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Public holidays in Burkina Faso

12 days in 2026 · 10 in 2027

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Next public holiday

National Day

After it: Christmas Day, Friday 25 December

Friday, 11 December 2026

Burkina Faso has 11 paid public holidays under a law adopted by the Transitional Legislative Assembly on 9 January 2026, down from 15 under the law of November 2015 it replaced. Four days that used to stop work, 3 January, 5 August, 31 October and 1 November, became days of commemoration kept without a break in work, and Easter Monday left the list. The same law ended the rule that gave the Monday off when a holiday fell on a Sunday. In 2026 the calendar holds 12 days off, because 3 January, a Saturday, passed before the new law was adopted; in 2027 it holds the 11 the law sets.

The eleven are split between the state, the two largest faiths and custom. New Year's Day, International Women's Day on 8 March, Labour Day, the Day of Customs and Traditions on 15 May and the National Day on 11 December belong to the state; Ascension Day, the Assumption on 15 August and Christmas to the Christian calendar; and Ramadan, Tabaski and Mouloud to the Islamic one, so their dates move from year to year. The census of 2019 counted 63.8% of the population as Muslim and 26.3% as Christian.

Six dates of the revolutionary and national calendar are now marked without a day off: the popular uprising of 3 January, the revolution of 4 August, the proclamation of independence on 5 August, the anniversary of Thomas Sankara's death on 15 October, Martyrs' Day on 31 October and All Saints' Day, which is also Armed Forces Day, on 1 November.

Days off in 2026
12Nationwide public holidays
On a weekday
9Monday to Friday
On a weekend
3Saturday or Sunday
Long weekends
5and 2 with one day of leave

2026

Public holidays in Burkina Faso in 2026

  1. 1 January: New Year's DayThe first day of the year, a day off under both the old and the new law. It fell on a Thursday in 2026 and falls on a Friday in 2027.Thursday
  2. 3 January: Popular Uprising DayThe anniversary of the uprising of 3 January 1966, when strikes and demonstrations led the army to remove the first president, Maurice Yaméogo. A day off until the law of January 2026, it fell on a Saturday in 2026 and is a day of commemoration from 2027.Saturday
  3. 8 March: International Women’s DayInternational Women's Day on 8 March, kept as a paid day off. It fell on a Sunday in 2026, and under the new law no Monday was given in its place; in 2027 it falls on a Monday.Sunday
  4. 20 March: Eid al-FitrRamadanThe feast at the end of Ramadan, Eid al-Fitr, called Korité in the country and Ramadan in the law. It fell on Friday 20 March 2026 by timeanddate's dating, which gives Wednesday 10 March 2027 as tentative.FridayDate moves
  5. 1 May: Labour DayLabour Day on 1 May, a Friday in 2026 and a Saturday in 2027.Friday
  6. 14 May: Ascension DayForty days after Easter, always a Thursday: 14 May in 2026 and 6 May in 2027. It is the one feast of the Easter cycle that stays a day off.ThursdayDate moves
  7. 15 May: Day of Customs and TraditionsA paid day off on 15 May dedicated to customs and traditions, written into the list of paid days off by the law of 2026, which the government presented as an affirmation of the secular state. With Ascension Day it made Thursday 14 and Friday 15 May 2026 two days off in a row.Friday
  8. 27 May: Eid al-AdhaTabaskiEid al-Adha, the feast of sacrifice, on 10 Dhu al-Hijjah. It fell on Wednesday 27 May 2026, and timeanddate gives Monday 17 May 2027 as tentative.WednesdayDate moves
  9. 15 August: Assumption DayThe Assumption of Mary on 15 August, a Saturday in 2026. In 2027 it falls on a Sunday, the date timeanddate also gives as tentative for Mouloud, and no Monday is given in their place.Saturday
  10. 25 August: Prophet's BirthdayMouloudThe birthday of the Prophet Muhammad, on 12 Rabi' al-awwal. It fell on Tuesday 25 August 2026; timeanddate gives Sunday 15 August 2027 as tentative.TuesdayDate moves
  11. 11 December: National DayThe Fête nationale, marking 11 December 1958, when Upper Volta became a self-governing republic within the French Community. A Friday in 2026 and a Saturday in 2027.Friday
  12. 25 December: Christmas DayChristmas on 25 December, a Friday in 2026 and a Saturday in 2027.Friday

Long weekends

Long weekends in Burkina Faso 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, Popular Uprising Day
  • 3daysFri 20 Mar to Sun 22 MarEid al-Fitr
  • 3daysFri 1 May to Sun 3 MayLabour Day
  • 4daysThu 14 May to Sun 17 MayAscension Day, Day of Customs and Traditions
  • 4daysSat 22 Aug to Tue 25 AugWith Mon 24 Aug taken as leave · Prophet's Birthday
  • 3daysFri 11 Dec to Sun 13 DecNational Day
  • 3daysFri 25 Dec to Sun 27 DecChristmas Day

