South Africa Public Holidays 2026
13 national holidays
South Africa has 13 national public holidays in 2026. The next is Election Day on Wednesday, 4 November 2026. There are 8 long weekends of three days or more.
January 2026
- 1New Year's DayThursday
March 2026
- 21Human Rights DaySaturday
April 2026
- 3Good FridayFriday
- 6Family DayMonday
- 27Freedom DayMonday
May 2026
- 1Workers' DayFriday
June 2026
- 16Youth DayTuesday
August 2026
- 10National Women's DayMonday
September 2026
- 24Heritage DayThursday
November 2026
- 4Election DayWednesday
December 2026
- 16Day of ReconciliationWednesday
- 25Christmas DayFriday
- 26Day of GoodwillSaturday · St. Stephen's Day
Long weekends 2026
- 1 January – 4 January4 days · take 2 January off
- 3 April – 6 April4 days
- 25 April – 27 April3 days
- 1 May – 3 May3 days
- 13 June – 16 June4 days · take 15 June off
- 8 August – 10 August3 days
- 24 September – 27 September4 days · take 25 September off
- 25 December – 27 December3 days
Frequently asked questions
How many public holidays are there in South Africa in 2026?
13 national holidays.
What is the next public holiday in South Africa?
Election Day on Wednesday, 4 November 2026.
When are the long weekends in South Africa in 2026?
1 January–4 January (4 days, with a bridge day off); 3 April–6 April (4 days); 25 April–27 April (3 days); 1 May–3 May (3 days); 13 June–16 June (4 days, with a bridge day off); 8 August–10 August (3 days).
Dates are the days off, so a holiday that falls on a weekend may be shown on the weekday it is observed. Source: Nager.Date public holiday data (open source, MIT licence). Governments can add or move holidays at short notice — check official announcements for important plans.