The Government of Andhra Pradesh has officially issued the General Holidays and Optional Holidays for the calendar year 2026, through G.O. Rt. No. 2276, dated 4 December 2025. The notification was released by the General Administration (Political.B) Department and will be published in the Extraordinary issue of the A.P. Gazette.
The order lays down the holidays applicable to State Government offices, while also specifying guidelines for optional holidays, special conditions for PSUs and educational institutions, and exceptions relating to festivals based on moon sighting.
General Holidays for 2026
The government has declared 24 General Holidays for 2026 (Annexure-I), excluding those falling on Sundays and Second Saturdays. Offices under the state government will remain closed on all Sundays and all Second Saturdays, in addition to the declared general holidays.
Key General Holidays for 2026
- Bhogi – 14 Jan (Wed)
- Makara Sankranti – 15 Jan (Thu)
- Kanuma – 16 Jan (Fri)
- Republic Day – 26 Jan (Mon)
- Maha Shivaratri – 15 Feb (Sun)
- Holi – 3 Mar (Tue)
- Ugadi – 19 Mar (Thu)
- Eid-ul-Fitr (Ramzan) – 20 Mar (Fri)
- Sri Rama Navami – 27 Mar (Fri)
- Good Friday – 3 Apr (Fri)
- Ambedkar Jayanti – 14 Apr (Tue)
- Bakrid – 27 May (Wed)
- Moharrum – 25 Jun (Thu)
- Independence Day – 15 Aug (Sat)
- Varalakshmi Vratham – 21 Aug (Fri)
- Milad-un-Nabi (SAWS) – 25 Aug (Tue)
- Sri Krishna Ashtami – 4 Sep (Fri)
- Vinayaka Chavithi – 14 Sep (Mon)
- Gandhi Jayanti – 2 Oct (Fri)
- Durgashtami – 18 Oct (Sun)
- Vijaya Dasami – 20 Oct (Tue)
- Deepavali – 8 Nov (Sun)
- Christmas – 25 Dec (Fri)
Holidays Falling on Sundays — Annexure I(A)
Some major festivals in 2026 fall on a Sunday and are separately listed:
- Maha Sivaratri – 15 Feb
- Babu Jagjivan Ram’s Birthday – 5 Apr
- Durgashtami – 18 Oct
- Deepavali – 8 Nov
These do not qualify as additional General Holidays.
Optional Holidays for 2026
In addition to General Holidays, state government employees may avail up to five (5) Optional Holidays from Annexure-II. Employees of any religion may select any optional holiday, subject to approval by their superior authority.
Notable Optional Holidays
- New Year’s Day – 1 Jan (Thu)
- Birthday of Hazrath Ali – 3 Jan (Sat)
- Shab-e-Meraj – 16 Jan (Fri)
- Shab-e-Barath – 3 Feb (Tue)
- Shahadat of Hazrath Ali – 11 Mar (Wed)
- Mahaveer Jayanti – 31 Mar (Tue)
- Basava Jayanti – 20 Apr (Mon)
- Buddha Purnima – 1 May (Fri)
- Moharram (1447 Hijri) – 16 Jun (Tue)
- Ratha Yatra – 16 Jul (Thu)
- Arbayeen – 4 Aug (Tue)
- Parsi New Year – 15 Aug (Sat)
- Hazrath Syed Mohammed Juvanpuri Mehdi’s Birthday – 27 Oct (Tue)
- Guru Nanak Jayanti – 24 Nov (Tue)
- Christmas Eve – 24 Dec (Thu)
- Boxing Day – 26 Dec (Sat)
Optional Holidays Falling on Sundays / Second Saturdays — Annexure II(A)
Two optional holidays fall on weekly offs and therefore do not count as selectable optional holidays:
- Shab-e-Qadar – 15 Mar (Sunday)
- Mahalaya Amavasya – 10 Oct (Second Saturday)
Guidelines for Offices, PSUs, and Educational Institutions
The Government has clarified that the General Holidays list does not automatically apply to:
- Industrial establishments
- Public Sector Undertakings
- Workers in the Public Works Department
- Educational institutions
These departments will issue separate holiday notifications.
Moon-Sighting Based Festivals
For Islamic festivals such as:
- Ramzan,
- Bakrid,
- Moharrum,
- Eid Milad-un-Nabi,
—and for certain Hindu festivals where dates may vary, the government will announce revised dates through electronic/print media. Departments and district authorities are required to act immediately upon such announcements without waiting for formal orders.
A Unified Holiday Framework for 2026
The 2026 holiday calendar ensures uniformity for government offices, while allowing flexibility through five optional holidays. By providing clear directives and reserving room for moon-sighting–based adjustments, the Andhra Pradesh Government aims to maintain administrative efficiency while accommodating cultural and religious diversity.