Zambia Public Holidays 2026
16 national holidays
Zambia has 16 national public holidays in 2026. The next is Independence Day on Monday, 26 October 2026. There are 12 long weekends of three days or more.
January 2026
- 1New Year's DayThursday
March 2026
- 9International Women's DayMonday
- 12Youth DayThursday
April 2026
- 3Good FridayFriday
- 4Holy SaturdaySaturday · Easter Saturday
- 5Easter SundaySunday
- 6Easter MondayMonday
- 28Kenneth Kaunda's BirthdayTuesday
May 2026
- 1Labour DayFriday
- 25African Freedom DayMonday · Africa Freedom Day
July 2026
- 6Heroes' DayMonday
- 7Unity DayTuesday
August 2026
- 3Farmers' DayMonday
October 2026
- 19National Day of PrayerMonday
- 26Independence DayMonday
December 2026
- 25Christmas DayFriday
Long weekends 2026
- 1 January – 4 January4 days · take 2 January off
- 7 March – 9 March3 days
- 12 March – 15 March4 days · take 13 March off
- 3 April – 6 April4 days
- 25 April – 28 April4 days · take 27 April off
- 1 May – 3 May3 days
- 23 May – 25 May3 days
- 4 July – 7 July4 days
- 1 August – 3 August3 days
- 17 October – 19 October3 days
- 24 October – 26 October3 days
- 25 December – 27 December3 days
Frequently asked questions
How many public holidays are there in Zambia in 2026?
16 national holidays.
What is the next public holiday in Zambia?
Independence Day on Monday, 26 October 2026.
When are the long weekends in Zambia in 2026?
1 January–4 January (4 days, with a bridge day off); 7 March–9 March (3 days); 12 March–15 March (4 days, with a bridge day off); 3 April–6 April (4 days); 25 April–28 April (4 days, with a bridge day off); 1 May–3 May (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.