Kerala Public Holidays 2026: Government, Bank and Restricted Holiday List

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Kerala is known as God’s Own Country because it celebrates every festival with pride, joy, and harmony, from Onam and Vishu to Thrissur Pooram. The state notified 22 public holidays for 2026 under Gazette order G.O.(P) 14/2025/GAD dated 31/10/2025, alongside 20 bank holidays in a separate order. Onam brings four consecutive holidays from 25 to 28 August 2026. Private companies with 20 or more employees follow a different law and must give 13 paid holidays.

This blog will also include a list of Kerala holidays 2026 that will be useful not only for individuals but also for HR teams managing employee leave and schedules. The following list will help you plan for the upcoming year.

Kerala Public Holidays 2026 (Government Offices)

The Government of Kerala notified these 22 days through G.O.(P) No. 14/2025/GAD dated 31/10/2025. All Sundays and the second Saturday of every English month are also closed holidays for government offices.

*Dates marked with an asterisk depend on the sighting of the moon and may shift by a day.

Holidays That Fall on a Sunday in 2026

Three festivals land on a Sunday this year. The Gazette lists them separately and allows them to be dropped from the working-day holiday list, so employees get no extra day off.

If you are building a private-sector calendar, decide early whether to grant a compensatory day for these three. Kerala law does not require it, but employees notice when Deepavali disappears.

Kerala Bank Holidays 2026

Bank holidays are notified separately under the explanation to Section 25 of the Negotiable Instruments Act 1881, through G.O.(P) No. 15/2025/GAD dated 31/10/2025. Kerala declared 20 bank holidays for 2026.

*Dates marked with an asterisk depend on the sighting of the moon and may shift by a day.

Banks also close on every Sunday, and on the second and fourth Saturday of each month.

Where the Government and Bank Lists Differ

This catches payroll teams out every year. Three days are holidays for government offices but normal working days for banks.

Check these four dates before you schedule salary credits, PF remittances or full and final settlements in your payroll software.

Onam 2026: Four Consecutive Holidays

Onam is a ten-day festival, but only the last four days are gazetted holidays in Kerala.

The ten days run from Atham on 16 August 2026 to Thiruvonam on 26 August 2026. Each day is named after a nakshatra: Atham, Chithira, Chodhi, Vishakam, Anizham, Thriketta, Moolam, Pooradam, Uthradam and Thiruvonam.

Companies on a five-day week get 25 to 30 August as six continuous days off, because Saturday 29 and Sunday 30 August follow immediately. That makes this the longest break in Kerala’s 2026 calendar, and the week your attendance planning has to survive.

Two other things happen in that week. Milad-i-Sherif falls on 25 August, sharing the day with First Onam. Sree Narayana Guru Jayanthi and Ayyankali Jayanthi both fall on 28 August, sharing the day with Fourth Onam. Three holidays collapse into two days, so nobody gets a spare day for them.

How Many Holidays Must Private Companies Give in Kerala

The Gazette list binds government offices. If you run a factory, a shop or a commercial establishment, a different law applies, and the Gazette says so directly.

Under the Kerala Industrial Establishments (National and Festival Holidays) Act 1958, every employee is entitled to:

• Four national holidays: 26 January, 1 May, 15 August and 2 October
• Nine festival holidays of your choosing, specified by the Inspector in consultation with the employer and employees
• Thirteen paid holidays in total

Kerala is unusual here. Most states mandate three national holidays. Kerala adds May Day as a fourth and requires nine festival days on top, which makes it one of the most generous statutory holiday regimes in India.

The Act covers establishments with 20 or more persons employed on any day of the preceding twelve months, including factories under the Factories Act 1948 and plantations of 12 hectares or more.

Wages and Working on a Holiday

• Employees are paid wages for holidays.
• An employee who works on a holiday gets twice the wages and a substituted holiday on another day.
• For festival holidays, but not national holidays, wages are payable only if the employee worked 30 days during the preceding 90 days.
• To require work on a holiday, you must give notice to the employee, with copies to the Inspector and the notice board.

Kerala Restricted Holidays 2026

Kerala’s restricted holiday list is short and community-specific. These are not open to every employee. The Gazette limits each one to a named community.

