Sri Lanka Public & Mercantile Holidays 2027

Sri Lanka has 25 public holidays in 2027, declared in Gazette Extraordinary No. 2493/05 under the Holidays Act, No. 29 of 1971. All 25 are also bank holidays, and 12 of them are Full Moon Poya Days. 7 fall on a Saturday or Sunday, which leaves 18 on weekdays.

There are 8 mercantile holidays in 2027: Tamil Thai Pongal Day (Friday 15 January); Independence Day (Thursday 4 February); Day Prior to Sinhala & Tamil New Year Day (Tuesday 13 April); Sinhala & Tamil New Year Day (Wednesday 14 April); May Day (International Workers’ Day) (Saturday 1 May); Day Following Vesak Full Moon Poya Day (Thursday 20 May); Milad-Un-Nabi (Holy Prophet’s Birthday) (Sunday 15 August); Christmas Day (Saturday 25 December). Shop and office employees are also entitled to a holiday on every Full Moon Poya Day, which brings their total to 20 days.

Yes, for employees covered by the Shop and Office Employees Act. Section 7A of the Act gives them a holiday on every Full Moon Poya Day. If a Poya Day falls on another holiday or a weekly rest day, no extra day is given. An employee who is asked to work on a Poya Day must be paid at least one and a half times their normal daily rate (Section 7B).

Public holidays are declared each year under the Holidays Act and apply to government institutions. Bank holidays are the days banks are closed; every public holiday is also a bank holiday, as are all Saturdays and Sundays. Mercantile holidays are the paid holidays declared for shop and office employees under the Shop and Office Employees Act, which covers most private-sector businesses.

Vesak Full Moon Poya Day is on Wednesday 19 May 2027. The following day, Thursday 20 May 2027, is also a public, bank and mercantile holiday.

Sinhala and Tamil New Year Day is on Wednesday 14 April 2027, and the day before, Tuesday 13 April 2027, is also a holiday. Both are public, bank and mercantile holidays.

The 2027 gazette does not declare replacement days for holidays that fall on a Saturday or Sunday. In 2027, 7 holidays fall on a weekend: Navam Full Moon Poya Day (Saturday 20 February); Maha Shivarathri Day (Saturday 6 March); May Day (International Workers’ Day) (Saturday 1 May); Esala Full Moon Poya Day (Sunday 18 July); Milad-Un-Nabi (Holy Prophet’s Birthday) (Sunday 15 August); Il Full Moon Poya Day (Saturday 13 November); Christmas Day (Saturday 25 December).

Assuming a Monday to Friday week, there are 9 three-day weekends in 2027 that need no leave: Fri 15 Jan to Sun 17 Jan, Fri 22 Jan to Sun 24 Jan, Sat 20 Mar to Mon 22 Mar, Fri 26 Mar to Sun 28 Mar, Sat 15 May to Mon 17 May, Fri 18 Jun to Sun 20 Jun, Sat 14 Aug to Mon 16 Aug, Fri 15 Oct to Sun 17 Oct, Sat 11 Dec to Mon 13 Dec.

The dates are fixed by the gazette, but the government can amend them or declare a special holiday by a further notice. The dates of Muslim festivals depend on the sighting of the moon, so they are the most likely to move. We check the official sources and update this page if anything changes.