Public holidays in Bahamas
11 days in 2026 · 11 in 2027
Back to BahamasNext public holiday
National Heroes' Day
After it: Christmas Day, Friday 25 December
Monday, 12 October 2026
The Bahamas has 11 public holidays with a day off in 2026, as the Cabinet Office listed them in January, and 11 on the calendar for 2027. Three of them mark the country's own political history: Majority Rule Day for the election of 10 January 1967, Independence Day for 10 July 1973, and Emancipation Day, on the first Monday in August, for the end of slavery in 1834. Two more, Boxing Day and New Year's Day, are the mornings of the Junkanoo parades on Bay Street in Nassau.
Most of the calendar is built from Mondays and Fridays. Easter Monday, Whit Monday, Emancipation Day and National Heroes' Day always fall on a Monday, Randol Fawkes Labour Day on the first Friday in June, and when a fixed day lands on a weekend the Cabinet Office moves it: in 2026 Majority Rule Day, a Saturday, is kept on Monday 12 January, and Boxing Day, also a Saturday, on Monday 28 December.
Majority Rule Day was added to the list in 2014, Wikipedia records, a year after the second Monday in October took the name National Heroes' Day.
- Days off in 2026
- 11Nationwide public holidays
- On a weekday
- 11Monday to Friday
- On a weekend
- 0Saturday or Sunday
- Long weekends
- 8and 1 with one day of leave
2026
Public holidays in Bahamas in 2026
- 1 January: New Year's Day1 January, and the second of the two Junkanoo mornings, when the parades rush along Bay Street in Nassau and in several Family Island settlements. In 2026 it falls on a Thursday and the Cabinet Office kept it there.Thursday
- 12 January: Majority Rule Day10 January, the day in 1967 when the Progressive Liberal Party formed the colony's first government with a Black premier. It became a public holiday in 2014 and moves to the Monday when it falls on a weekend: 12 January in 2026 and 11 January in 2027.MondayDate moves
- 3 April: Good FridayThe Friday before Easter and the first day of a four-day weekend. Wikipedia notes that most Bahamians attend church and that fish is served as the main meal.FridayDate moves
- 6 April: Easter MondayThe day after Easter Sunday, 6 April in 2026 and 29 March in 2027, and by Wikipedia's account the start of the beach picnicking season, with cookouts and regattas.MondayDate moves
- 25 May: Whit MondayThe day after Pentecost, 50 days after Easter Sunday: 25 May in 2026 and 17 May in 2027.MondayDate moves
- 5 June: Randol Fawkes Labour DayThe first Friday in June, established by the labour leader Randol Fawkes in 1961 and now named after him. A parade led by bands and Junkanoo groups, with marchers from the unions and the political parties, goes through downtown Nassau.FridayDate moves
- 10 July: Independence Day10 July, for independence from the United Kingdom in 1973. The celebrations run for a week before it, with parades, Junkanoo and fireworks. In 2027 it falls on a Saturday.Friday
- 3 August: Emancipation DayThe first Monday in August, for the abolition of slavery on 1 August 1834: 3 August in 2026 and 2 August in 2027. It is also called August Monday, and former slave villages such as Fox Hill and Gambier hold their own celebrations.MondayDate moves
- 12 October: National Heroes' DayThe second Monday in October, 12 October in 2026 and 11 October in 2027, named National Heroes' Day in 2013 to honour the country's national heroes.MondayDate moves
- 25 December: Christmas Day25 December. The season opens with a tree-lighting ceremony in Pompey Square in Nassau. In 2027 Christmas falls on a Saturday.Friday
- 28 December: Boxing Day (observed)Boxing Day26 December and the first of the two Junkanoo mornings, the parade's main date since 1938, when it was moved off Christmas morning. In 2026 it falls on a Saturday and the day off is Monday 28 December.MondayDate moves
Long weekends
Long weekends in Bahamas in 2026
Runs of three days or more off, with weekends counted, and the working days that join a holiday to a weekend when taken as leave.
