Public holidays in Djibouti
12 days in 2026 · 13 in 2027
Back to DjiboutiNext public holiday
New Year's Day
After it: The Prophet's Ascension, Tuesday 5 January
Friday, 1 January 2027
Two calendars set Djibouti's public holidays: 12 days off in 2026 and 13 in 2027. Four days come from the Gregorian year: New Year's Day, Labour Day and Independence, which is kept over 27 and 28 June. The rest, eight days in 2026, follow the Islamic lunar calendar and come round 10 or 11 days earlier each year, so 2027 gains a ninth: the Prophet's Ascension falls on Tuesday 5 January and again on Saturday 25 December.
Friday is the only weekly day of rest. Djibouti works a six-day week, Saturday to Thursday, so a holiday on a Saturday or a Sunday takes a day out of the working week, and only a Friday holiday is lost to the weekend. In 2026 three were: the Ascension on 16 January, the first day of Eid al-Fitr on 20 March and Labour Day on 1 May. In 2027 New Year's Day is the only one.
- Days off in 2026
- 12Nationwide public holidays
- On a weekday
- 9Saturday to Thursday
- On a weekend
- 3Friday
- Long weekends
- 2three days off or more
2026
Public holidays in Djibouti in 2026
- 1 January: New Year's Day1 January by the Gregorian calendar. The 2027 date is a Friday, already the weekly day of rest, so that year it adds no day off.Thursday
- 16 January: The Prophet's AscensionIsra and MirajThe Prophet's Ascension, on the 27th of Rajab. Because the Islamic year is shorter than the Gregorian, it comes twice in 2027: Tuesday 5 January and Saturday 25 December.FridayDate moves
- 20 March: Eid al-FitrThe end of Ramadan, on the first and second of Shawwal: 20 and 21 March in 2026, 9 and 10 March in 2027. Xalwo, a halva of sugar, corn starch, cardamom and ghee, is a popular sweet at Eid and at weddings.FridayDate moves
- 21 March: Eid al-Fitr holidayEid al-FitrThe end of Ramadan, on the first and second of Shawwal: 20 and 21 March in 2026, 9 and 10 March in 2027. Xalwo, a halva of sugar, corn starch, cardamom and ghee, is a popular sweet at Eid and at weddings.SaturdayDate moves
- 1 May: Labour DayInternational Workers' Day. It fell on the Friday rest day in 2026; in 2027 it is a Saturday, and so a day off work.Friday
- 26 May: Arafat DayThe ninth of Dhu al-Hijjah, a day off of its own on the eve of Eid al-Adha: Tuesday 26 May 2026 and Saturday 15 May 2027.TuesdayDate moves
- 27 May: Eid al-AdhaThe Feast of Sacrifice, on the tenth and eleventh of Dhu al-Hijjah. With Arafat Day before it, the festival gave three days off in a row in 2026, from 26 to 28 May.WednesdayDate moves
- 28 May: Eid al-Adha holidayEid al-AdhaThe Feast of Sacrifice, on the tenth and eleventh of Dhu al-Hijjah. With Arafat Day before it, the festival gave three days off in a row in 2026, from 26 to 28 May.ThursdayDate moves
- 16 June: Islamic New YearThe first of Muharram, which opens the Islamic year: Tuesday 16 June 2026 and Sunday 6 June 2027.TuesdayDate moves
- 27 June: Independence DayThe French Territory of the Afars and the Issas became independent as Djibouti on 27 June 1977, after a referendum on 8 May that year. The anniversary is a holiday over two days, 27 and 28 June.Saturday
- 28 June: Independence Day holidayIndependence DayThe French Territory of the Afars and the Issas became independent as Djibouti on 27 June 1977, after a referendum on 8 May that year. The anniversary is a holiday over two days, 27 and 28 June.Sunday
- 25 August: The Prophet's BirthdayMawlidThe Prophet's Birthday, on the 12th of Rabi al-Awwal: Tuesday 25 August 2026 and Saturday 14 August 2027.TuesdayDate moves
Long weekends
Long weekends in Djibouti 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.