2027

Public holidays in Burkina Faso in 2027

  1. 1 January: New Year's DayFriday
  2. 8 March: International Women’s DayMonday
  3. 10 March: Eid al-FitrRamadanWednesdayDate moves
  4. 1 May: Labour DaySaturday
  5. 6 May: Ascension DayThursdayDate moves
  6. 15 May: Day of Customs and TraditionsSaturday
  7. 17 May: Eid al-AdhaTabaskiMondayDate moves
  8. 15 August: Assumption DaySunday
  9. 11 December: National DaySaturday
  10. 25 December: Christmas DaySaturday

Observances

Days marked in Burkina Faso that are not days off

  1. 4 August: Revolution DayThe anniversary of 4 August 1983, when the coup that brought Thomas Sankara to power began what the law calls the Revolution. A day of commemoration without a day off.Tuesday
  2. 5 August: Independence Proclamation DayIndependence from France on 5 August 1960. A day off until January 2026 and a day of commemoration since.Wednesday
  3. 15 October: Thomas Sankara DayThe anniversary of the assassination of Thomas Sankara on 15 October 1987, made a day of commemoration by the law of 2026.Thursday
  4. 31 October: Martyrs' DayThe National Day of Martyrs on 31 October. A day off until January 2026 and a day of commemoration since.Saturday
  5. 1 November: All Saints' Day and Armed Forces Day1 November, kept both as All Saints' Day and as the day of the army. A day off until January 2026 and a day of commemoration since.Sunday

The law adopted on 9 January 2026 replaced the law of November 2015 on legal holidays and historic events. The 70 deputies present voted for it unanimously, according to leFaso.net, and the state news agency AIB reported a projected saving to the budget of about 16.88 billion CFA francs a year. The minister responsible for labour said further days off would be announced by communiqué when circumstances required.

The holiday provider still listed the old calendar in October 2026: Easter Monday, 3 January, 5 August, 31 October and 1 November as days off, and none of the three Muslim feasts. This page follows the law as reported by the Transitional Legislative Assembly's own site and by AIB, and dates the Muslim feasts from timeanddate's lists for 2026 and 2027. Timeanddate marks its dates for the Muslim feasts of 2027 as tentative.

One consequence of the new rule on Sundays shows in 2027, when Assumption Day and, by timeanddate's tentative date, Mouloud both fall on Sunday 15 August, and five of the year's days off fall on a weekend.

Common questions

Questions about public holidays in Burkina Faso

How many public holidays does Burkina Faso have?

Eleven paid days off, under the law the Transitional Legislative Assembly adopted on 9 January 2026: New Year's Day, 8 March, 1 May, 15 May, Ascension Day, 15 August, 11 December, Christmas, and the Muslim feasts of Ramadan, Tabaski and Mouloud. The previous law, of November 2015, gave 15. In 2026 the calendar shows 12, because 3 January was still a holiday when it passed.

Is Easter Monday still a holiday in Burkina Faso?

No. The law of January 2026 left Easter Monday off the list of paid days off, and it is not among the days of commemoration either. Ascension Day is the one day of the Easter cycle that remains, on Thursday 14 May in 2026 and Thursday 6 May in 2027.

Is there a day off when a holiday falls on a Sunday?

Not any more. Until January 2026 the day after a holiday that fell on a Sunday was also off. The new law ended that rule, so International Women's Day on Sunday 8 March 2026 brought no Monday off, and in 2027 nothing replaces Assumption Day on Sunday 15 August.

When are Tabaski and Ramadan in 2027?

Tentatively, the end of Ramadan on Wednesday 10 March and Tabaski on Monday 17 May 2027, according to timeanddate, which marks both dates as provisional. Both feasts follow the Islamic lunar calendar and fall about ten days earlier each year: in 2026 they fell on Friday 20 March and Wednesday 27 May.

Is 15 October a holiday in Burkina Faso?

It is marked but not a day off. The law of January 2026 made 15 October, the anniversary of the assassination of Thomas Sankara in 1987, one of six days of commemoration kept without stopping work, alongside 3 January, 4 August, 5 August, 31 October and 1 November.

Which is the national day, 5 August or 11 December?

11 December, the Fête nationale, which marks the day in 1958 when Upper Volta became a self-governing republic within the French Community. It remains a paid day off. 5 August, the proclamation of independence in 1960, was also a day off until January 2026 and is now a day of commemoration.

What is the Day of Customs and Traditions?

A paid day off on 15 May dedicated to customs and traditions. The law of January 2026 wrote it into the list of eleven paid days off, and the government presented the day as an affirmation of the secular character of the state. In 2026 it fell on a Friday, the day after Ascension, which gave two days off in a row before the weekend.

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