Holidays
West Bengal Holidays 2026
Government, Bank & Pooja Holidays List
Is today a holiday in West Bengal?
Today
× NO HOLIDAY
(1 October 2026) in West Bengal
The West Bengal 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 West Bengal?
Tomorrow
✓ IS HOLIDAY — Birthday of Gandhiji
(2 October 2026) in West Bengal
West Bengal has declared Birthday of Gandhiji 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.
One festival defines West Bengal's year more than any other: Durga Puja, which triggers the state's longest run of holidays and turns Kolkata, for about a week each October, into what's often called the world's largest open-air art festival. Poila Boishakh in April, Rabindra Jayanti in May and Netaji's birthday on 23 January round out the distinctly Bengali character of the list.
List of all Holidays in West Bengal 2026
| Date | Day | Holiday | Holiday Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 1 | Thursday | New Year's Day | Regional |
| Jan 12 | Monday | Birthday of Swami Vivekananda | Regional |
| Jan 23 | Friday | Netaji's Birthday / Saraswati Puja | Regional |
| Jan 26 | Monday | Republic Day | National |
| Mar 3 | Tuesday | Doljatra | Regional |
| Mar 21 | Saturday | Eid-Ul-Fitr | Regional |
| Mar 26 | Thursday | Ram Navami | Regional |
| Mar 31 | Tuesday | Mahavir Jayanti | Regional |
| Apr 1 | Wednesday | Yearly Closing of Bank Account | Regional |
| Apr 3 | Friday | Good Friday | Regional |
| Apr 14 | Tuesday | Birthday of Dr. B. R. Ambedkar | Regional |
| Apr 15 | Wednesday | Bengali New Year's Day (Nababarsha) | Regional |
| May 1 | Friday | Buddha Purnima | Regional |
| May 1 | Friday | May Day | Regional |
| May 9 | Saturday | Birthday of Rabindranath Tagore | Regional |
| May 27 | Wednesday | Id-Ud-Zoha (Bakrid) | Regional |
| Jun 26 | Friday | Muharram | Regional |
| Aug 15 | Saturday | Independence Day | National |
| Sep 4 | Friday | Janmastami | Regional |
| Oct 2 | Friday | Birthday of Gandhiji | National |
| Oct 10 | Saturday | Mahalaya | Regional |
| Oct 19 | Monday | Durga Puja, Maha Astami | Regional |
| Oct 20 | Tuesday | Durga Puja, Maha Nabami | Regional |
| Oct 21 | Wednesday | Durga Puja, Dasami | Regional |
| Nov 8 | Sunday | Kali Puja / Diwali | Regional |
| Nov 11 | Wednesday | Bhratridwitiya | Regional |
| Nov 24 | Tuesday | Birthday of Guru Nanak | Regional |
| Dec 25 | Friday | Christmas Day | Regional |
Pooja Holidays in West Bengal 2026
In West Bengal, pooja holidays are less an add-on to the calendar than its backbone. Durga Puja brings the state to a festive standstill, and Kali Puja with Diwali and Bhratri Dwitiya's celebration of the sibling bond follow soon after.
| Date | Day | Holiday | Holiday Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 23 | Friday | Netaji's Birthday / Saraswati Puja | Regional |
| Mar 3 | Tuesday | Doljatra | Regional |
| Sep 4 | Friday | Janmastami | Regional |
| Oct 10 | Saturday | Mahalaya | Regional |
| Oct 19 | Monday | Durga Puja, Maha Astami | Regional |
| Oct 20 | Tuesday | Durga Puja, Maha Nabami | Regional |
| Oct 21 | Wednesday | Durga Puja, Dasami | Regional |
| Nov 8 | Sunday | Kali Puja / Diwali | Regional |
| Nov 11 | Wednesday | Bhratridwitiya | Regional |
Bank Holidays in West Bengal 2026
The Puja week dominates West Bengal's bank holiday calendar: the state's Negotiable Instruments Act notification brings banking to a near-standstill for the better part of that week. On top of that, branches close for the second and fourth Saturday of each month, and every Sunday.
