School Holidays 2027: Full Holiday List and Long Weekends

Status checked 23 Oct 2026: The Centre’s 2027 holiday list (DoPT order of 16 July 2026) is out. State government lists and school calendars for 2027 are still awaited; we will add each one here as it is notified.

If you are trying to pin down school holidays 2027 for your child, start with one plain fact. As of today, Friday, 23 October 2026, the only official holiday list for 2027 comes from the Centre. The Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) issued it on 16 July 2026, and it fixes the dates for Holi, Diwali, Christmas, the Eid holidays (subject to the moon) and the national holidays for central government offices.

That list is not your child’s school calendar. Schools follow their state government’s holiday notification and then add their own breaks, exam days and local closures. Most states have not notified their 2027 lists yet. Delhi, for instance, notified its 2025 list on 13 November 2024 and its 2026 list on 4 December 2025, so a late-year release is normal.

What the central list does give you is the first official word on which day of the week each big festival falls in 2027. Holi is a Tuesday. Diwali is a Friday. Independence Day is a Sunday. That alone is enough to start sketching family plans, as long as you treat every date as provisional until your school confirms it.

Below you will find the full central list with weekdays, a month-by-month view that includes the regional (restricted) holidays, the long weekends of 2027, a status table for state lists, and a simple routine for building your own family calendar. We will keep updating this page as states and schools publish their dates.

How school holidays 2027 are decided

Three separate documents sit behind every school holiday, and parents usually see only the last one. Knowing the order helps you judge how firm a date really is.

Layer one: the Centre’s holiday list

Each year DoPT, under the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, issues an office memorandum listing holidays for central government administrative offices. The 2027 order carries the number 12/2/2023-JCA and is dated 16 July 2026. The Department of Posts forwarded it to its circles in a letter dated 8 September 2026, and that Department of Posts letter with the full DoPT order is the copy we have used for every date on this page.

For central offices in Delhi and New Delhi, Annexure I of the order lists 17 holidays. Outside Delhi the system works a little differently. Fourteen holidays are compulsory everywhere: Republic Day, Independence Day, Mahatma Gandhi’s Birthday, Buddha Purnima, Christmas Day, Dussehra (Vijaya Dashmi), Diwali, Good Friday, Guru Nanak’s Birthday, Id-ul-Fitr, Id-ul-Zuha, Mahavir Jayanti, Muharram and Prophet Mohammad’s Birthday (Id-e-Milad).

The remaining three are picked from a menu of 12 by the Central Government Employees Welfare Coordination Committee in each state capital. The menu includes an additional Dussehra day, Holi, Janmashtami, Ram Navami, Maha Shivratri, Ganesh Chaturthi, Makar Sankranti, Rath Yatra, Onam, Pongal, Basant Panchami, and one slot for regional festivals such as Vishu, Vaisakhi, Ugadi, Gudi Padwa, Cheti Chand, Navratri, Chhath and Karva Chauth. The order does not name Delhi’s three in so many words, but Annexure I, the Delhi list, carries Holi, Ram Navami and Janmashtami on top of the 14 compulsory days, so those appear to be the three picked for Delhi. Once a state committee finalises its three, the order says the list cannot be changed later.

So a central government employee in Kolkata or Chennai may end up with a slightly different 2027 list from a colleague in Delhi. Keep that in mind if one parent works in a central office: their days off and the children’s school holidays will not always line up.

Layer two: the state government’s notification

State governments issue their own holiday notifications, usually through the General Administration or Personnel department, and education departments pass these on to schools. Delhi is a good example of how this works on paper. The Delhi government’s General Administration Department notified the 2026 list on 4 December 2025 (No. F.53/812/GAD/CN/2025/4540-4576). The Directorate of Education then circulated it to heads of government, aided and recognised unaided private schools for “information and necessary action”.

The state list can differ from the Centre’s. Delhi’s 2026 schedule had 18 holidays and included Maharishi Valmiki’s Birthday on 26 October 2026, a day that appears only as a restricted holiday in the Centre’s 2027 order. States in the east and south routinely give days for festivals such as Chhath, Durga Puja, Pongal or Onam that the central list treats as optional. This is why a national “holiday list 2027” from any website cannot tell you exactly when your child’s school will shut.

Layer three: your school’s academic calendar

The last layer is the school calendar. It adds the long breaks (summer, winter and, in some states, autumn or Puja vacations), exam weeks, parent-teacher meetings and any local holiday a district or the school declares. It can also decide how many days a festival gets.

Holi 2026 showed this clearly. According to a Business Today report from March 2026, government schools in Uttar Pradesh were to stay closed from 2 to 4 March, while schools in Delhi, Haryana and Punjab were to close only on 4 March. Same festival, same week, a two-day difference depending on where your child studies.

