Long Weekends in 2027: A Month-by-Month Holiday Planner for India

How to read this calendar

The fixed-date holidays are certain. Republic Day falls on Tuesday 26 January 2027, Independence Day on Sunday 15 August, Gandhi Jayanti on Saturday 2 October and Christmas on Saturday 25 December. Festival dates follow the lunar calendar, so the dates below are the expected ones, worked out from the 2027 moon phases. The central government's 2027 holiday list from the Department of Personnel and Training, and your state's list, are the final word. Islamic festival dates depend on the moon sighting and can move by a day. Private employers follow their own lists, so check yours too.

The honest summary: 2027 is a thin year for long weekends. Several big holidays land on a Saturday or Sunday, so the second half of the year needs planned leave to get a proper break.

2027 holidays at a glance

January: New Year and Republic Day

New Year's Day falls on a Friday, so if your office closes on 1 January you start the year with a three-day weekend. For Republic Day, take Monday 25 January off for four days from Saturday 23 to Tuesday 26 January.

It is peak winter, so think sunshine: Goa (3 nights from about ₹10,000 per person, land only), the dunes of Jaisalmer, the Rann of Kutch while Rann Utsav runs, or the Kerala backwaters. Abroad, four days suit Dubai, where a 4-night trip with flights starts around ₹42,000, though January is high season there. Snow lovers can try Gulmarg, but Srinagar flights fill fast for this weekend.

March: Holi and Good Friday, back to back

Holi is expected on Monday 22 March and Good Friday falls on 26 March. Take Tuesday 23 to Thursday 25 March off, three leave days, and you have nine days from Saturday 20 to Sunday 28 March. This is the best-value break of the year.

Nine days is enough for Vietnam (7 nights from about ₹40,000 land), Bali (6 nights from about ₹32,000 land), or Japan's cherry blossom, which usually starts in Tokyo in the last week of March. In India it is the last comfortable window for Rajasthan before the heat. Fares jump over Holi itself, so book flights early.

April: the mid-month cluster

If the festival dates hold, Wednesday 14 April (Ambedkar Jayanti, plus Vaisakhi and the New Year in several states), Thursday 15 April (Ram Navami) and Monday 19 April (Mahavir Jayanti) sit around one weekend. Take Friday 16 April off and you could have six days, Wednesday to Monday, for one day of leave. Whether you get all three depends on your employer's list.

April suits the hills: Himachal (5 nights from about ₹15,000 land), Sikkim, Darjeeling and Kashmir, where Srinagar's tulip garden is usually near the end of its bloom by mid-April. Abroad, Thailand celebrates Songkran from 13 to 15 April with city-wide water fights, fun or chaos depending on what you want; a 5-night Thailand trip starts around ₹20,000 land.

May: Bakrid and Buddha Purnima

Id-ul-Zuha is expected around Monday 17 May, though the moon may move it by a day, and Buddha Purnima is expected on Thursday 20 May. Take Tuesday 18, Wednesday 19 and Friday 21 May off and you have nine days from 15 to 23 May, just as school holidays begin.

It is the start of Ladakh's season (6 nights from about ₹28,000 land; fly into Leh, as the high road passes open later), and good weather for Kashmir, Bhutan and Sikkim. Abroad, late May is shoulder season in Switzerland, before the June rush; a 7-night Switzerland trip starts from about ₹1.3 lakh land.

August: Independence Day and Janmashtami

Independence Day falls on a Sunday. Milad-un-Nabi is expected on Sunday 15 or Monday 16 August depending on the moon; if it lands on Monday and your employer observes it, you get three days. Janmashtami is expected on Tuesday 24 August, so taking Monday 23 off gives four days from 21 to 24 August.

August is monsoon across most of India. Head for the rain shadow, where Ladakh and Spiti are at their best, or embrace the rain in Meghalaya. Bali is in its dry season, and Georgia, Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan are warm and green.

October: Durga Puja, Dussehra and Diwali

Gandhi Jayanti and Dussehra both fall on Saturdays, and Durga Puja's main days in Kolkata are expected around 6 to 9 October. Diwali is expected on Friday 29 October, with Govardhan Puja and Bhai Dooj over the weekend, which gives a Friday-to-Sunday break. Most people spend it at home. If you travel, keep it short-haul: Udaipur and Jaipur are lit up, and Dubai, Singapore and Thailand are an easy flight away, though Diwali-week fares are among the year's highest. Book by July.

December: Christmas to New Year

Christmas and New Year's Day 2028 both fall on Saturdays, so the play here is leave. Take Monday 27 to Friday 31 December off, five days, for a nine-day break from 25 December to 2 January. It suits Kerala, the Andamans, Rajasthan, Singapore, Vietnam or a European winter with Christmas markets. Prices peak, so book flights four to six months ahead.

Apply for leave the day your office's 2027 holiday list comes out. The late-March and late-December weeks go first, and so do the cheapest fares.

How to plan the year

1. Mark the four best breaks now: late January, late March, mid-May and late December.
2. Confirm festival dates against the official lists once they are published.
3. Book international trips for the March and May breaks four to five months ahead, and domestic trips six to eight weeks ahead.
4. Keep one short break unplanned for a weekend getaway close to home.

For seasonal ideas see where to go and our festival guides. For fares, read when to book international flights. Our tour packages fit these breaks, and you can send us your dates for a quote.