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Public holidays in DR Congo

11 days in 2026 · 11 in 2027

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Christmas Day

After it: New Year's Day, Friday 1 January

Friday, 25 December 2026

The Democratic Republic of the Congo has 11 public holidays in 2026 and again in 2027, and seven of them remember the country's own history. Three fall in the first weeks of January: the Martyrs of Independence on 4 January, then the assassinations of Laurent-Désiré Kabila on 16 January and of Patrice Lumumba on 17 January, on consecutive days. Christmas is the one feast taken from the Christian calendar, and there is no Easter holiday.

The list is not written into the constitution. It is fixed by presidential ordinance, so it has changed with each regime: other dates were holidays under Zaire, and several days have been added or dropped since 1997. The ordinance in force, No. 23/042 of 30 March 2023, names ten days and made 6 April a holiday for Simon Kimbangu. Congolese Genocide Day on 2 August, recognised in 2024 according to Wikipedia, is not among the ten.

A legal holiday is a paid day off for employees. Government offices and banks close, as do many shops.

Days off in 2026
11Nationwide public holidays
On a weekday
6Monday to Friday
On a weekend
5Saturday or Sunday
Long weekends
4and 2 with one day of leave

2026

Public holidays in DR Congo in 2026

  1. 1 January: New Year's DayNouvel An, the first date in the 2023 ordinance.Thursday
  2. 4 January: Martyrs DayThe riots in Léopoldville, now Kinshasa, that followed a banned political demonstration on 4 January 1959. The Force Publique killed at least 49 people, and the unrest hastened the move to independence.Sunday
  3. 16 January: Laurent-Désiré Kabila AssassinationLaurent-Désiré Kabila, president from 1997, was assassinated in January 2001. The ordinance keeps the day for him as a national hero.Friday
  4. 17 January: Patrice Lumumba AssassinationPatrice Émery Lumumba, the first prime minister of the independent Congo, was assassinated on 17 January 1961. It is the second national hero's day in two days.Saturday
  5. 6 April: Kimbangu's DaySimon Kimbangu, whose preaching from 1921 began the Kimbanguist church, was arrested by the Belgian authorities and died in prison in 1951. A day off since the ordinance of 30 March 2023.Monday
  6. 1 May: Labour DayFête du travail in the ordinance. On a Saturday in 2027.Friday
  7. 17 May: Liberation Day17 May 1997, when AFDL troops entered Kinshasa. The ordinance calls it Journée des forces armées, Armed Forces Day, the name it has carried since 2019.Sunday
  8. 30 June: Independence DayIndependence from Belgium, proclaimed on 30 June 1960, and the national day.Tuesday
  9. 1 August: Parents' DayFête des parents. It falls the day before Congolese Genocide Day, so early August brings two holidays in a row.Saturday
  10. 2 August: Congolese Genocide DayGenocost, recorded by Wikipedia as a public holiday commemoration since 2024. The 2023 ordinance does not list it.Sunday
  11. 25 December: Christmas DayNoël, the only church feast with a day off.Friday

Long weekends

Long weekends in DR Congo 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, Martyrs Day
  • 3daysFri 16 Jan to Sun 18 JanLaurent-Désiré Kabila Assassination, Patrice Lumumba Assassination
  • 3daysSat 4 Apr to Mon 6 AprKimbangu's Day
  • 3daysFri 1 May to Sun 3 MayLabour Day
  • 4daysSat 27 Jun to Tue 30 JunWith Mon 29 Jun taken as leave · Independence Day
  • 3daysFri 25 Dec to Sun 27 DecChristmas Day

2027

Public holidays in DR Congo in 2027

  1. 1 January: New Year's DayFriday
  2. 4 January: Martyrs DayMonday
  3. 16 January: Laurent-Désiré Kabila AssassinationSaturday
  4. 17 January: Patrice Lumumba AssassinationSunday
  5. 6 April: Kimbangu's DayTuesday
  6. 1 May: Labour DaySaturday
  7. 17 May: Liberation DayMonday
  8. 30 June: Independence DayWednesday
  9. 1 August: Parents' DaySunday
  10. 2 August: Congolese Genocide DayMonday
  11. 25 December: Christmas DaySaturday

The government can also declare a one-off day off for a particular event without changing the list. Timeanddate records one on Wednesday 1 April 2026, given for qualification for the football World Cup.

Liberation Day is the name 17 May carried from 1997. Since 2019 the day has been kept in memory of the armed forces, and the 2023 ordinance lists it as Journée des forces armées.

Common questions

Questions about public holidays in DR Congo

How many public holidays does DR Congo have in 2026?

Eleven, and five of them land on a weekend: Martyrs Day on Sunday 4 January, Patrice Lumumba's day on Saturday 17 January, Liberation Day on Sunday 17 May and the August pair, Parents' Day on Saturday 1 August and Congolese Genocide Day on Sunday 2 August. The presidential ordinance of 30 March 2023 lists ten days; Congolese Genocide Day, recognised in 2024, is the eleventh.

Why does DR Congo have holidays on both 16 and 17 January?

Each marks the assassination of a national leader, forty years apart. Patrice Lumumba, prime minister at independence, was killed on 17 January 1961, and Laurent-Désiré Kabila, president from 1997, was assassinated in January 2001. The ordinance names both as national heroes' days, so the two fall side by side. In 2026 they run Friday and Saturday, which makes a three-day weekend.

Is 6 April a public holiday in DR Congo?

Yes, since 2023. Ordinance No. 23/042 of 30 March 2023 made 6 April a legal holiday, the Day of the Struggle of Simon Kimbangu and of African Consciousness. Kimbangu began preaching in 1921 and was arrested by the Belgian authorities the same year; he died in prison in 1951. The Ministry of Employment and Labour announced Monday 6 April 2026 as a paid day off across the country.

Is Easter a public holiday in DR Congo?

No. Neither Good Friday nor Easter Monday is on the list, and Christmas on 25 December is the only day off taken from the church calendar. The Kimbanguist church is remembered on 6 April, but the day honours the struggle of its founder against colonial rule, and its date stays the same every year.

What is Congolese Genocide Day on 2 August?

The day of Genocost, which Wikipedia records as officially recognised as a public holiday commemoration in 2024, citing a Radio Okapi press review of July 2024. It is not among the ten days of the 2023 ordinance. It follows Parents' Day on 1 August, and in 2027 the two give a weekend that runs from Saturday 31 July to Monday 2 August.

What are the long weekends in DR Congo in 2026?

Four need no leave: Friday 16 January to Sunday 18 January, from the Kabila and Lumumba days; Saturday 4 April to Monday 6 April, for Kimbangu's Day; Labour Day on Friday 1 May; and Christmas on Friday 25 December. A day of leave on Friday 2 January joins New Year's Day to the weekend, and Monday 29 June does the same before Independence Day on Tuesday 30 June.

What are the long weekends in DR Congo in 2027?

The year opens with four days off, from New Year's Day on Friday 1 January to Martyrs Day on Monday 4 January. Liberation Day on Monday 17 May and Congolese Genocide Day on Monday 2 August each end a three-day weekend. Kimbangu's Day falls on Tuesday 6 April, so leave on Monday 5 April makes four days.

Are shops and banks open on public holidays in DR Congo?

Banks and government offices close, and many shops do too. A legal holiday is a day off with pay for employees, and work on it is governed by the Labour Code and collective agreements. The list in force is published in the Journal officiel, and the Ministry of Employment, Labour and Social Welfare issues communiqués on it.

Dates from Nager.Date, read 2026-10-25. The page counts from Sunday, 25 October 2026, the day it was built.