| Date | Day | Holiday | Holiday Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 26 | Monday | Republic Day | National |
| Mar 3 | Tuesday | Doljatra | Regional |
| Mar 21 | Saturday | Eid-Ul-Fitr | Regional |
| Mar 31 | Tuesday | Mahavir Jayanti | Regional |
| Apr 1 | Wednesday | Yearly Closing of Bank Account | Regional |
| Apr 3 | Friday | Good Friday | Regional |
| May 1 | Friday | Buddha Purnima | Regional |
| May 27 | Wednesday | Id-Ud-Zoha (Bakrid) | Regional |
| Aug 15 | Saturday | Independence Day | National |
| Oct 2 | Friday | Birthday of Gandhiji | National |
| Oct 19 | Monday | Durga Puja, Maha Astami | Regional |
| Oct 20 | Tuesday | Durga Puja, Maha Nabami | Regional |
| Oct 21 | Wednesday | Durga Puja, Dasami | Regional |
| Nov 8 | Sunday | Kali Puja / Diwali | Regional |
| Nov 24 | Tuesday | Birthday of Guru Nanak | Regional |
| Dec 25 | Friday | Christmas Day | Regional |
Government/Public Holidays in West Bengal 2026
Kolkata's state Finance department notifies West Bengal's 2026 holiday list, which covers government offices, schools and institutions. Two entries, Rabindra Jayanti and Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose's birthday, reflect Bengal's cultural and political history directly.
| Date | Day | Holiday | Holiday Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 1 | Thursday | New Year's Day | Regional |
| Jan 12 | Monday | Birthday of Swami Vivekananda | Regional |
| Jan 23 | Friday | Netaji's Birthday / Saraswati Puja | Regional |
| Apr 14 | Tuesday | Birthday of Dr. B. R. Ambedkar | Regional |
| Apr 15 | Wednesday | Bengali New Year's Day (Nababarsha) | Regional |
| May 9 | Saturday | Birthday of Rabindranath Tagore | Regional |
| Jun 26 | Friday | Muharram | Regional |
| Aug 15 | Saturday | Independence Day | National |
| Oct 2 | Friday | Birthday of Gandhiji | National |
| Nov 24 | Tuesday | Birthday of Guru Nanak | Regional |
| Dec 25 | Friday | Christmas Day | Regional |
Month-wise West Bengal Holidays 2026
A month-by-month breakdown of every West Bengal holiday in 2026, useful for leave planning, payroll processing and rostering throughout the year.
January 2026
- New Year's Day (Jan 1)
- Birthday of Swami Vivekananda (Jan 12)
- Netaji's Birthday / Saraswati Puja (Jan 23)
- Republic Day (Jan 26)
March 2026
- Doljatra (Mar 3)
- Eid-Ul-Fitr (Mar 21)
- Ram Navami (Mar 26)
- Mahavir Jayanti (Mar 31)
April 2026
- Yearly Closing of Bank Account (Apr 1)
- Good Friday (Apr 3)
- Birthday of Dr. B. R. Ambedkar (Apr 14)
- Bengali New Year's Day (Nababarsha) (Apr 15)
May 2026
- Buddha Purnima (May 1)
- May Day (May 1)
- Birthday of Rabindranath Tagore (May 9)
- Id-Ud-Zoha (Bakrid) (May 27)
June 2026
- Muharram (Jun 26)
August 2026
- Independence Day (Aug 15)
September 2026
- Janmastami (Sep 4)
October 2026
- Birthday of Gandhiji (Oct 2)
- Mahalaya (Oct 10)
- Durga Puja, Maha Astami (Oct 19)
- Durga Puja, Maha Nabami (Oct 20)
- Durga Puja, Dasami (Oct 21)
November 2026
- Kali Puja / Diwali (Nov 8)
- Bhratridwitiya (Nov 11)
- Birthday of Guru Nanak (Nov 24)
December 2026
- Christmas Day (Dec 25)
How HR teams use this West Bengal holiday list
Prepare the annual leave calendar
Manage shift planning and employee rosters
Align payroll cut-offs with bank holidays in West Bengal
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 West Bengal Holidays in 2026
Yes, the three days of Durga Puja, Ashtami, Navami and Dashami, are all officially declared public holidays in West Bengal.
Yes, Saraswati Puja carries regional holiday status right across the state.
Not always. Banks answer to RBI guidelines as well as the state government's own notifications, so the two calendars can diverge slightly.
The safest sources are official notifications, government press releases and RBI holiday circulars. Our own "Is Tomorrow a Holiday" section is also updated as soon as those announcements come out.
Yes, banks close on 1 April every year for the annual closing of accounts.
The state usually notifies closures running from around Saptami through Dashami in mid October 2026, and government offices often get an even longer break than that. Once Lakshmi Puja and the surrounding weekends are added in, the festive stretch runs considerably longer still.
Yes. Kali Puja falls together with Diwali on 8 November 2026 and is an NI Act bank holiday across West Bengal, with the celebrations at Kalighat and Dakshineswar among those pulling in the biggest crowds.
Disclaimer
These are the 2026 holiday dates as currently available. The final schedule for General and Restricted Holidays comes from the Government of West Bengal, 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.