Bangladesh Sets 2027 Public Holiday Calendar, Keeping Five Days for Eid al-Fitr and Six for Eid al-Adha

Cabinet approves 29 holidays for 2027

Bangladesh's Ministry of Public Administration issued the 2027 public holiday notification on Thursday, November 5, 2026, keeping five days for Eid al-Fitr, six days for Eid al-Adha and two days for Durga Puja. The calendar follows cabinet approval on November 2 and sets out holidays for government offices and a broad range of public institutions.

The approved tally comprises 15 general holidays and 14 holidays declared by executive order. Cabinet Secretary Nasimul Gani said seven fall on the regular Friday and Saturday weekend, leaving 22 effective public holidays under the government's calculation.

For employees and families planning visits, celebrations and travel, the longest designated festival break is Eid al-Adha, from May 15 to May 20. Eid al-Fitr holidays run from March 8 to March 12, while the two Durga Puja holidays fall on October 9 and October 10.

The lengths of those three festival breaks are unchanged from 2026. The notification also provides for optional religious holidays, subject to approval, and separate arrangements for the main social festivals of employees from ethnic minority communities.

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman chaired the cabinet meeting at the Secretariat. Gani announced the decision afterward at a press briefing in the Department of Information's conference room, following what was identified as the cabinet's 26th meeting.

The schedule covers government and semi-government offices, statutory bodies, and autonomous and semi-autonomous institutions. Offices operating under their own laws and institutions designated as essential services will arrange holidays under their respective rules, taking the public interest into account.

How the holiday count works

The government's calendar uses two categories. General holidays mark national occasions and major religious festivals. Holidays declared by executive order provide additional days around festivals and cover other occasions, including Bengali New Year.

Both categories form part of the approved public holiday schedule. For an employee whose office follows the calendar, the practical question is which dates the office closes, rather than which category a holiday belongs to.

Gani's briefing put the weekend overlap at four general holidays and three holidays declared by executive order. The four general holidays comprise two Fridays and two Saturdays; the other three comprise one Friday and two Saturdays.

Subtracting those seven overlaps, comprising three Fridays and four Saturdays, from the announced total of 29 produces the government's figure of 22 effective holidays. For employees who already have Fridays and Saturdays off, a holiday on either day falls within their regular weekly break.

May 20 also appears in both festival schedules: it is listed as Buddha Purnima and as the final additional holiday for Eid al-Adha. That shared date matters when planning actual office closures. The announced figure of 29 is the government's holiday tally, while May 20 is a single calendar date carrying two observances.

Five days for Eid al-Fitr

Eid al-Fitr is listed as a general holiday on March 10. Four additional holidays, on March 8, 9, 11 and 12, create the designated five-day break.

The arrangement gives employees two days before Eid and two days afterward. Those days provide time around the main celebration for travel, family visits and preparations, with the full festival allocation running from March 8 through March 12.

Two other religious observances appear shortly before that break. Jumu'atul Wida is listed on March 5 as a general holiday, and Shab-e-Qadr is listed on March 7 as a holiday declared by executive order.

Employees planning a longer absence will need to consider those dates alongside their office's weekly schedule and any approved leave. The five days specifically allocated to Eid al-Fitr remain March 8 to March 12.

Six days for Eid al-Adha and two for Durga Puja

Eid al-Adha is listed as a general holiday on May 17. The government has added May 15 and 16 before the festival and May 18, 19 and 20 afterward, producing a designated break of six days.

The difference between the two Eid allocations is straightforward: each includes two additional days before the festival, but Eid al-Adha has three additional days afterward, compared with two for Eid al-Fitr. Eid al-Adha therefore receives one more designated holiday.

Buddha Purnima falls on May 20 in the published schedule, sharing the final date of the Eid al-Adha break. Buddhist employees and institutions observing Buddha Purnima will consequently mark their festival on a date already included in that six-day period.

Durga Puja has two designated holidays. Navami falls on October 9 under executive order, followed by the general holiday for Durga Puja on October 10. Together, they preserve the two-day allocation used in the preceding year.

