
3 daysSat, Aug 1 – Mon, Aug 3 · Farmers' Day
4 daysThu, Aug 13 – Sun, Aug 16 · General Election DayTake Fri, Aug 14 off to join it up
3 daysSat, Oct 17 – Mon, Oct 19 · National Prayer Day
3 daysFri, Dec 25 – Sun, Dec 27 · Christmas Day

Zambia 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 Zambia in 2026?

17 nationwide public holidays: New Year's Day (Jan 1); International Women's Day (Mar 8); Youth Day (Mar 12); Good Friday (Apr 3); Holy Saturday (Apr 4); Easter Sunday (Apr 5); Easter Monday (Apr 6); Kenneth Kaunda Day (Apr 28); Labour Day (May 1); Africa Freedom Day (May 25); Heroes' Day (Jul 6); Unity Day (Jul 7); Farmers' Day (Aug 3); General Election Day (Aug 13); National Prayer Day (Oct 18); Independence Day (Oct 24); Christmas Day (Dec 25).

When is the next public holiday in Zambia?

National Prayer Day, on Sunday, October 18, 2026 — in 19 days.

How many working days are there in 2026?

247 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.