- 4daysThu 1 Jan to Sun 4 JanWith Fri 2 Jan taken as leave · New Year's Day
- 3daysSat 10 Jan to Mon 12 JanMajority Rule Day
- 4daysFri 3 Apr to Mon 6 AprGood Friday, Easter Monday
- 3daysSat 23 May to Mon 25 MayWhit Monday
- 3daysFri 5 Jun to Sun 7 JunRandol Fawkes Labour Day
- 3daysFri 10 Jul to Sun 12 JulIndependence Day
- 3daysSat 1 Aug to Mon 3 AugEmancipation Day
- 3daysSat 10 Oct to Mon 12 OctNational Heroes' Day
- 4daysFri 25 Dec to Mon 28 DecChristmas Day, Boxing Day (observed)
2027
Public holidays in Bahamas in 2027
- 1 January: New Year's DayFriday
- 11 January: Majority Rule DayMondayDate moves
- 26 March: Good FridayFridayDate moves
- 29 March: Easter MondayMondayDate moves
- 17 May: Whit MondayMondayDate moves
- 4 June: Randol Fawkes Labour DayFridayDate moves
- 10 July: Independence DaySaturday
- 2 August: Emancipation DayMondayDate moves
- 11 October: National Heroes' DayMondayDate moves
- 25 December: Christmas DaySaturday
- 26 December: St. Stephen's DayBoxing DaySundayDate moves
The weekend rule is a practice and not a fixed formula. Wikipedia describes the usual pattern as a Saturday or Sunday holiday moving to the following Monday, a Tuesday holiday to the Monday before and a Wednesday or Thursday holiday to the following Friday. The Cabinet Office list for 2026 applied the first part, moving Majority Rule Day and Boxing Day to Mondays, but kept New Year's Day on Thursday 1 January. Its notice says that the list supersedes one previously circulated.
No Cabinet Office list for 2027 was on file when this page was written. In 2027 Independence Day and Christmas Day fall on a Saturday and Boxing Day on a Sunday, and the dates shown for those days are the dates themselves, not the days off the government will set.
Common questions
Questions about public holidays in Bahamas
How many public holidays does the Bahamas have in 2026?
Eleven, on the list the Cabinet Office published in January 2026: New Year's Day, Majority Rule Day, Good Friday, Easter Monday, Whit Monday, Randol Fawkes Labour Day, Independence Day, Emancipation Day, National Heroes' Day, Christmas Day and Boxing Day. Two of them were moved off a Saturday, Majority Rule Day to Monday 12 January and Boxing Day to Monday 28 December, so every one of the eleven falls on a weekday.
What is Majority Rule Day?
The anniversary of 10 January 1967, when the Progressive Liberal Party formed a government after an election tied at 18 seats each and the colony had its first Black premier. It became an official public holiday in 2014, and when 10 January falls on a weekend the day off moves to the Monday after.
Which holidays bring the Junkanoo parades?
On the two holiday mornings at the turn of the year, Boxing Day and New Year's Day, when the parades rush along Bay Street in Nassau in the early hours and in several Family Island settlements. Boxing Day 2026 is a Saturday, so the day off is the following Monday, 28 December, but the parade keeps to the 26th. Junkanoo also appears on Independence Day and Emancipation Day.
Why do Bahamians call Emancipation Day August Monday?
The Abolition Act took effect in the colony on 1 August 1834, but the holiday is kept on the first Monday in August, which is why it is also called August Monday. In 2026 that is 3 August and in 2027 it is 2 August. Regattas, beach outings and Junkanoo fill the weekend, and old slave villages such as Fox Hill and Gambier hold their own celebrations.
Who was Randol Fawkes?
A labour leader who, according to the Tribune, led the general strike of 1958 with Clifford Darling and in 1967 was the one Labour member elected to the House of Assembly, where his decision to join the Progressive Liberal Party helped make majority rule possible. Labour Day, which he established in 1961, carries his name and is held on the first Friday in June.
Are weekend holidays moved to a weekday in the Bahamas?
Usually, to the following Monday. In 2026 the Cabinet Office moved Majority Rule Day from Saturday 10 January to Monday 12 January and Boxing Day from Saturday 26 December to Monday 28 December. Wikipedia also describes Tuesday holidays moving back to Monday and midweek ones moving to Friday, but the 2026 list kept New Year's Day on its Thursday.
Which Bahamian holidays make four-day weekends?
Easter always does, because Good Friday and Easter Monday frame the weekend: in 2026 from Friday 3 to Monday 6 April. Christmas does in 2026 as well, when Christmas Day on Friday 25 December and Boxing Day observed on Monday 28 December join the weekend between them.
Dates from Nager.Date, read 2026-09-30. The page counts from Thursday, 1 October 2026, the day it was built.