Madhya Pradesh has 17 public holidays in 2026, covering 3 national days and 14 religious and cultural observances across Hindu, Muslim, Christian, Sikh and Buddhist traditions. Below is the official list with dates, the day of the week, and what each means for payroll and leave.
Holiday calendar 2026
| Date | Day | Holiday | Holiday Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 26 Jan 2026 | Monday | Republic Day | National |
| 4 Mar 2026 | Wednesday | Holi | Religious |
| 21 Mar 2026 | Saturday | Id-ul-Fitr (subject to confirmation — lunar) | Religious |
| 31 Mar 2026 | Tuesday | Mahavir Jayanti | Religious |
| 3 Apr 2026 | Friday | Good Friday | Religious |
| 1 May 2026 | Friday | Budha Purnima | Religious |
| 27 May 2026 | Wednesday | Id-ul-Zuha / Bakrid (subject to confirmation — lunar) | Religious |
| 26 Jun 2026 | Friday | Muharram (subject to confirmation lunar) | Religious |
| 16 Jul 2026 | Thursday | Rath Yatra | Religious |
| 15 Aug 2026 | Saturday | Independence Day | National |
| 26 Aug 2026 | Wednesday | Milad-un-Nabi / Eid-e-Milad (subject to confirmation lunar) | Religious |
| 4 Sep 2026 | Friday | Janmashtami (Vaishnava) | Religious |
| 2 Oct 2026 | Friday | Mahatma Gandhi Jayanti | National |
| 20 Oct 2026 | Tuesday | Dussehra | Religious |
| 8 Nov 2026 | Sunday | Diwali / Deepavali | Religious |
| 24 Nov 2026 | Tuesday | Guru Nanak's Birthday | Religious |
| 25 Dec 2026 | Friday | Christmas Day | Religious |
Get the Official Madhya Pradesh Government Notification
Download PDFHow Madhya Pradesh Holidays Impact Payroll and Leave Management?
Madhya Pradesh observes a wide mix of holidays across Hindu, Muslim, Christian, Sikh and Buddhist traditions, spread fairly evenly across the year. The October to November stretch Dussehra, Diwali and Guru Nanak's Birthday within six weeks tends to generate the highest volume of leave requests and attendance exceptions in a single period.
Four of the 17 holidays follow the Islamic lunar calendar and may shift by a day based on moon sighting. Managing these alongside fixed national holidays and a weekend-no-substitute rule requires payroll teams to stay close to official state circulars as each date approaches.