One point people get wrong: Holi is not a Kerala holiday. The Gazette declares 04/03/2026 a holiday only for Kerala State Government offices and PSUs functioning in New Delhi, on account of Holi. It does not apply anywhere inside Kerala.

Long Weekends in Kerala 2026

Onam is the pressure point. Plan cover, freeze non-critical releases, and close payroll early that month.

Kerala-Specific Observances

Vishu (15/04/2026).

The Malayalam astrological new year. Families arrange the Vishukkani at dawn, followed by Vishu kaineetam, the giving of coins to children.

Karkadaka Vavu (12/08/2026).

The new moon day of the Malayalam month Karkadakam. Families perform ancestral rites, or bali tharpanam, on riverbanks and beaches. It is a government holiday but not a bank holiday.

Mannam Jayanthi (02/01/2026).

Marks the birth of Mannathu Padmanabhan, the social reformer who founded the Nair Service Society.

Sree Narayana Guru Jayanthi (28/08/2026) and Samadhi Day (21/09/2026).

Two separate observances for the social reformer and philosopher. The Jayanthi shares a date with Fourth Onam.

Ayyankali Jayanthi (28/08/2026).

Honours Mahatma Ayyankali, the Dalit social reformer born in 1863.

Thrissur Pooram and Attukal Pongala.

Both are major Kerala festivals but neither appears in the statewide Gazette list. Attukal Pongala is usually declared a local holiday in Thiruvananthapuram district. Check your district collector’s notification rather than the state list.

Compliance Calendar for Kerala HR Teams

The 1958 Act carries two hard deadlines that most companies miss.

1. On or before 30 November each year, submit your list of festival holidays for the next calendar year to the Inspector for approval.
2. Before 31 December, display the statement of approved holidays at the establishment.
3. Keep the consultation record. The Inspector specifies festival holidays in consultation with the employer and employees, so document that discussion.
4. If you need someone to work on a holiday, issue notice to the employee and copy the Inspector and the notice board.
5. Load the approved list into your leave and attendance system before the first payroll run of the year.

Miss the November deadline and you are working an unapproved list for twelve months. Keeping the approved calendar in sync with attendance records avoids the other common failure, where a gazetted holiday shows up as an unexplained absence.

Kerala Holidays Related FAQs

What are the Public Holidays in Kerala for 2026?

Kerala notified 22 public holidays for government offices in 2026 through Gazette order G.O.(P) No. 14/2025/GAD dated 31/10/2025. They include Republic Day, Vishu, May Day, Independence Day, the four Onam days, Gandhi Jayanthi, Vijayadasami and Christmas. All Sundays and the second Saturday of each month are also closed holidays.

When is Onam in 2026 and What are the Exact Holiday Dates?

Thiruvonam, the main day of Onam, falls on Wednesday 26 August 2026. Kerala has declared four consecutive public holidays: First Onam on Tuesday 25 August, Thiruvonam on Wednesday 26 August, Third Onam on Thursday 27 August and Fourth Onam on Friday 28 August. Atham opens the wider ten-day festival on 16 August, but those earlier days are not holidays.

How Many Days Off do Employees Get for Onam 2026?

Four gazetted holidays, from 25 to 28 August. Companies on a five-day week get six continuous days off, because Saturday 29 and Sunday 30 August follow. Companies working six days get five days off, with Saturday 29 August as a working day.

Is Vishu a Public Holiday in Kerala in 2026?

Yes. Vishu falls on Wednesday 15 April 2026 and is both a government holiday and a bank holiday. Dr. B. R. Ambedkar Jayanthi falls the previous day, Tuesday 14 April, so the two run back to back.

What is Karkadaka Vavu and when is It Observed in 2026?

Karkadaka Vavu is the new moon day of the Malayalam month Karkadakam, when families perform ancestral rites on riverbanks and beaches. In 2026 it falls on Wednesday 12 August. It is a public holiday for Kerala government offices, but banks stay open that day.

Which Kerala Holidays in 2026 Fall on a Sunday?

Three. Mahasivarathri on 15 February, Easter on 5 April and Deepavali on 8 November. The Gazette lists these separately and permits them to be omitted from the working-day holiday list, so employees do not get a substitute day.

How Many Bank Holidays Does Kerala Have in 2026?