Where CBSE and ICSE schools fit in

Boards like CBSE and CISCE set exam dates; they do not hand affiliated schools a festival holiday list. A CBSE school in Ludhiana and one in Pune will each follow their state’s notification and their own management’s calendar. The board’s role shows up in February and March, when exam days override everything else. The CBSE Class 10 date sheet 2027 and the CBSE Class 12 date sheet 2027 had not been released when we last checked, so it is not yet known how the exam schedule will sit around Id-ul-Fitr on 10 March and Holi on 23 March. Students of other boards can follow the ICSE 10th time table 2027 and the UP Board 10th time table 2027.

School holidays 2027: the confirmed central list

These are the 17 gazetted holidays in Annexure I of the DoPT order, the list central government offices in Delhi and New Delhi will follow. Treat them as the backbone of school holidays 2027: almost every state list will include these festivals, even if a state shifts a day or adds more around them.

We have checked every weekday against the 2027 calendar. The last column is our own note for families, not part of the order.

Six holidays land on a weekend

In 2027, six of the 17 gazetted holidays fall on a Saturday or Sunday: Independence Day and Milad-un-Nabi (both Sunday, 15 August), Gandhi Jayanti (Saturday, 2 October), Dussehra (Saturday, 9 October), Guru Nanak’s Birthday (Sunday, 14 November) and Christmas (Saturday, 25 December). Paragraph 3.2 of the order is clear that no substitute holiday is given when a festival falls on a weekly off, or when two festivals fall on the same day.

For schools the effect depends on the working week. A school that runs on Saturdays will still close on 2 October, 9 October and 25 December, so those children lose nothing. A school with a five-day week gets no extra day. Sunday holidays are simply absorbed by everyone, and 15 August will be a Sunday flag-hoisting for schools that hold the ceremony on the day.

Dates that can still move

Four holidays depend on the sighting of the moon: Id-ul-Fitr, Id-ul-Zuha, Muharram and Milad-un-Nabi. The order itself notes that these dates may change depending on when the moon is sighted. In practice that means a school may announce the exact Eid closure only a day or two in advance, so keep 10 March, 17 May, 16 June and 15 August marked in pencil.

Diwali has its own wrinkle. The order fixes it on Friday, 29 October 2027, but adds that in states where Naraka Chaturdasi is the compulsory Diwali holiday, that day may be observed instead. Naraka Chaturdasi falls on Thursday, 28 October 2027. If you live in a state that marks Diwali a day early, expect your child’s Diwali holiday on the Thursday.

Month-by-month holiday calendar 2027

This section combines both annexures of the DoPT order. “Gazetted” days are fixed holidays for central offices. “Restricted” days (RH) are optional: central employees can pick two of the 32 in Delhi. A restricted holiday is a normal school day unless your state or school lists it, and many states do list the ones that matter locally, such as Chhath in Bihar or Pongal in Tamil Nadu. Read the restricted days as “possible”, not “confirmed”.

January 2027

• 1 January, Friday: New Year’s Day (restricted)
• 14 January, Thursday: Makar Sankranti / Magha Bihu (restricted)
• 15 January, Friday: Pongal and Guru Gobind Singh’s Birthday (restricted)
• 26 January, Tuesday: Republic Day (gazetted)

Large parts of north India start the year inside winter vacation or cold-wave closures, which are decided by state education departments and district administrations, not by any holiday list. If your state gives both 14 and 15 January, that becomes a four-day stretch with the weekend of 16 and 17 January. Republic Day on a Tuesday leaves Monday 25 January as the awkward bridge day; most schools also hold a function on 26 January itself.

February 2027

• 11 February, Thursday: Basant Panchami / Sri Panchami (restricted)
• 19 February, Friday: Shivaji Jayanti (restricted)
• 20 February, Saturday: Guru Ravidas’s Birthday (restricted)

There is no gazetted holiday in February 2027. It is also the month board exams usually begin, so even where a state gives Shivaji Jayanti (widely observed in Maharashtra) or Guru Ravidas Jayanti (widely observed in Punjab), Class 10 and 12 students should plan around their date sheet first.

March 2027

March is the busiest month of the year, with three gazetted holidays and five restricted ones packed into four weeks:

• 2 March, Tuesday: Swami Dayananda Saraswati’s Birthday (restricted)
• 5 March, Friday: Jamat-ul-Vida (restricted)
• 6 March, Saturday: Maha Shivratri (restricted)
• 10 March, Wednesday: Id-ul-Fitr (gazetted, moon-dependent)
• 22 March, Monday: Holika Dahan / Dolyatra (restricted)
• 23 March, Tuesday: Holi (gazetted)
• 26 March, Friday: Good Friday (gazetted)
• 28 March, Sunday: Easter Sunday (restricted)

This is also exam month for most schools and boards. Holi on a Tuesday means that where Holika Dahan is also given, children could be home from Saturday 20 March to Tuesday 23 March, with Good Friday giving another three days from 26 to 28 March. For a child in Class 10 or 12, those are revision days, not travel days.

