Public Holidays

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

2026 Public Holidays

Date	Day	Holiday
1 Jan	Thu	New Year's Day
8 Mar	Sun	International Women's Day
12 Mar	Thu	Youth Day
3 Apr	Fri	Good Friday
4 Apr	Sat	Easter Saturday
6 Apr	Mon	Easter Monday
28 Apr	Tue	Kenneth Kaunda Brithday
1 May	Fri	Labour Day
25 May	Mon	Africa Day
6 Jul	Mon	Heroes' Day
7 Jul	Tue	Unity Day
3 Aug	Mon	Farmers' Day
18 Oct	Sun	Prayer Day
24 Oct	Sat	Independence Day
25 Dec	Fri	Christmas Day
Visit parliament.gov.zm for the original release.

2027 Public Holidays

Date	Day	Holiday
1 Jan	Fri	New Year's Day
8 Mar	Mon	International Women's Day
12 Mar	Fri	Youth Day
26 Mar	Fri	Good Friday
27 Mar	Sat	Easter Saturday
29 Mar	Mon	Easter Monday
28 Apr	Wed	Kenneth Kaunda Brithday
1 May	Sat	Labour Day
25 May	Tue	Africa Day
5 Jul	Mon	Heroes' Day
6 Jul	Tue	Unity Day
2 Aug	Mon	Farmers' Day
18 Oct	Mon	Prayer Day
24 Oct	Sun	Independence Day
25 Oct	Mon	Independence Day Holiday
25 Dec	Sat	Christmas Day
The dates in this table are an estimate. We will update this page once the official public holiday dates for 2027 are released.

2028 Public Holidays

Date	Day	Holiday
1 Jan	Sat	New Year's Day
8 Mar	Wed	International Women's Day
12 Mar	Sun	Youth Day
14 Apr	Fri	Good Friday
15 Apr	Sat	Easter Saturday
17 Apr	Mon	Easter Monday
28 Apr	Fri	Kenneth Kaunda Brithday
1 May	Mon	Labour Day
25 May	Thu	Africa Day
3 Jul	Mon	Heroes' Day
4 Jul	Tue	Unity Day
7 Aug	Mon	Farmers' Day
18 Oct	Wed	Prayer Day
24 Oct	Tue	Independence Day
25 Dec	Mon	Christmas Day
The dates in this table are an estimate. We will update this page once the official public holiday dates for 2028 are released.

Chapter 272 of the Laws of Zambia is the official Holiday Law. In this document, there are 11 nationally recognised holidays. However, it should be noted that since the election of a new president in 2014, there have been three additional holidays added to the roster by Presidential decree.

At this time, the President of Zambia has declared the right to add or detract any public holidays. So far, only additional days of celebration have been added. It has not been out of character for this president to declare spontaneous half day off for government officials to attend special events, or declare a one-time national holiday with little notice. The current president also will call a national holiday on any election date.

Under the labor laws of Zambia, employers are required to provide employees with a paid day off for nationally recognised holidays. If the employee cannot take the day off due to the nature of the work being performed, the employer must provide the employee with additional pay for the work completed that day or a substitute paid day off. This is up to the discretion of the employer.

It should also be noted that changes to the Labor Code and regulations on pay do occur frequently in Zambia. Employers should familiarise themselves with current issues of the Labor Code in regard to holiday pay.