Delhi (NCT) Public Holidays 2026

Understanding Delhi (NCT)'s Holiday Calendar in 2026

Delhi's holiday calendar is unlike any other state in India — partly because it's a union territory with a unique governance structure (the NCT government shares power with the central government), and partly because the capital city sits at the crossroads of North India's biggest cultural celebrations. Holi, Dussehra, and Diwali are not just days off here; they're city-wide events.

For employers in Delhi, there's an added layer: many employees commute in from Noida (Uttar Pradesh), Gurugram and Faridabad (Haryana), or Ghaziabad (UP). Those states have slightly different holiday calendars. If you have a team spread across the NCR, you need to account for this — an employee based in Noida technically falls under UP's holiday rules, not Delhi's.

The Delhi Shops and Establishments Act governs most commercial businesses in the NCT. Factories, however, are regulated under central legislation and may follow a different holiday structure. Banks in Delhi follow the RBI list, which typically mirrors Delhi's state holidays with minor differences.

National Holidays in Delhi (NCT)

Republic Day in Delhi is a special occasion beyond just being a holiday. The Kartavya Path parade brings central Delhi to a standstill, and businesses close to the parade route experience operational disruptions well before 9 AM. If your office is in Connaught Place or Central Delhi, plan for skeletal staffing even for late-morning meetings on January 26.

Independence Day on August 15 follows a similar pattern — the flag hoisting at Red Fort causes road closures in large parts of Old Delhi, Chandni Chowk, and surrounding areas. In 2026, August 15 falls on a Saturday, so the practical impact on weekday operations is limited.

Delhi (NCT)-Specific Holidays

Holi in Delhi is genuinely taken seriously. March 14, 2026 falls on a Saturday, which means many Delhi offices informally extend it — teams that would normally work Saturday may choose to take it off. The street celebrations start the evening before (Holika Dahan) and continue well into the afternoon. Most businesses in Delhi will see very thin attendance on Holi day regardless of what the official calendar says.

Dussehra is another date that shapes Delhi's calendar in a big way. The Ramlila Maidan celebrations and the effigies burnt at multiple venues across the city draw massive crowds. October 17, 2026 is a Saturday, which reduces the disruption to working days, but the week leading up to it often sees reduced productivity as teams wind down.

Ram Navami on April 6, 2026 is a Monday — expect religious processions through parts of old Delhi and some residential colonies. Many private businesses give this as a half-day or full holiday even if it's not explicitly in their policy.

Restricted Holidays in Delhi (NCT)

Delhi's restricted holiday list is quite broad, reflecting the city's diversity. It typically includes New Year's Day, Makar Sankranti, Guru Gobind Singh Jayanti, Basant Panchami, Mahavir Jayanti, and several others. Employees can usually pick two from this list per year.

In practice, employees in Delhi's IT and services sector tend to use their restricted leaves for Holi (if it falls on a weekday) or for religious occasions specific to their community. Having a digital system where employees submit their restricted leave preferences at the start of the year saves a lot of back-and-forth.

HR & Payroll Guidance for Delhi (NCT) — 2026

One thing Delhi-based HR teams deal with that few others do: the overlap between central government closures and private sector holidays. When the government announces a sudden holiday (for a state funeral, election, or national event), private companies are not automatically bound by it — but telling employees to come in when government offices are shut creates morale issues. Having a clear policy on how you'll handle ad hoc government holidays saves painful conversations.

For companies with a pan-India presence, Delhi often anchors the corporate calendar because the head office is here. That means the Delhi holiday list tends to become the default for the whole company — even for employees in other states who technically have different entitlements. This leads to compliance gaps. It's worth running an audit of whether your leave policies are actually state-specific or just Delhi-centric by default.

Engage HRMS lets you assign different holiday calendars to employees based on their work location — so your Delhi team gets Delhi holidays, your Bengaluru team gets Karnataka holidays, and your payroll is processed correctly for each group. It's a simple config change that prevents a surprising number of compliance issues.