April 2027

• 7 April, Wednesday: Chaitra Sukladi / Gudi Padava / Ugadi / Cheti Chand / first Navratra (restricted)
• 14 April, Wednesday: Vaisakhi / Vishu / Meshadi, Tamil New Year (restricted)
• 15 April, Thursday: Ram Navami (gazetted); also Vaisakhadi (Bengal) / Bahag Bihu (Assam) (restricted)
• 19 April, Monday: Mahavir Jayanti (gazetted)

The 2027-28 session begins in April in most schools, so this month’s holidays fall in the first weeks of a new class. Ram Navami on Thursday and Mahavir Jayanti on Monday sit either side of a weekend; with Friday 16 April off, that is five days in a row. Regional new-year days on 7, 14 and 15 April are worth checking in your state’s own list, since several states treat them as full holidays.

May 2027

• 9 May, Sunday: Rabindranath Tagore’s Birthday (restricted)
• 17 May, Monday: Id-ul-Zuha / Bakrid (gazetted, moon-dependent)
• 20 May, Thursday: Buddha Purnima (gazetted)

Summer vacation in many states begins in May or June, but the 2027 dates are not out anywhere yet; they come from each state’s education department. If the break has not started, Bakrid gives a three-day weekend from 15 to 17 May, and Buddha Purnima a four-day one from 20 to 23 May if Friday is taken off.

June 2027

Only one holiday: Muharram on Wednesday, 16 June (gazetted, moon-dependent). For most north Indian schools this will fall inside summer vacation. In states where the session or the post-vacation reopening is in early June, check whether the school has scheduled anything around it.

July 2027

Rath Yatra on Monday, 5 July is the only listed day, and it is restricted. Families in Odisha will know it as a major state occasion; elsewhere it is an ordinary school Monday unless the state says otherwise. July has no gazetted holiday, so it is usually the longest unbroken stretch of the school year.

August 2027

• 15 August, Sunday: Independence Day and Milad-un-Nabi (both gazetted); also Parsi New Year / Navroz (restricted)
• 17 August, Tuesday: Raksha Bandhan (restricted)
• 25 August, Wednesday: Janmashtami (gazetted)

Three holidays share one Sunday, which means no weekday off for Independence Day this year. Raksha Bandhan on a Tuesday is only a restricted holiday centrally, so whether schools close will depend on your state list. Janmashtami on Wednesday is a clean mid-week break.

September 2027

Ganesh Chaturthi (Saturday, 4 September) and Onam (Sunday, 12 September) are both restricted and both fall on a weekend, which matters most to families in Maharashtra, Karnataka, Goa and Kerala, where state lists often add extra days. There is no gazetted holiday this month. Many schools hold half-yearly or mid-term exams around September, so check your school’s exam schedule before planning.

October 2027

October is where the year’s festival holidays bunch together. Here is the full run from the order:

• 2 October, Saturday: Mahatma Gandhi’s Birthday (gazetted)
• 6 October, Wednesday: Dussehra Saptami (restricted)
• 7 October, Thursday: Dussehra Mahashtami (restricted)
• 8 October, Friday: Dussehra Mahanavmi (restricted)
• 9 October, Saturday: Dussehra / Vijaya Dashmi (gazetted)
• 15 October, Friday: Maharishi Valmiki’s Birthday (restricted)
• 18 October, Monday: Karwa Chauth (restricted)
• 28 October, Thursday: Naraka Chaturdasi (restricted)
• 29 October, Friday: Diwali (gazetted)
• 30 October, Saturday: Govardhan Puja (restricted)
• 31 October, Sunday: Bhai Duj (restricted)

In states that give the Puja days, such as West Bengal and other eastern states where Durga Puja is the biggest festival of the year, 6 to 10 October could become a five-day break. Elsewhere Dussehra lands on a Saturday and may pass almost unnoticed. Diwali on a Friday is the neat one: 29 to 31 October is a three-day weekend for nearly everyone. In a state that marks Naraka Chaturdasi as its Diwali holiday, the day off moves to Thursday 28 October instead, so check whether your school also closes on the Friday. Many schools add a few Diwali days of their own, so the school circular matters more than the government list here.

