Public Holidays

Discover upcoming public holiday dates for Ethiopia and start planning to make the most of your time off.

2026 Public Holidays

Date	Day	Holiday
7 Jan	Wed	Ethiopian Christmas
19 Jan	Mon	Timket
2 Mar	Mon	Adwa Victory Day
20 Mar	Fri	Eid al-Fitr
10 Apr	Fri	Siklet
12 Apr	Sun	Ethiopian Easter Sunday
1 May	Fri	Labour Day
5 May	Tue	Patriots' Victory Day
27 May	Wed	Eid al-Adha
28 May	Thu	Derg Downfall Day
26 Aug	Wed	Prophet Muhammad's Birthday
11 Sep	Fri	Ethiopian New Year
27 Sep	Sun	Meskel

2027 Public Holidays

Date	Day	Holiday
7 Jan	Thu	Ethiopian Christmas
19 Jan	Tue	Timket
2 Mar	Tue	Adwa Victory Day
10 Mar	Wed	Eid al-Fitr
30 Apr	Fri	Siklet
1 May	Sat	Labour Day
2 May	Sun	Ethiopian Easter Sunday
5 May	Wed	Patriots' Victory Day
17 May	Mon	Eid al-Adha
28 May	Fri	Derg Downfall Day
15 Aug	Sun	Prophet Muhammad's Birthday
12 Sep	Sun	Ethiopian New Year
28 Sep	Tue	Meskel

2028 Public Holidays

Date	Day	Holiday
7 Jan	Fri	Ethiopian Christmas
19 Jan	Wed	Timket
26 Feb	Sat	Eid al-Fitr
2 Mar	Thu	Adwa Victory Day
14 Apr	Fri	Siklet
16 Apr	Sun	Ethiopian Easter Sunday
1 May	Mon	Labour Day
5 May	Fri	Eid al-Adha
5 May	Fri	Patriots' Victory Day
28 May	Sun	Derg Downfall Day
3 Aug	Thu	Prophet Muhammad's Birthday
11 Sep	Mon	Ethiopian New Year
27 Sep	Wed	Meskel

The Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia currently celebrates 13 national holidays each year. A majority of the holidays celebrated in Ethiopia are based on religious beliefs. Many of these holidays occur on different dates each year because they are calculated using the lunar cycle of different calendars.

All national holidays are regulated under Proclamation 29 issue in 1996. This proclamation eliminates all previous proclamations made under the various governments that have ruled Ethiopia in recent history. This proclamation established the current 13 holidays and eliminated one that was celebrated under the prior regime.

The Labour Laws of Ethiopia guarantee that all workers have a paid day off on national holidays. This applies to all payment schemes, including those who are paid on a monthly basis. Section 4, Chapter 3 of the Labour Laws of Ethiopia guarantee that anyone who is required to work on a national holiday due to the type of work they perform are guaranteed to receive payment at twice their actual rate for all hours worked.