Odisha releases 2026 holiday calendar, announces 29 official holidays for state offices

Bhubaneswar: Odisha government has released its official holiday list for the year 2026, declaring 29 days as government holidays for state offices and executive magistrate courts.

The Revenue and Disaster Management Department (R&DM), through a detailed notification, outlined the complete holiday schedule for the upcoming year, including compulsory, optional, and coinciding holidays.

According to the notification, all state government offices and revenue and magisterial courts will remain closed on the following festive and commemorative occasions:

List of 29 official holidays:

14 January: Makar Sankranti

23 January: Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose Jayanti / Veer Surendra Sai Jayanti

26 January: Republic Day

3 March: Dola Purnima

4 March: Holi

21 March: Id ul Fitr

27 March: Ram Navami

1 April: Utkal Divas (Odisha Day)

3 April: Good Friday

14 April: Maha Vishuba Sankranti / Dr BR Ambedkar Jayanti

1 May: Buddha Purnima/Pandit Raghunath Murmu Birthday

16 May: Savitri Amabasya

27 May: Eid al-Zuha

15 June: Raja Sankranti

26 June: Muharram

16 July: Ratha Yatra

15 August: Independence Day

26 August: Birthday of Prophet Muhammad

17 August: Jhulana Purnima

4 September: Janmashtami

14 September: Ganesh Chaturthi

15 September: Nuakhai

16 September: Nuakhai

17 October: Mahasaptami

19 October: Mahanavami

20 October: Vijaya Dashami

24 November: Rahas Purnima

25 December: Christmas Day

Id-ul-Fitr*

Muharram*

Id-ul-Zuha (Bakrid)*

(*Subject to the appearance of the moon)

State employees will also be allowed to avail one optional holiday on any of the following nine occasions — irrespective of their religion or denomination — upon written permission from their competent authority:

1. Guru Gobind Singh’s Birthday
2. Easter Saturday
3. Bahuda Yatra
4. Anla Navami
5. Prathamastami
6. Holi (second day)
7. Raksha Bandhan
8. Nuakhai
9. Christmas Eve

The department clarified that certain festivals traditionally observed as holidays will not be separately declared this time since they coincide with Sundays or second and fourth Saturdays. These include Maha Shivratri, Pahili Raja, Mahalaya, Mahashtami, Kumar Purnima, and Diwali.

The official communication has been circulated to all government departments, district collectors, and key state and central institutions, including the Odisha High Court, RBI, and nationalised banks. The Information and Public Relations Department, All India Radio, and Doordarshan Bhubaneswar have also been informed for wide public dissemination.

PNN

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