For offices covered by the notification, these three festival periods provide the clearest blocks around which to plan staffing and appointments. Essential services and institutions with separate legal arrangements will set their schedules under the applicable rules.

The other dates across the year

The calendar combines national commemorations with observances across several religious communities. Shaheed Day and International Mother Language Day fall on February 21, while Independence and National Day fall on March 26.

April brings two adjacent observances: Chaitra Sankranti on April 13, listed as a general holiday, and Bengali New Year on April 14, declared a holiday by executive order. May Day is listed on May 1.

August includes July Uprising Day on August 5, Eid-e-Milad-un-Nabi on August 15 and Janmashtami on August 25. National Revolution and Solidarity Day follows on November 7.

Victory Day falls on December 16, and Christmas on December 25. The remaining holidays declared by executive order include Shab-e-Barat on January 24 and Ashura on June 16.

The main dates, from approval through the year's largest festival breaks, are:

• November 2, 2026: The cabinet approved the 2027 public holiday calendar.
• November 5, 2026: The Ministry of Public Administration issued the notification.
• March 8 to March 12, 2027: Five designated holidays for Eid al-Fitr.
• April 13 and April 14, 2027: Chaitra Sankranti and Bengali New Year.
• May 15 to May 20, 2027: Six designated holidays for Eid al-Adha, with Buddha Purnima also listed on May 20.
• October 9 and October 10, 2027: Two designated holidays for Durga Puja.
• December 16 and December 25, 2027: Victory Day and Christmas.

Optional religious leave requires advance approval

Government employees may take up to three optional holidays annually according to their religion. The notification includes optional observances for Muslim, Hindu, Christian and Buddhist festivals.

Employees must obtain approval from the appropriate authority at the beginning of the year. Optional leave therefore involves an individual request and an approval process, rather than an automatic closure of every office on every listed festival date.

The rules allow approved optional holidays to be joined to general holidays, holidays declared by executive order or regular weekly holidays. An employee may consequently be able to combine an approved religious observance with an existing break.

The three-day annual limit remains part of that arrangement. Employees planning several observances across the year need to account for the total when seeking approval, while offices need to arrange staffing around the requests they approve.

Festival leave for ethnic minority employees

Government employees from ethnic minority communities in the Chittagong Hill Tracts and elsewhere are entitled to two optional holidays for Boisabi or similar principal social festivals, according to the cabinet briefing.

This provision addresses community celebrations alongside the notification's optional religious holidays. Employees seeking leave for those social festivals should have their requests considered under the relevant provision and approval arrangements.

The announcement does not explain whether the two days for community festivals can be added to the maximum three optional religious holidays for an employee eligible for both. Employees in that position will need clarification from the authority approving their leave.

Which offices will follow the calendar?

Government and semi-government offices, statutory bodies, and autonomous and semi-autonomous institutions are covered by the approved list. A statutory body is an organisation established by law; autonomous institutions have a degree of independence in managing their affairs.

The notification also recognises that some offices have schedules governed by their own laws. Those offices will determine their holidays under the rules that apply to them.

Institutions designated as essential services have similar responsibility to arrange holidays with the public interest in mind. Their employees may therefore have different working arrangements from staff in an office that closes throughout a listed festival break.

People planning to visit a public institution should check that institution's operating notice, especially around the longer Eid holidays. The national calendar sets the broad schedule, while the exceptions identify where separate arrangements apply.

Key Points

• The cabinet approved the 2027 calendar on November 2, 2026, and the ministry issued the notification on November 5.
• The government announced 29 holidays: 15 general holidays and 14 holidays declared by executive order.
• Officials said seven holidays overlap with Fridays or Saturdays, leaving 22 effective public holidays.
• Eid al-Fitr has five designated holidays, from March 8 to March 12.
• Eid al-Adha has six designated holidays, from May 15 to May 20. Buddha Purnima is also listed on May 20.
• Durga Puja holidays fall on October 9 and October 10.
• Employees may seek up to three optional religious holidays, with approval required at the beginning of the year.
• Eligible employees from ethnic minority communities have a provision for two optional holidays for their main social festivals.
• Essential services and offices governed by separate laws will arrange holidays under their respective rules.