Twenty, declared under Section 25 of the Negotiable Instruments Act 1881 through G.O.(P) No. 15/2025/GAD dated 31/10/2025. Banks also close on every Sunday and on the second and fourth Saturday of each month. The annual closing of bank accounts on 1 April is a bank holiday only.

Which Days are Government Holidays in Kerala but Not Bank Holidays?

Three days. Muharram on 25 June, Karkadaka Vavu on 12 August and Third Onam on 27 August. Government offices close, banks work. Plan salary credits and statutory remittances around this gap.

Is Maundy Thursday a Bank Holiday in Kerala in 2026?

Yes. Maundy Thursday on 2 April 2026 appears in both the government holiday notification and the bank holiday notification, so government offices and banks both close. Good Friday follows on 3 April, giving a four-day break through Easter Sunday.

How Many Holidays Must a Private Company Give in Kerala?

Thirteen. Under the Kerala Industrial Establishments (National and Festival Holidays) Act 1958, every employee gets four national holidays on 26 January, 1 May, 15 August and 2 October, plus nine festival holidays. The Act applies to establishments employing 20 or more persons.

Do Private Companies in Kerala Have to Follow the Government Holiday List?

No. The Gazette itself states that establishments under the Industrial Disputes Act, the Shops and Commercial Establishments Act and the Minimum Wages Act are governed by the Kerala Industrial Establishments (National and Festival Holidays) Act 1958. Most companies use the Gazette as a reference when picking their nine festival holidays, but the legal obligation comes from the 1958 Act.

What Happens if an Employee Works on a Holiday in Kerala?

The employee is entitled to twice the wages for that day and a substituted holiday on another day. You must give the employee notice beforehand, with copies to the Inspector and the establishment notice board.

When Must a Kerala Employer Submit the Holiday List?

On or before 30 November each year, you must furnish the list of festival holidays for the following calendar year to the Inspector for approval. The approved statement must then be displayed at the establishment before 31 December.

What are the Restricted Holidays in Kerala for 2026?

Three, and each is limited to a specific community. Ayya Vaikunda Swami Jayanthi on 4 March for the Nadar community, Avani Avittom on 28 August for the Brahmin community, and Vishwakarma Day on 17 September for the Vishwakarma community. They apply to government, quasi-government and PSU employees and teachers of those communities.

Is Holi a Holiday in Kerala?

No. The 2026 Gazette declares 4 March a holiday on account of Holi only for Kerala State Government offices and public sector undertakings functioning in New Delhi. It carries no effect inside Kerala.

Who Announces Kerala’s Public Holidays each Year?

The General Administration (Co-ordination) Department of the Government of Kerala, through a notification published in the Kerala Gazette. The 2026 orders were issued on 31 October 2025 and signed by the Secretary, K. Biju IAS.

Which Holidays in the 2026 List Depend on Moon Sighting?

Four. Id-ul-Fitr on 20 March, Id-ul-Ad’ha on 27 May, Muharram on 25 June and Milad-i-Sherif on 25 August. The Gazette marks each with an asterisk and notes they are subject to change depending on the appearance of the moon, so build a day of tolerance around them.

Which Festivals are Unique to Kerala Rather Than Nationwide?

Onam, Vishu, Karkadaka Vavu, Mannam Jayanthi, Sree Narayana Guru Jayanthi and Samadhi Day, and Ayyankali Jayanthi. Thrissur Pooram and Attukal Pongala are major Kerala festivals but are not statewide gazetted holidays.

Are Thrissur Pooram and Attukal Pongala Public Holidays?

Neither appears in the statewide Gazette list for 2026. Attukal Pongala is usually declared a local holiday in Thiruvananthapuram district by the district collector, and Thrissur Pooram similarly affects Thrissur district. Check the district notification rather than the state list.

What are the Long Weekends in Kerala in 2026?

Four worth planning around. Maundy Thursday to Easter Sunday, 2 to 5 April. Ambedkar Jayanthi and Vishu, 14 and 15 April. Onam, 25 to 30 August, the longest of the year. Mahanavami and Vijayadasami, 20 and 21 October.

How do We Load the Kerala Holiday List into Our Leave Management System?

Create a separate holiday calendar for your Kerala locations rather than a single company-wide list, then map employees to their work location. Mark the three Sunday-falling holidays clearly so they are not double counted, and flag the three government-only days so payroll does not assume banks are closed.