Holidays
Bihar Holidays 2026
Government, Bank & Pooja Holidays List
Is today a holiday in Bihar?
Today
× NO HOLIDAY
(1 October 2026) in Bihar
The Bihar Government has not announced a public or government holiday for today. This updates as soon as an official notification comes through for a sudden closure, festival, or bank holiday.
Is tomorrow a holiday in Bihar?
Tomorrow
✓ IS HOLIDAY — Mahatma Gandhi Jayanti
(2 October 2026) in Bihar
Bihar has declared Mahatma Gandhi Jayanti as a holiday tomorrow. Check the tables below to see whether it counts as a bank, government or regional holiday.
Weekend Holiday Status
*If today or tomorrow falls on a Saturday or Sunday, it is usually just a weekly off — weekends only count as a public holiday when a government notification says so.
**Banks and government offices close on the 2nd and 4th Saturday of the month; Sundays are a weekly off everywhere but count as a declared public holiday only if officially notified.
Chhath defines Bihar's 2026 holiday list more than anything else on it, a four-day sun-worship observance unlike anything in a neighboring state's calendar. Around it sit Bihar Diwas on 22 March, Holi, Diwali and both Eids, all notified together by the state government in Patna.
List of all Holidays in Bihar 2026
| Date | Day | Holiday | Holiday Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 1 | Thursday | New Year | Optional |
| Jan 14 | Wednesday | Makar Sankranti | Regional |
| Jan 23 | Friday | Vasant Panchmi | Regional |
| Jan 24 | Saturday | Karpoori Thakur Jayanti | Regional |
| Jan 26 | Monday | Republic Day | National |
| Feb 1 | Sunday | Sant Ravidas Jayanti | Regional |
| Feb 4 | Wednesday | Shab-e-barat | Regional |
| Feb 16 | Monday | Mahashivratri | Regional |
| Mar 2 | Monday | Ramzan | Regional |
| Mar 2 | Monday | Holi ka Dahan | Regional |
| Mar 3 | Tuesday | Holi | Regional |
| Mar 21 | Saturday | Eid-ul-Fitr | Regional |
| Mar 22 | Sunday | Eid-ul-Fitr | Regional |
| Mar 26 | Thursday | Ashoka Ashtami | Regional |
| Apr 3 | Friday | Mahavir Jayanti | Regional |
| Apr 3 | Friday | Good Friday | Regional |
| Apr 14 | Tuesday | Bhimrao Ambedkar Jayanti | Regional |
| Apr 23 | Thursday | Veer Kunwar Singh Jayanti | Regional |
| Apr 25 | Saturday | Janaki Navami | Regional |
| Apr 27 | Monday | Ram Navami | Regional |
| May 1 | Friday | Buddha Purnima | Regional |
| May 1 | Friday | May Day | Regional |
| May 28 | Thursday | Bakri-Eid | Regional |
| Jun 18 | Thursday | Anugrah Narayan Sinha Jayanti | Regional |
| Jun 26 | Friday | Muharram | Regional |
| Jun 27 | Saturday | Muharram | Regional |
| Jun 29 | Monday | Kabir Jayanti | Regional |
| Aug 4 | Tuesday | Chehallum | Regional |
| Aug 15 | Saturday | Independence Day | National |
| Aug 24 | Monday | Monday Shravana | Regional |
| Aug 28 | Friday | Hazrat Muhammad Sahib Bday | Regional |
| Aug 28 | Friday | Raksha Bandhan | Regional |
| Sep 4 | Friday | Krishna Janmashtami | Regional |
| Sep 14 | Monday | Haritalika Teej Festival | Regional |
| Sep 17 | Thursday | Vishwakarma Puja | Regional |
| Oct 2 | Friday | Mahatma Gandhi Jayanti | National |
| Oct 4 | Sunday | Jivitputrika Fast | Regional |
| Oct 11 | Sunday | Jayaprakash Narayan Jayanti | Regional |
| Oct 14 | Wednesday | Chhath Puja | Regional |
| Oct 17 | Saturday | Durga Pooja Saptami | Regional |
| Oct 18 | Sunday | Durga Puja | Regional |
| Oct 19 | Monday | Durga Puja | Regional |
| Oct 21 | Wednesday | Krishna Singh Jayanti | Regional |
| Oct 21 | Wednesday | Durga Puja (Ekadasi) | Regional |
| Nov 8 | Sunday | Diwali | Regional |
| Nov 10 | Tuesday | Bhai Dooj / Chitragupta Pooja | Regional |
| Nov 15 | Sunday | Chhath Puja | Regional |
| Nov 16 | Monday | Chhath Puja | Regional |
| Dec 3 | Thursday | Rajendra Prasad Jayanti | Regional |
| Dec 24 | Thursday | Christmas Eve | Regional |
| Dec 25 | Friday | Christmas | Regional |
Pooja Holidays in Bihar 2026
Fasting and riverbank arghya offerings over four days make Chhath Puja the observance that shapes Bihar every November, to the point where much of the state simply pauses for it. Durga Puja matters in its own right too, and Saraswati Puja has a particular hold on schools and colleges, where it traditionally opens the spring term.
