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Public holidays in Botswana

11 days in 2026 · 11 in 2027

Back to BotswanaSouthern Africa

Next public holiday

Christmas Day

After it: St. Stephen's Day, Saturday 26 December

Friday, 25 December 2026

Botswana's year has eleven public holidays on the list behind this page for 2026, and two of them come as pairs of consecutive days off: Independence Day on Wednesday 30 September with the Botswana Day holiday on Thursday 1 October, and Good Friday and Easter Monday around Easter. Two days honour the republic's own leaders, Sir Seretse Khama Day on 1 July, the first president's birthday, and Presidents' Day in the third week of July.

The government's own list for 2026, published on gov.bw, has two more dates than the provider's: Saturday 4 April, between Good Friday and Easter Monday, and Tuesday 21 July, the day after Presidents' Day. Wikipedia describes Presidents' Day as falling on the third Monday and Tuesday of July, and the Botswana Stock Exchange's market calendar also closes on 21 July 2026. The rest of the calendar follows the Christian year. No Muslim, Hindu or traditional festival is a national day off, though Wikipedia notes that leave is permitted for other religious holidays.

Days off in 2026
11Nationwide public holidays
On a weekday
10Monday to Friday
On a weekend
1Saturday or Sunday
Long weekends
4and 3 with one day of leave

2026

Public holidays in Botswana in 2026

  1. 1 January: New Year's DayThe first day of the year, a Thursday in 2026 and a Friday in 2027. Wikipedia and timeanddate give 2 January as a holiday as well, which the government's list for 2026 does not include.Thursday
  2. 3 April: Good FridayThe Friday before Easter: 3 April in 2026 and 26 March in 2027, the start of the Easter weekend.FridayDate moves
  3. 6 April: Easter MondayThe Monday after Easter, 6 April in 2026 and 29 March in 2027, which closes a four-day weekend.MondayDate moves
  4. 1 May: Labour DayLabour Day on 1 May. In 2026 it is a Friday and makes a long weekend; in 2027 it falls on a Saturday.Friday
  5. 14 May: Ascension DayAlways a Thursday. It comes forty days after Easter: 14 May in 2026 and 6 May in 2027.ThursdayDate moves
  6. 1 July: Sir Seretse Khama DayThe birthday of Seretse Khama, born in Serowe on 1 July 1921, who led the country to independence and was its first president until his death in 1980. It falls on a Wednesday in 2026 and a Thursday in 2027.Wednesday
  7. 20 July: Presidents' DayA July holiday on the third Monday of the month, 20 July in 2026 and 19 July in 2027. The government and Wikipedia add the Tuesday after it as a second day off.MondayDate moves
  8. 30 September: Independence DayThe anniversary of 30 September 1966, when the Bechuanaland Protectorate became the Republic of Botswana. The government lists it as Botswana Day. It falls on a Wednesday in 2026 and a Thursday in 2027.Wednesday
  9. 1 October: Botswana Day holidayThe day after Independence Day, 1 October, kept as a second day off for the national day: a Thursday in 2026 and a Friday in 2027, when the two days make a four-day weekend.Thursday
  10. 25 December: Christmas DayChristmas on 25 December, a Friday in 2026, which joins Boxing Day and the weekend into three days off, and a Saturday in 2027.Friday
  11. 26 December: St. Stephen's DayBoxing DayThe day after Christmas. It falls on a Saturday in 2026 and a Sunday in 2027.Saturday

Long weekends

Long weekends in Botswana 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
  • 4daysFri 3 Apr to Mon 6 AprGood Friday, Easter Monday
  • 3daysFri 1 May to Sun 3 MayLabour Day
  • 4daysThu 14 May to Sun 17 MayWith Fri 15 May taken as leave · Ascension Day
  • 3daysSat 18 Jul to Mon 20 JulPresidents' Day
  • 5daysWed 30 Sept to Sun 4 OctWith Fri 2 Oct taken as leave · Independence Day, Botswana Day holiday
  • 3daysFri 25 Dec to Sun 27 DecChristmas Day, St. Stephen's Day