- 4daysTue 26 May to Fri 29 MayArafat Day, Eid al-Adha, Eid al-Adha holiday
- 3daysFri 26 Jun to Sun 28 JunIndependence Day, Independence Day holiday
2027
Public holidays in Djibouti in 2027
- 1 January: New Year's DayFriday
- 5 January: The Prophet's AscensionIsra and MirajTuesdayDate moves
- 9 March: Eid al-FitrTuesdayDate moves
- 10 March: Eid al-Fitr holidayEid al-FitrWednesdayDate moves
- 1 May: Labour DaySaturday
- 15 May: Arafat DaySaturdayDate moves
- 16 May: Eid al-AdhaSundayDate moves
- 17 May: Eid al-Adha holidayEid al-AdhaMondayDate moves
- 6 June: Islamic New YearSundayDate moves
- 27 June: Independence DaySunday
- 28 June: Independence Day holidayIndependence DayMonday
- 14 August: The Prophet's BirthdayMawlidSaturdayDate moves
- 25 December: The Prophet's AscensionIsra and MirajSaturdayDate moves
Observances
Days marked in Djibouti that are not days off
- 18 February: First day of RamadanRamadanThe first day of the month of fasting, marked but not a day off. It fell on Wednesday 18 February 2026 and is due on Monday 8 February 2027.WednesdayDate moves
The Islamic dates for 2026 are the ones timeanddate lists. The dates for 2027 are worked out from the Hijri dates in the Wikipedia list with the Umm al-Qura calendar, which reproduces every 2026 date exactly, and any of them can still move by a day once the new moon is sighted.
The Wikipedia list gives Independence Day as a single day. Timeanddate, the list of official holidays kept by Qatar's embassy in Djibouti and the calendar of the United States embassy all give two, 27 and 28 June, and both are counted here.
Common questions
Questions about public holidays in Djibouti
How many public holidays does Djibouti have in 2026?
Twelve days off. New Year's Day, Labour Day and the two days of Independence on 27 and 28 June are fixed. The other eight follow the Islamic calendar: the Prophet's Ascension on 16 January, two days of Eid al-Fitr on 20 and 21 March, Arafat Day and two days of Eid al-Adha from 26 to 28 May, the Islamic New Year on 16 June and the Prophet's Birthday on 25 August. Three of the twelve fell on a Friday, the weekly rest day.
Is Saturday a working day in Djibouti?
Yes. The working week runs over six days, from Saturday to Thursday, and Friday is the only day of rest. A holiday on a Saturday therefore gives a real day off: in 2027 that happens four times, with Labour Day, Arafat Day, the Prophet's Birthday and the second Ascension on 25 December. Of the 13 days off in 2027 only New Year's Day falls on a Friday, so the other 12 each take a day out of the working week.
Why does the Prophet's Ascension fall twice in 2027?
Isra and Miraj is kept on the 27th of Rajab, and the Islamic year is shorter than the Gregorian one, so every Islamic holiday arrives 10 or 11 days earlier than the year before. In 2026 the 27th of Rajab fell on 16 January. The next two arrive on Tuesday 5 January 2027 and, a lunar year later, on Saturday 25 December 2027, which is why 2027 has 13 days off against 12.
How long is the Independence Day holiday in Djibouti?
Two days, 27 and 28 June. The holiday marks the day in 1977 when the French Territory of the Afars and the Issas became independent, following the referendum of 8 May. In 2026 the two days fell on Saturday 27 and Sunday 28 June, both working days in Djibouti, and with the Friday before them made three days off in a row. In 2027 they fall on a Sunday and a Monday, and a day of leave on Saturday 26 June joins them to the Friday for four.
When is Eid al-Fitr in Djibouti in 2027?
Tuesday 9 and Wednesday 10 March 2027, after a Ramadan due to begin on Monday 8 February. The dates come from the Umm al-Qura calendar and may move by a day once the moon is sighted. A day of leave on Thursday 11 March would reach the Friday rest day and give four days. In 2026 Eid fell on Friday 20 and Saturday 21 March.
Which days are off for Eid al-Adha in 2027?
Eid al-Adha falls on Sunday 16 and Monday 17 May 2027, after Arafat Day on Saturday 15 May. With Friday 14 May before them that makes four days off without taking leave, the only such run in 2027. Like the other Islamic dates for 2027 these are calculated in advance and can shift by a day. In 2026 the three days ran from Tuesday 26 to Thursday 28 May, and the Friday after them made four.
Dates from Nager.Date, read 2026-10-16. The page counts from Sunday, 25 October 2026, the day it was built.