🇿🇦South Africa 2026 Holidays
Complete holiday list for South Africa in 2026, including regional holidays such as public holidays, bank holidays, and important festivals.
Holidays
Total 17 Holidays
| Holiday Name | Date | Countdown | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
New Year's Day | 2026-01-01 | 267 days ago | Public Holidays |
Human Rights Day | 2026-03-21 | 188 days ago | Public Holidays |
Good Friday | 2026-04-03 | 175 days ago | Public Holidays |
Easter Sunday | 2026-04-05 | 173 days ago | Memorial Days |
Family Day | 2026-04-06 | 172 days ago | Public Holidays |
Freedom Day | 2026-04-27 | 151 days ago | Public Holidays |
Workers' Day | 2026-05-01 | 147 days ago | Public Holidays |
Mother's Day | 2026-05-10 | 138 days ago | Memorial Days |
Youth Day | 2026-06-16 | 101 days ago | Public Holidays |
Father's Day | 2026-06-21 | 96 days ago | Memorial Days |
Nelson Mandela Day | 2026-07-18 | 69 days ago | Memorial Days |
National Women's Day | 2026-08-09 | 47 days ago | Public Holidays |
Public Holiday | 2026-08-10 | 46 days ago | Public Holidays |
Heritage Day | 2026-09-24 | Yesterday | Public Holidays |
Day of Reconciliation | 2026-12-16 | 82 days remaining | Public Holidays |
Christmas Day | 2026-12-25 | 91 days remaining | Public Holidays |
Day of Goodwill | 2026-12-26 | 92 days remaining | Public Holidays |
South Africa Public Holidays at a Glance
This page covers the patterns behind South Africa's public holidays across years. If you just want the full list of dates for a single year, pick that year from the navigation below.
2025–2027: Three Years Compared
The number of public holidays — and how much time off they really add up to — changes from year to year. The table below is calculated straight from each year's holiday dates.
| Year | Holidays | Long weekends | Bridge days | On a weekend |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 13 | 5 | 2 | 2 |
| 2026 | 13 | 5 | 3 | 3 |
| 2027 | 14 | 6 | 2 | 4 |
Holidays that move every year
3 of South Africa's public holidays fall on a different date every year, set by a lunar calendar, a religious calendar, or a rule like “the third Monday in January”. These are the ones to watch when you plan ahead:
- Good Friday: 2025-04-18, 2025 · 2026-04-03, 2026 · 2027-03-26, 2027
- Family Day: 2025-04-21, 2025 · 2026-04-06, 2026 · 2027-03-29, 2027
- Public Holiday: 2025-04-28, 2025 · 2026-08-10, 2026 · 2027-03-22, 2027
Another 10 holidays land on the same date every year and aren't affected by these rules.