Sri Lanka Public Holidays 2027 and 2026 - Poya Days, Bank Holidays, Long Weekends
Every public, bank and mercantile holiday in Sri Lanka for 2027 and 2026 from the Central Bank's lists, with the next holiday, long weekends and a working-day counter.
Maintained by Hirantha Sandaruwan Lakshan. Rules checked 13 October 2026 against Central Bank of Sri Lanka: bank holidays for 2027 and 2 more sources.
2027 public holidays (25)
| Date | Day | Holiday | Mercantile |
|---|---|---|---|
| Friday | Tamil Thai Pongal Day | Yes | |
| Friday | Duruthu Full Moon Poya DayPoya | No | |
| Thursday | Independence Day | Yes | |
| Saturday | Navam Full Moon Poya DayPoya | No | |
| Saturday | Mahasivarathri Day | No | |
| Wednesday | Eid-ul-Fitr (Ramazan Festival Day) | No | |
| Monday | Medin Full Moon Poya DayPoya | No | |
| Friday | Good Friday | No | |
| Tuesday | Day prior to Sinhala & Tamil New Year Day | Yes | |
| Wednesday | Sinhala & Tamil New Year Day | Yes | |
| Tuesday | Bak Full Moon Poya DayPoya | No | |
| Saturday | May Day (International Workers' Day) | Yes | |
| Monday | Eid-ul-Adha (Hadji Festival Day) | No | |
| Wednesday | Vesak Full Moon Poya DayPoya | No | |
| Thursday | Day following Vesak Full Moon Poya Day | Yes | |
| Friday | Poson Full Moon Poya DayPoya | No | |
| Sunday | Esala Full Moon Poya DayPoya | No | |
| Sunday | Milad-un-Nabi (Holy Prophet's Birthday) | Yes | |
| Monday | Nikini Full Moon Poya DayPoya | No | |
| Wednesday | Binara Full Moon Poya DayPoya | No | |
| Friday | Vap Full Moon Poya DayPoya | No | |
| Thursday | Deepawali Festival Day | No | |
| Saturday | Il Full Moon Poya DayPoya | No | |
| Monday | Unduvap Full Moon Poya DayPoya | No | |
| Saturday | Christmas Day | Yes |
2026 public holidays (26)
| Date | Day | Holiday | Mercantile |
|---|---|---|---|
| Saturday | Duruthu Full Moon Poya DayPoya | No | |
| Thursday | Tamil Thai Pongal Day | Yes | |
| Sunday | Navam Full Moon Poya DayPoya | No | |
| Wednesday | Independence Day | Yes | |
| Sunday | Mahasivarathri Day | No | |
| Monday | Medin Full Moon Poya DayPoya | No | |
| Saturday | Eid-ul-Fitr (Ramazan Festival Day) | No | |
| Wednesday | Bak Full Moon Poya DayPoya | No | |
| Friday | Good Friday | No | |
| Monday | Day prior to Sinhala & Tamil New Year Day | Yes | |
| Tuesday | Sinhala & Tamil New Year Day | Yes | |
| Friday | Vesak Full Moon Poya DayPoya | No | |
| Friday | May Day (International Workers' Day) | Yes | |
| Saturday | Day following Vesak Full Moon Poya Day | Yes | |
| Thursday | Eid-ul-Adha (Hadji Festival Day) | No | |
| Saturday | Adhi Poson Full Moon Poya DayPoya | No | |
| Monday | Poson Full Moon Poya DayPoya | No | |
| Wednesday | Esala Full Moon Poya DayPoya | No | |
| Wednesday | Milad-un-Nabi (Holy Prophet's Birthday) | Yes | |
| Thursday | Nikini Full Moon Poya DayPoya | No | |
| Saturday | Binara Full Moon Poya DayPoya | No | |
| Sunday | Vap Full Moon Poya DayPoya | No | |
| Sunday | Deepawali Festival Day | No | |
| Tuesday | Il Full Moon Poya DayPoya | No | |
| Wednesday | Unduvap Full Moon Poya DayPoya | No | |
| Friday | Christmas Day | Yes |
All Saturdays and Sundays are bank holidays. A holiday that falls on a Sunday is listed on that Sunday; the official lists do not name a substitute day, so ask your employer how it is treated. Reports in April 2026 said the holiday on 2 May 2026 was moved to Sunday 31 May; this list shows the dates the Central Bank publishes.
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About this tool
The full list of Sri Lanka's gazetted holidays for 2027 and 2026, taken from the Central Bank's published bank-holiday lists: 25 dates in 2027, 12 of them Poya days. See how long until the next holiday, which weekends are long ones, count the working days between two dates, or add the holidays to your phone's calendar.
How it works
The dates come from the Central Bank of Sri Lanka's bank-holiday pages for 2026 and 2027, which follow the holidays gazetted under the Holidays Act, No. 29 of 1971. The 2027 list was published in Extraordinary Gazette No. 2493/05. Every date listed is a public holiday and a bank holiday; the ones marked mercantile are also holidays for mercantile employees. All Saturdays and Sundays are bank holidays.
A long weekend here is a run of three or more days in a row that are each a Saturday, a Sunday or a public holiday, with at least one holiday on a weekday. A holiday that falls on a Saturday or Sunday on its own does not make a longer break.
The working-day counter counts Monday to Friday between two dates, both included, and leaves out public holidays. It treats Saturday as a non-working day, as banks and the public service do, so adjust the result if you work a six-day week.
The calendar file is a standard .ics file of all-day events that opens in Google Calendar, Apple Calendar and Outlook. It is built in your browser.
Worked examples
The first long weekend of 2027
Tamil Thai Pongal Day is Friday 15 January 2027, so Friday to Sunday, 15 to 17 January, is a three-day weekend. Duruthu Full Moon Poya Day follows on Friday 22 January for another.
Working days in April 2027
April 2027 has 22 weekdays. The Day prior to the New Year (13 April), New Year's Day (14 April) and Bak Full Moon Poya Day (20 April) fall on weekdays, which leaves 19 working days.
Planning leave around Vesak
In 2027 Vesak Poya is Wednesday 19 May and the day following is Thursday 20 May, so taking Friday 21 May off gives a five-day break from Wednesday to Sunday.
Frequently asked questions
How many public holidays does Sri Lanka have in 2027?
The Central Bank's list for 2027 has 25 holiday dates, 18 of them on weekdays and 12 of them full moon Poya days. 8 are also marked as mercantile holidays.
Is every Poya day a public holiday?
Yes. The gazette coverage for 2027 says full moon Poya days continue to be observed as both public and bank holidays throughout the year, and the Central Bank lists each one.
What is a mercantile holiday?
A holiday that also applies to employees of mercantile (commercial) establishments. The list marks 8 of the 2027 dates as mercantile; the others are public and bank holidays. What counts as a paid holiday for you depends on your contract and the law that applies to your workplace, which the Department of Labour can confirm.
What happens when a holiday falls on a Sunday?
The official lists show the holiday on the Sunday and do not name a substitute day. Ask your employer how it is treated; the calculator does not assume one.
Can the dates change?
Yes. The official calendar says changes to public holidays are announced by notification in the Government Gazette, and dates that follow the moon, such as the Poya days and the Muslim festivals, are the ones that occasionally move. Reports in April 2026, for example, said the holiday for 2 May was moved to Sunday 31 May.
When will the 2028 list be published?
It has not been published at the time of writing. The 2027 list was gazetted in July 2026, and this page will be updated when the 2028 list is out.
Sources & references
Updated Oct 13, 2026