Sri Lanka public holidays & Poya days
Sri Lanka has around 25 public holidays a year. The ones that will affect your trip most are the monthly Poya days: alcohol sales stop island-wide, liquor shops close, bars and many restaurants stop serving, and banks and government offices shut. Transport keeps running but gets busy.
- Binara Full Moon Poya26 September 2026
- Vap Full Moon Poya25 October 2026
- Deepavali (Diwali)8 November 2026
These dates are transcribed from the Government Gazette, not computed from full-moon times. The gazetted Poya day and the astronomical full moon do not always land on the same date, so any rule-based calendar drifts. Dates that have not yet been gazetted are marked provisional rather than stated as fact.
Sri Lanka holidays 2025
| Date | Day | Holiday | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 13 January 2025 | Monday | Duruthu Poya | Poya |
| 14 January 2025 | Tuesday | Tamil Thai Pongal Day | Public holiday |
| 4 February 2025 | Tuesday | National Day (Independence Day) | Public holiday |
| 12 February 2025 | Wednesday | Navam Poya | Poya |
| 13 March 2025 | Thursday | Medin Poya | Poya |
| 31 March 2025 | Monday | Id ul Fitr (Ramazan Festival) | Public holiday |
| 12 April 2025 | Saturday | Bak Poya | Poya |
| 13 April 2025 | Sunday | Sinhala & Tamil New Year Eve | Festival |
| 14 April 2025 | Monday | Sinhala & Tamil New Year | Public holiday |
| 18 April 2025 | Friday | Good Friday | Public holiday |
| 1 May 2025 | Thursday | International Workers' Day | Public holiday |
| 12 May 2025 | Monday | Vesak Full Moon Poya | Poya |
| 13 May 2025 | Tuesday | Day Following Vesak Poya | Public holiday |
| 7 June 2025 | Saturday | Id ul Adha (Haj Festival) | Public holiday |
| 10 June 2025 | Tuesday | Poson Full Moon Poya | Poya |
| 10 July 2025 | Thursday | Esala Full Moon Poya | Poya |
| 19 July 2025 | Saturday | Milad un-Nabi (Prophet's Birthday) | Public holiday |
| 8 August 2025 | Friday | Nikini Full Moon Poya | Poya |
| 15 August 2025 | Friday | Assumption of Our Lady | Public holiday |
| 7 September 2025 | Sunday | Binara Full Moon Poya | Poya |
| 6 October 2025 | Monday | Vap Full Moon Poya | Poya |
| 20 October 2025 | Monday | Deepavali (Diwali) | Public holiday |
| 5 November 2025 | Wednesday | Il Full Moon Poya | Poya |
| 4 December 2025 | Thursday | Unduvap Full Moon Poya | Poya |
| 25 December 2025 | Thursday | Christmas Day | Public holiday |
| 26 December 2025 | Friday | Boxing Day | Public holiday |
Sri Lanka holidays 2026
| Date | Day | Holiday | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 January 2026 | Thursday | New Year's Day | Public holiday |
| 3 January 2026 | Saturday | Duruthu Full Moon Poya | Poya |
| 15 January 2026 | Thursday | Tamil Thai Pongal Day | Public holiday |
| 1 February 2026 | Sunday | Navam Full Moon Poya | Poya |
| 4 February 2026 | Wednesday | National Day (Independence Day) | Public holiday |
| 15 February 2026 | Sunday | Maha Sivarathri | Public holiday |
| 2 March 2026 | Monday | Medin Full Moon Poya | Poya |
| 21 March 2026 | Saturday | Id ul Fitr (Ramazan Festival) provisional | Public holiday |
| 1 April 2026 | Wednesday | Bak Full Moon Poya | Poya |
| 3 April 2026 | Friday | Good Friday | Public holiday |
| 13 April 2026 | Monday | Day Before Sinhala & Tamil New Year | Public holiday |
| 14 April 2026 | Tuesday | Sinhala & Tamil New Year Day | Public holiday |
| 1 May 2026 | Friday | Vesak Full Moon Poya (also May Day) | Poya |
| 2 May 2026 | Saturday | Day Following Vesak Full Moon Poya | Public holiday |
| 28 May 2026 | Thursday | Id ul Adha (Haj Festival) provisional | Public holiday |
| 30 May 2026 | Saturday | Adhi Poson Full Moon Poya | Poya |
| 29 June 2026 | Monday | Poson Full Moon Poya | Poya |
| 29 July 2026 | Wednesday | Esala Full Moon Poya | Poya |
| 26 August 2026 | Wednesday | Milad un-Nabi (Prophet's Birthday) provisional | Public holiday |
