As many as 24 public holidays have been included in the Tamil Nadu government’s calendar for 2026. The notification regarding them was issued by Chief Secretary N Muruganandam.
The first public day off of the year will be the first holiday of Pongal, which falls on January 15, Thursday. Tamil New Year's Day will be observed on April 14, Tuesday, while May Day falls on Friday. The annual closing of accounts for commercial and cooperative banks will be observed on April 1, Wednesday, as a holiday specifically for those institutions. Thai Poosam and Deepavali, though marked public holidays, fall on Sundays.
The three holidays of the Pongal festival, which fall on consecutive days from January 15 to 17, are Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. Two more public holidays fall on consecutive days: October 19 and 20 (Monday and Tuesday) for Ayudha Pooja and Vijaya Dasami.
Public Holidays in Tamil Nadu: 2026
January 1 (Thursday) – New Year
January 15 (Thursday) – Pongal
January 16 (Friday) – Thiruvalluvar Day
January 17 (Saturday) – Uzhavar Thirunal
January 26 (Monday) – Republic Day
Mar 21 (Saturday) – Ramzan/Idul Fitr
April 1 (Wednesday) – Annual Closing of Accounts (Banks Only)
April 14 (Tuesday) – Tamil New Year
April 18 (Saturday) – Mahavir Jayanti
May 1 (Friday) – May Day
May 28 (Thursday) – Bakrid
August 15 (Saturday) – Independence Day
August 26 (Wednesday) – Milad-un-Nabi
September 5 (Saturday) – Krishna Jayanthi
September 17 (Thursday) – Vinayagar Chaturthi
October 2 (Friday) – Gandhi Jayanthi
October 19 (Monday) – Ayudha Pooja
October 20 (Tuesday) – Vijaya Dasami
November 8 (Sunday) – Deepavali
December 25 (Friday) – Christmas