The Punjab government has dropped its holiday calendar for 2026. The holiday list indicates that the year 2026 will offer a complete pack of holidays at regular intervals. The info comes from the Department of Personnel, listed under Notice No. 06/01/2025-2PP3/781, which says state offices shut down on 30 public holidays outside normal weekend breaks.
In 2026, June and December offer the most holidays. In June, a four-day break kicks off with the first holiday that will be observed on Shaheedi Diwas of Sri Guru Arjan Dev Ji on Thursday the 18th; then comes Sant Kabir Ji’s Jayanti on Friday the 19th. Since the next Saturday - the third one - is on June 20, while Sunday lands on the 21st, residents in Punjab get an uncommon long weekend lasting four whole days.
A similar run shows up in December, ending the year with cheer. After Christmas on December 25 (Friday), breaks carry over to Saturday the 26th and Sunday the 27th. Then comes Monday the 28th - set aside for Shaheedi Sabha at Fatehgarh Sahib - so people get one more stretch of downtime. That makes it four days straight filled with rest and festivity.
June or December might give you the longest time off, yet some other months also pack a few extended weekends.
In April, Good Friday falls on the 3rd - that’s a Wednesday - and kicks things off early; then comes Baisakhi alongside Dr. B.R. Ambedkar’s birth anniversary on the 14th, which lands on Tuesday - each marks a moment tied to culture or national pride.
- March, October, or November bring extra days off now and then - festivals like Holi, Dussehra, or Diwali tend to land near weekends.
These matches of public holidays with weekends let people get extra time off while keeping their scarce personal days untouched - so they relax more without using any allowance at all.
Jan 26 – Republic Day
Feb 1 – Sri Guru Ravidas Jayanti
Feb 15 – Maha Shivratri
Mar 4 – Holi
Mar 21 – Eid-ul-Fitr
Mar 23 – Martyrdom Day of Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev & Rajguru
Mar 26 – Ram Navmi
Mar 31 – Mahavir Jayanti
Apr 3 – Good Friday
Apr 8 – Birth Anniversary of Sri Guru Nabha Das Ji
Apr 14 – also known as Baisakhi, plus it marks the birthday of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar
Apr 19 – Birth Anniversary of Bhagwan Parashuram
May 1 – May Day
May 27 – Bakrid
June 18 – Shaheedi Diwas of Sri Guru Arjun Dev Ji
June 19 – Kabir Jayanti
Jul 31 – Shaheed Udham Singh Shaheedi Diwas
Aug 15 – Independence Day
Sep 4 – Janmashtami
Oct 2 – Gandhi Jayanti
Oct 11 – Maharaja Agrasen Jayanti
Oct 20 – Dussehra
Oct 26 – Bhagwan Valmiki Jayanti
Nov 8 – Diwali (Sunday)
Nov 9 – Vishwakarma Diwas
Nov 16 – Kartar Singh Sarabha Shaheedi Diwas
Nov 24 – Guru Nanak Dev Ji Gurpurab
Dec 14 – Sri Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji Shaheedi Diwas
Dec 25 – Christmas
Dec 28 – Shaheedi Sabha, Fatehgarh Sahib
Note: The birthday of Sri Guru Gobind Singh Ji is yet to get a fixed spot on the lunar calendar.
Note: The confirmed date to observe Sri Guru Gobind Singh Ji’s birth anniversary will be set later, depending on the lunar cycle.
The notice from the Personnel Department brings together public holidays, religious holidays along with key cultural celebrations - making room for everyone.
The 2026 calendar lays out dates in a way that fits office routines while still making room for holidays.