| 27 August 2026 | Thursday | Nikini Full Moon Poya | Poya |
| 26 September 2026 | Saturday | Binara Full Moon Poya | Poya |
| 25 October 2026 | Sunday | Vap Full Moon Poya | Poya |
| 8 November 2026 | Sunday | Deepavali (Diwali) | Public holiday |
| 24 November 2026 | Tuesday | Il Full Moon Poya | Poya |
| 23 December 2026 | Wednesday | Unduvap Full Moon Poya | Poya |
| 25 December 2026 | Friday | Christmas Day | Public holiday |
Sri Lanka holidays 2027
| Date | Day | Holiday | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 15 January 2027 | Friday | Tamil Thai Pongal Day provisional | Public holiday |
| 22 January 2027 | Friday | Duruthu Full Moon Poya provisional | Poya |
| 4 February 2027 | Thursday | National Day (Independence Day) provisional | Public holiday |
| 20 February 2027 | Saturday | Navam Full Moon Poya provisional | Poya |
| 6 March 2027 | Saturday | Maha Sivarathri provisional | Public holiday |
| 10 March 2027 | Wednesday | Id ul Fitr (Ramazan Festival) provisional | Public holiday |
| 21 March 2027 | Sunday | Medin Full Moon Poya provisional | Poya |
| 26 March 2027 | Friday | Good Friday provisional | Public holiday |
| 13 April 2027 | Tuesday | Day Before Sinhala & Tamil New Year provisional | Public holiday |
| 14 April 2027 | Wednesday | Sinhala & Tamil New Year Day provisional | Public holiday |
| 20 April 2027 | Tuesday | Bak Full Moon Poya provisional | Poya |
| 1 May 2027 | Saturday | International Workers' Day (May Day) provisional | Public holiday |
| 17 May 2027 | Monday | Id ul Adha (Haj Festival) provisional | Public holiday |
| 20 May 2027 | Thursday | Vesak Full Moon Poya provisional | Poya |
| 21 May 2027 | Friday | Day Following Vesak Full Moon Poya provisional | Public holiday |
| 18 June 2027 | Friday | Poson Full Moon Poya provisional | Poya |
| 18 July 2027 | Sunday | Esala Full Moon Poya provisional | Poya |
| 15 August 2027 | Sunday | Milad un-Nabi (Prophet's Birthday) provisional | Public holiday |
| 16 August 2027 | Monday | Nikini Full Moon Poya provisional | Poya |
| 15 September 2027 | Wednesday | Binara Full Moon Poya provisional | Poya |
| 15 October 2027 | Friday | Vap Full Moon Poya provisional | Poya |
| 28 October 2027 | Thursday | Deepavali (Diwali) provisional | Public holiday |
| 13 November 2027 | Saturday | Il Full Moon Poya provisional | Poya |
| 13 December 2027 | Monday | Unduvap Full Moon Poya provisional | Poya |
| 25 December 2027 | Saturday | Christmas Day provisional | Public holiday |
Common questions
What is a Poya day in Sri Lanka?
A Poya day is the Buddhist full-moon holiday, observed monthly and a public holiday in Sri Lanka. Alcohol sales are banned island-wide, many bars and liquor shops close, some restaurants go alcohol-free, and government offices and banks shut. Transport still runs but is usually busier than normal.
Are Poya dates the same as the full moon?
Not always. A Poya day is whichever calendar day the Government Gazette declares, and that is not a pure function of the full-moon instant. In 2026 the full moon of 3 January was gazetted as 3 January, while the full moon of 3 March was gazetted as 2 March. Any rule of the form 'full moon date minus one if before a certain hour' fits one year and then breaks. The dates on this page are transcribed from the gazette rather than computed.
Can you buy alcohol in Sri Lanka on a Poya day?
No. Alcohol sales are banned island-wide on Poya days. Liquor shops close, and bars and restaurants stop serving. Some hotels serve in-room to registered guests, but this is at the hotel's discretion and should not be assumed. Buy the day before if it matters to you.
How many public holidays does Sri Lanka have?
Sri Lanka has one of the highest public-holiday counts in the world — around 25 a year, because the twelve or thirteen monthly Poya days are gazetted on top of the Buddhist, Hindu, Islamic, Christian and national holidays. A leap-month year has thirteen Poyas rather than twelve.