| Date | Day | Holiday | Holiday Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 2 | Monday | Holi ka Dahan | Regional |
| Mar 3 | Tuesday | Holi | Regional |
| Apr 27 | Monday | Ram Navami | Regional |
| Sep 4 | Friday | Krishna Janmashtami | Regional |
| Oct 14 | Wednesday | Chhath Puja | Regional |
| Oct 17 | Saturday | Durga Pooja Saptami | Regional |
| Oct 18 | Sunday | Durga Puja | Regional |
| Oct 19 | Monday | Durga Puja | Regional |
| Oct 21 | Wednesday | Durga Puja (Ekadasi) | Regional |
| Nov 8 | Sunday | Diwali | Regional |
| Nov 10 | Tuesday | Bhai Dooj / Chitragupta Pooja | Regional |
| Nov 15 | Sunday | Chhath Puja | Regional |
| Nov 16 | Monday | Chhath Puja | Regional |
Bank Holidays in Bihar 2026
The state's Negotiable Instruments Act notification sets Bihar's 2026 bank holidays, and nothing on it closes banks longer than the Chhath window. Second and fourth Saturdays and Sundays are off as they are nationwide, and many businesses schedule their month-end settlements around that November stretch rather than through it.
| Date | Day | Holiday | Holiday Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 26 | Monday | Republic Day | National |
| Mar 21 | Saturday | Eid-ul-Fitr | Regional |
| Apr 3 | Friday | Mahavir Jayanti | Regional |
| Apr 3 | Friday | Good Friday | Regional |
| May 1 | Friday | May Day | Regional |
| May 28 | Thursday | Bakri-Eid | Regional |
| Aug 15 | Saturday | Independence Day | National |
| Oct 2 | Friday | Mahatma Gandhi Jayanti | National |
| Nov 8 | Sunday | Diwali | Regional |
| Dec 25 | Friday | Christmas | Regional |
Government/Public Holidays in Bihar 2026
Patna's General Administration Department notifies Bihar's public holiday list each year, covering state offices, schools and public institutions. Bihar Diwas on 22 March commemorates the state's founding in 1912 and takes its place in the 2026 notification next to the national holidays.
| Date | Day | Holiday | Holiday Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 26 | Monday | Republic Day | National |
| Apr 14 | Tuesday | Bhimrao Ambedkar Jayanti | Regional |
| Apr 23 | Thursday | Veer Kunwar Singh Jayanti | Regional |
| Aug 15 | Saturday | Independence Day | National |
| Oct 2 | Friday | Mahatma Gandhi Jayanti | National |
| Oct 11 | Sunday | Jayaprakash Narayan Jayanti | Regional |
| Dec 25 | Friday | Christmas | Regional |
Month-wise Bihar Holidays 2026
A month-by-month breakdown of every Bihar holiday in 2026, useful for leave planning, payroll processing and rostering throughout the year.
January 2026
- New Year (Jan 1)
- Makar Sankranti (Jan 14)
- Vasant Panchmi (Jan 23)
- Karpoori Thakur Jayanti (Jan 24)
- Republic Day (Jan 26)
February 2026
- Sant Ravidas Jayanti (Feb 1)
- Shab-e-barat (Feb 4)
- Mahashivratri (Feb 16)
March 2026
- Ramzan (Mar 2)
- Holi ka Dahan (Mar 2)
- Holi (Mar 3)
- Eid-ul-Fitr (Mar 21)
- Eid-ul-Fitr (Mar 22)
- Ashoka Ashtami (Mar 26)
April 2026
- Mahavir Jayanti (Apr 3)
- Good Friday (Apr 3)
- Bhimrao Ambedkar Jayanti (Apr 14)
- Veer Kunwar Singh Jayanti (Apr 23)
- Janaki Navami (Apr 25)
- Ram Navami (Apr 27)
May 2026
- Buddha Purnima (May 1)
- May Day (May 1)
- Bakri-Eid (May 28)
June 2026
- Anugrah Narayan Sinha Jayanti (Jun 18)
- Muharram (Jun 26)
- Muharram (Jun 27)
- Kabir Jayanti (Jun 29)
August 2026
- Chehallum (Aug 4)
- Independence Day (Aug 15)
- Monday Shravana (Aug 24)
- Hazrat Muhammad Sahib Bday (Aug 28)
- Raksha Bandhan (Aug 28)
September 2026
- Krishna Janmashtami (Sep 4)
- Haritalika Teej Festival (Sep 14)
- Vishwakarma Puja (Sep 17)
October 2026
- Mahatma Gandhi Jayanti (Oct 2)
- Jivitputrika Fast (Oct 4)
- Jayaprakash Narayan Jayanti (Oct 11)
- Chhath Puja (Oct 14)
- Durga Pooja Saptami (Oct 17)
- Durga Puja (Oct 18)
- Durga Puja (Oct 19)
- Krishna Singh Jayanti (Oct 21)
- Durga Puja (Ekadasi) (Oct 21)
November 2026
- Diwali (Nov 8)
- Bhai Dooj / Chitragupta Pooja (Nov 10)
- Chhath Puja (Nov 15)
- Chhath Puja (Nov 16)
December 2026
- Rajendra Prasad Jayanti (Dec 3)
- Christmas Eve (Dec 24)
- Christmas (Dec 25)
How HR teams use this Bihar holiday list
Prepare the annual leave calendar
Manage shift planning and employee rosters
Align payroll cut-offs with bank holidays in Bihar
Maintain compliance with working-day requirements
Configure holidays in HRMS and payroll software
Avoid salary delays caused by bank closures
Plan staffing around long weekends and festival clusters
FAQs on Bihar Holidays in 2026
Yes, it's both widely observed across the state and officially declared as a holiday.
Official notifications put the figure at 30 government and public holidays for the year.
No, the two lists can differ: bank holidays are set under RBI guidelines rather than the government's own notification.
That comes down to whatever the state or the district administration has announced, since school closures aren't always tied to the general holiday list.
Disclaimer
These are the 2026 holiday dates as currently available. The final schedule for General and Restricted Holidays comes from the Government of Bihar, notified under the Negotiable Instruments Act. Dates for religious festivals can shift based on moon sightings or a later government announcement. Check the latest State Gazette notification or your organization's HR policy before planning leave or financial transactions around any of these dates.