2027

Public holidays in Botswana in 2027

  1. 1 January: New Year's DayFriday
  2. 26 March: Good FridayFridayDate moves
  3. 29 March: Easter MondayMondayDate moves
  4. 1 May: Labour DaySaturday
  5. 6 May: Ascension DayThursdayDate moves
  6. 1 July: Sir Seretse Khama DayThursday
  7. 19 July: Presidents' DayMondayDate moves
  8. 30 September: Independence DayThursday
  9. 1 October: Botswana Day holidayFriday
  10. 25 December: Christmas DaySaturday
  11. 26 December: St. Stephen's DayBoxing DaySunday

The lists on file disagree on three dates in 2026. The government's list on gov.bw includes Saturday 4 April and Tuesday 21 July as public holidays; timeanddate includes both and adds Friday 2 January after New Year's Day. The holiday provider behind this page's calendar lists none of the three, so the calendar and its count of days off are short of the government's list by two for 2026.

The government's list for 2025 also carried the Day of the African Child, on Monday 16 June 2025, which its list for 2026 does not repeat. A post from the government's own account counts eleven paid public holidays for public employees, starting with New Year's Day, Good Friday, Easter Monday, Labour Day and Ascension Day.

Timeanddate marks Friday 15 May 2026 as a national day of mourning for Festus Mogae, president from 1998 to 2008, observed but not a day off. Wikipedia notes that employers may require staff to work on a public holiday, in which case they give a day off in lieu or pay at time and a half or double time.

Common questions

Questions about public holidays in Botswana

How many public holidays does Botswana have in 2026?

Eleven on the provider's list behind this page: New Year's Day, Good Friday, Easter Monday, Labour Day, Ascension Day, Sir Seretse Khama Day, Presidents' Day, Independence Day, the Botswana Day holiday, Christmas Day and Boxing Day. The government's own list for 2026 adds Saturday 4 April and Tuesday 21 July, which makes thirteen. Boxing Day falls on a Saturday in 2026.

What is Botswana Day?

Botswana Day is the national day, 30 September, the anniversary of independence in 1966, followed by a second holiday on 1 October. The government's list calls 30 September Botswana Day; the provider names it Independence Day. In 2026 the two days fall on Wednesday and Thursday, and in 2027 on Thursday and Friday, which with the weekend gives four days off in a row.

Who is honoured on Sir Seretse Khama Day?

Seretse Khama, the first president of Botswana, born on 1 July 1921. Heir to the Ngwato chieftainship, he was barred from the protectorate by Britain for six years after marrying an Englishwoman, Ruth Williams, then founded the Bechuanaland Democratic Party and became president at independence in 1966. He served until his death on 13 July 1980.

When is Presidents' Day in Botswana?

On the third Monday of July and the Tuesday after it, by Wikipedia's account and the government's list for 2026, which gives Monday 20 July and Tuesday 21 July. In 2027 the Monday is 19 July. The provider behind this page lists only the Monday, so the Tuesday does not appear on the calendar here.

Is Easter Saturday a holiday in Botswana?

The government's list for 2026 says so. It names Saturday 4 April, between Good Friday and Easter Monday, as a public holiday, and timeanddate lists it as Holy Saturday. The provider behind this page's calendar does not, so the Easter weekend here shows Good Friday on 3 April and Easter Monday on 6 April as the two days off.

What are the long weekends in Botswana in 2026?

Easter gives four days, from Good Friday on 3 April to Easter Monday on 6 April. Labour Day on Friday 1 May makes a three-day weekend, as does Presidents' Day on Monday 20 July, or four days with the Tuesday the government adds. Christmas Day on Friday 25 December runs into a weekend that includes Boxing Day. The national day falls midweek in 2026.

Do private employers have to give public holidays off in Botswana?

Most workers, public and private, are entitled to the day off with pay, according to Wikipedia's article on public holidays in Botswana. An employer may require someone to work on a public holiday, but must then give a day off in lieu or pay a premium, usually time and a half or double time, on top of the holiday pay.

Dates from Nager.Date, read 2026-10-02. The page counts from Saturday, 3 October 2026, the day it was built.