November 2027

• 4 November, Thursday: Chhath Puja / Surya Shashthi (restricted)
• 14 November, Sunday: Guru Nanak’s Birthday (gazetted); also Children’s Day
• 24 November, Wednesday: Guru Teg Bahadur’s Martyrdom Day (restricted)

Chhath is the year’s biggest festival for many families from Bihar, Jharkhand and eastern Uttar Pradesh, and those state lists will decide whether schools close on Thursday, 4 November. Families from these states living elsewhere often travel home for it, so ask your school early about leave. Guru Nanak’s Birthday falls on a Sunday, so schools that celebrate Children’s Day the same date may hold their events on the Friday or the Monday instead.

December 2027

• 12 December, Sunday: Hazrat Ali’s Birthday (restricted)
• 24 December, Friday: Christmas Eve (restricted)
• 25 December, Saturday: Christmas Day (gazetted)

Christmas on a Saturday and Christmas Eve on a Friday make a short weekend break where the Friday is given. In much of north India, winter vacation for 2027-28 will start around the end of December or early January, but those dates belong to each state’s next academic calendar and are not available yet.

Long weekends in 2027 for school families

A long weekend on an office calendar is not always one on a school calendar. Many schools work on Saturdays, some on alternate Saturdays, and exam weeks override everything. The table below assumes Saturday and Sunday off and uses only dates from the DoPT order, so adjust it to your school’s working week.

Three more stretches depend entirely on your state. Where Makar Sankranti and Pongal (14 and 15 January) are both holidays, you get Thursday to Sunday. Where the Durga Puja days are given, 6 to 10 October runs Wednesday to Sunday. And if a school gives Wednesday 24 and Thursday 25 March around Holi and Good Friday, the whole week from 20 to 28 March opens up, though for most children that week will be taken by annual exams.

One honest caution. Several of these breaks sit in exam season or in the first weeks of a new session. Pulling a child out for a “bridge” day is a family decision, but check the school’s attendance rules and test schedule before you book anything.

State-wise status of 2027 holiday lists

For most families, school holidays 2027 will be settled only when the state list and then the school calendar arrive, so this table will change the most over the coming weeks. It records only what we have been able to confirm from official documents. When a state notifies its 2027 list, we will add the date, the order number and any holidays that differ from the central list.

What to look for when your state’s list arrives

When the notification comes, compare it with the central table above. Three things usually differ. First, extra state holidays: Delhi’s Valmiki Jayanti is one example, and states often add days for their own festivals. Second, the Diwali day, since some states mark Naraka Chaturdasi instead. Third, the restricted list, which states draw up separately, and which tells you which local festivals may still be given by schools.

Then wait for the school circular. A state notification tells government offices when to close; the school calendar tells you when your child stays home. In Delhi, the Directorate of Education circulated the GAD list to schools about a week after it was issued in each of the last two years (circulars dated 20 November 2024 and 10 December 2025), which suggests that school closures there track the state list closely.

How to build your child’s 2027 holiday calendar

Here is the routine we suggest for mapping school holidays 2027 at home, and it takes about twenty minutes once the school calendar is in your hands. Remember that the year 2027 is split across two academic sessions: January to March belongs to 2026-27, and April onwards to 2027-28.

1. Put the 17 central dates from the table above into your phone calendar now, marked “provisional”. Only the moon-dependent days in the next step can still shift.
2. Mark the four moon-dependent days (10 March, 17 May, 16 June, 15 August) as “may shift by a day”.
3. For January to March, use the 2026-27 academic calendar your school issued at the start of this session. It should already show the winter break and annual exam dates.
4. When your state notifies its 2027 list (Delhi’s last two came in November and December), replace the provisional entries and add the state’s extra days.
5. When the school sends its 2027-28 calendar, add summer and winter vacations, exam weeks and any Saturdays the school works.
6. Treat cold-wave, heatwave, flood or election closures as separate. These come through district or state orders at short notice and cannot be planned around.

Note: If a date on any website, including this one, differs from your school’s circular, follow the school. It is the only document that decides whether your child must attend.

For Maharishi Vidya Mandir families

Maharishi Vidya Mandir schools run in many states, so branches do not all close on the same days; each branch follows its state’s list along with its own calendar. Our guide to MVM school timings, uniform and holiday list covers what we have gathered on branch timings and holidays, and the MVM branch list by state will help you find the right office to ask.

Parents planning a move or a fresh admission for the new session can read our MVM school list and admission process guide alongside this one. MVM Times is an independent education news site, not the official MVM website, so confirm branch dates with the school office.

Official website: dopt.gov.in Visit official site ↗

Official links: holiday lists 2027

About the author

Priyanka Joshi

Priyanka Joshi is a Senior Editor at MVM Times with more than three years of writing and editing behind her. Personal finance is her strongest area, and she edits our coverage of board exams, entrance tests, jobs and government schemes. Read full profile →

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