Tamil Nadu announces 2026 public holidays; 4 long weekends ahead

CHENNAI: The year 2026 will offer several long weekends for Tamil Nadu government employees and the general public, as per the list of 24 public holidays released by the State Government.

The notification, issued by Chief Secretary N Muruganandam, outlines that holidays such as Republic Day (January 26) and Ayudha Pooja (October 19) fall on Mondays, while May Day (May 1) and Christmas (December 25) occur on Fridays, automatically creating three-day weekends.

Some holidays can also be turned into four-day weekends by taking just one day of leave. For example, taking leave on Friday, January 16, after Pongal (Thursday, January 15), or on Friday, May 29, after Bakrid (Thursday, May 28), would extend the break.

Meanwhile, holidays like Ramzan (Saturday, March 21), Independence Day (Saturday, August 15) and Deepavali (Sunday, November 8) fall on weekends this year, meaning there is no long weekend advantage for those dates.

The government’s holiday calendar also includes major regional and religious observances such as Tamil New Year on April 14 (Tuesday), Milad-un-Nabi on August 26 (Wednesday), and the Ayudha Pooja–Vijaya Dasami period on October 19 (Monday) and October 20 (Tuesday).

The government further announced that April 1, 2026 (Wednesday), will be a holiday exclusively for Commercial and Co-operative Banks for annual closing of accounts.

Public Holidays in Tamil Nadu – 2026

Jan 1 (Thursday) – New Year’s Day

Jan 15 (Thursday) – Pongal

Jan 16 (Friday) – Thiruvalluvar Day

Jan 17 (Saturday) – Uzhavar Thirunal

Jan 26 (Monday) – Republic Day

Mar 21 (Saturday) – Ramzan (Idul Fitr)

Apr 1 (Wednesday) – Annual Closing of Accounts (Banks Only)

Apr 14 (Tuesday) – Tamil New Year

Apr 18 (Saturday) – Mahavir Jayanti

May 1 (Friday) – May Day

May 28 (Thursday) – Bakrid (Idul Azha)

Aug 15 (Saturday) – Independence Day

Aug 26 (Wednesday) – Milad-un-Nabi

Sep 5 (Saturday) – Krishna Jayanthi

Sep 17 (Thursday) – Vinayagar Chaturthi

Oct 2 (Friday) – Gandhi Jayanthi

Oct 19 (Monday) – Ayudha Pooja

Oct 20 (Tuesday) – Vijaya Dasami

Nov 8 (Sunday) – Deepavali

Dec 25 (Friday) – Christmas