Nigeria · Abuja
Nigeria public holidays 2026
Nigeria’s 2026 federal calendar clusters Fridays: Id el Fitr, Good Friday, Workers’ Day, Democracy Day, and Christmas each sit on Friday, so several three-day weekends arrive without annual leave.
This Nigeria 2026 hub lists federal public holidays the studio paints on the grid, and it also shows three observances that are not federal public holidays: Children’s Day, Islamic New Year, and National Youth Day. Several of the best-known public holidays fall on Friday: Id el Fitr (20 March, with Thursday 19 March as the neighbouring declared day), Good Friday (3 April), Workers’ Day (1 May), Democracy Day (12 June), and Christmas (25 December).
Independence Day is Thursday 1 October 2026 — a mid-week national day, not a natural long weekend. Democracy Day on Friday 12 June is the easier leave marker in the middle of the year.
Id el Kabir is listed on Wednesday 27 May 2026, and this page also carries Thursday 28 May 2026 as a second Id el Kabir row. The Federal Ministry of Information published the Interior declaration of both days as public holidays for Eid ul Adha. Children’s Day falls on that same Wednesday; it is an observance on this hub, not a third federal public holiday.
I am Collins Odeny. I do not sit in Abuja and I do not speak for any ministry. Africa Calendar is a personal project. State governments can add or shift observed days; their circulars override this page when they differ.
What each public holiday is
New Year's Day
Thursday 1 January 2026 is Nigeria’s New Year public holiday on a weekday. Federal offices and banks close. January’s working-day count drops by that Thursday.
Id el Fitr
Thursday 19 March and Friday 20 March 2026 are Id el Fitr on this list. The Friday already yields a three-day weekend for many offices; Thursday is the neighbouring declared day on the same feed.
Id el Fitr
Thursday 19 March and Friday 20 March 2026 are Id el Fitr on this list. The Friday already yields a three-day weekend for many offices; Thursday is the neighbouring declared day on the same feed.
Good Friday
Friday 3 April 2026 is Good Friday in Nigeria, the same civil date as Kenya that year. Easter Monday follows on 6 April.
Easter Monday
Monday 6 April 2026 is Easter Monday. Use it with 3 April. This page does not add a Sunday Easter public holiday.
Worker's Day
Friday 1 May 2026 is Workers’ Day, so May begins with a three-day weekend. Federal offices and most private firms close.
Children's Day
Observance — not a public holiday
Wednesday 27 May 2026 is Children’s Day on this Nigeria list. It is an observance, not a federal public holiday, and it falls on the same Wednesday as Id el Kabir — not two days later. The Public Holidays Act schedule does not name it.
Id el Kabir
Wednesday 27 May 2026 is Id el Kabir on this list. The Interior declaration published by FMINO also closed Thursday 28 May 2026. A Wednesday-and-Thursday feast already covers those two weekdays; Children’s Day on the same Wednesday is an observance, not another federal close.
Id el Kabir
Wednesday 27 May 2026 is Id el Kabir on this list. The Interior declaration published by FMINO also closed Thursday 28 May 2026. A Wednesday-and-Thursday feast already covers those two weekdays; Children’s Day on the same Wednesday is an observance, not another federal close.
Democracy Day
Friday 12 June 2026 is Democracy Day, commemorating the return to civilian rule and the 1993 election. Banks and government offices close. It is the mid-year Friday that most teams notice first.
Islamic New Year
Observance — not a public holiday
Tuesday 16 June 2026 is Islamic New Year (1 Muharram) on this Nigeria list. It is an observance, not a federal public holiday. It marks the first day of the Hijri year, not 1 January, and it does not count toward the next-public-holiday countdown on this hub.
Birthday of Muhammad (Mawlid)
Birthday of Muhammad (Mawlid) is listed as a Nigerian public holiday in this project’s holiday data. Federal offices and most banks close. Confirm the official announcement if you need the date for payroll.
Independence Day
Thursday 1 October 2026 is Independence Day (1960). Parades are common in Abuja and the state capitals. Thursday is a single weekday lost, not a natural long weekend.
National Youth Day
Observance — not a public holiday
Sunday 1 November 2026 is National Youth Day on this Nigeria list. It is an observance, not a federal public holiday, and it is not on the Public Holidays Act schedule. Because it sits on the ordinary weekend, it does not add a Monday on this page.
Christmas Day
Friday 25 December 2026 is Christmas Day in Nigeria. Most offices close Friday through Sunday before Boxing Day is counted.
Boxing Day
Saturday 26 December 2026 is Boxing Day. It rides on the weekend after Friday Christmas.
Friday federal holidays in 2026
Nigeria’s ordinary weekend is Saturday and Sunday. Weekend holidays may be observed on a nearby weekday when a government notice says so. This page lists the civil dates from the project data.
Friday federal holidays in 2026: Id el Fitr (Friday, 20 March 2026); Good Friday (Friday, 3 April 2026); Worker's Day (Friday, 1 May 2026); Democracy Day (Friday, 12 June 2026); Christmas Day (Friday, 25 December 2026). That cluster is why 2026 feels generous even before anyone books leave.
Monday holidays in 2026: Easter Monday (Monday, 6 April 2026).
Independence Day on Thursday 1 October is the national day that does not come with a built-in long weekend. Democracy Day on Friday 12 June does.
Lunar dates can still shift. Use Interior’s announcement when a date must be final for pay.
Neither the leave planner nor the working-days calculator replaces payroll. They only apply Nigeria’s weekend rule to the 2026 holiday list on this site.
Print a calendar or subscribe
Export a Nigeria 2026 calendar from the studio or subscribe at /feeds/ng-2026.ics. Ads are not placed on the printable canvas.
State-level extras are outside this federal list. Check your state’s announcement if you work outside the FCT.
Open the Nigeria 2026 studio to print a wall calendar as PDF, PNG, or SVG. To subscribe, add the Nigeria 2026 ICS feed. The leave planner and working-days calculator use this same holiday list.