Public holidays in Lesotho
11 days in 2026 · 11 in 2027
Back to LesothoNext public holiday
Independence Day
After it: Christmas Day, Friday 25 December
Sunday, 4 October 2026
Lesotho has eleven public holidays in 2026 and eleven in 2027 on the calendar behind this page. Three belong to the kingdom itself: Moshoeshoe's Day on 11 March for the founder of the Basotho nation, the King's Birthday on 17 July, and Independence Day on 4 October, the anniversary of the end of British rule in 1966. A fourth, on 25 May, is kept as Heroes' Day and Africa Day together.
The other seven follow the Christian year and the international calendar: New Year's Day, Good Friday, Easter Monday, Workers' Day on 1 May, Ascension Day, Christmas Day and Boxing Day. In 2026 Independence Day falls on Sunday 4 October and Boxing Day on Saturday 26 December, and in 2027 four of the eleven fall on a weekend, Christmas and Boxing Day among them. None of the lists on file gives a weekday off in place of a holiday that falls on a weekend.
- Days off in 2026
- 11Nationwide public holidays
- On a weekday
- 9Monday to Friday
- On a weekend
- 2Saturday or Sunday
- Long weekends
- 5and 2 with one day of leave
2026
Public holidays in Lesotho in 2026
- 1 January: New Year's DayThe first day of the year: Thursday 1 January 2026 and Friday 1 January 2027.Thursday
- 11 March: Moshoeshoe's DayThe anniversary of the death of Moshoeshoe I on 11 March 1870, the king who built the Basotho nation at Thaba Bosiu. The monarch leads a delegation that lays wreaths on his grave there, followed by a parade. It falls on a Wednesday in 2026 and a Thursday in 2027.Wednesday
- 3 April: Good FridayThe Friday before Easter, 3 April in 2026 and 26 March in 2027, opening a four-day weekend.FridayDate moves
- 6 April: Easter MondayThe Monday after Easter: 6 April in 2026 and 29 March in 2027.MondayDate moves
- 1 May: Workers' DayInternational Workers' Day on 1 May. A Friday in 2026, giving a long weekend, and a Saturday in 2027.Friday
- 14 May: Ascension DayThirty-nine days after Easter Sunday, always a Thursday: 14 May in 2026 and 6 May in 2027.ThursdayDate moves
- 25 May: Heroes' Day and Africa DayTwo observances kept on one day, 25 May, which Britannica lists as Heroes' Day and Africa Day. A Monday in 2026, giving a long weekend, and a Tuesday in 2027.Monday
- 17 July: King's BirthdayThe birthday of the reigning king. Britannica notes that the holiday follows whichever day that is, so the date changes with the monarch; under the present reign it is 17 July, a Friday in 2026 and a Saturday in 2027.Friday
- 4 October: Independence DayThe anniversary of 4 October 1966, when Basutoland became the independent Kingdom of Lesotho. The present flag was first flown at midnight at the start of the 40th anniversary in 2006. A Sunday in 2026 and a Monday in 2027.Sunday
- 25 December: Christmas DayChristmas on 25 December, a Friday in 2026 that begins a three-day weekend with Boxing Day, and a Saturday in 2027.Friday
- 26 December: Boxing DayThe day after Christmas: Saturday 26 December 2026 and Sunday 26 December 2027.Saturday
Long weekends
Long weekends in Lesotho 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 MayWorkers' Day
- 4daysThu 14 May to Sun 17 MayWith Fri 15 May taken as leave · Ascension Day
- 3daysSat 23 May to Mon 25 MayHeroes' Day and Africa Day
- 3daysFri 17 Jul to Sun 19 JulKing's Birthday
- 3daysFri 25 Dec to Sun 27 DecChristmas Day, Boxing Day
2027
Public holidays in Lesotho in 2027
- 1 January: New Year's DayFriday
- 11 March: Moshoeshoe's DayThursday
- 26 March: Good FridayFridayDate moves
- 29 March: Easter MondayMondayDate moves
- 1 May: Workers' DaySaturday
- 6 May: Ascension DayThursdayDate moves
- 25 May: Heroes' Day and Africa DayTuesday
- 17 July: King's BirthdaySaturday
- 4 October: Independence DayMonday
- 25 December: Christmas DaySaturday
- 26 December: Boxing DaySunday
The lists on file agree on the eleven dates for 2026 and 2027 but not on every name. Timeanddate calls 11 March Moshoeshoe's Birthday, while Office Holidays and the account of the king in Wikipedia give it as the anniversary of his death; Wikivoyage's guide dates it to 14 March and the Encyclopedia of the Nations, in an older list, to 12 March. The Encyclopedia's list also carried a Family Day in July and a National Sports Day on 6 October, which no current list on file includes.
The list for 2026 published by Lesotho's embassy in Washington gives Ascension Day as 29 May; timeanddate, Office Holidays and the calendar here have Thursday 14 May, thirty-nine days after Easter Sunday. The embassy's list and timeanddate both include Boxing Day, which Office Holidays omits.
Moshoeshoe's Day, the King's Birthday and Independence Day are the days on which the state marks itself. Wikivoyage describes the Moshoeshoe's Day procession in Maseru, from the palace to the national stadium, with people in blankets and Basotho hats, men on horseback and herding cattle, followed by military and police parades.
Common questions
Questions about public holidays in Lesotho
How many public holidays does Lesotho have?
Eleven in 2026 and eleven in 2027 on the calendar behind this page: New Year's Day, Moshoeshoe's Day, Good Friday, Easter Monday, Workers' Day, Ascension Day, Heroes' Day and Africa Day, the King's Birthday, Independence Day, Christmas Day and Boxing Day. In 2026 two of them fall on a weekend, Independence Day on a Sunday and Boxing Day on a Saturday.
Who is remembered on Moshoeshoe's Day?
Moshoeshoe I, who gathered the Basotho at Thaba Bosiu from 1824, defended the kingdom against the Orange Free State and placed it under British protection in 1868. He died on 11 March 1870, and the holiday falls on that anniversary. Wreaths are laid on his grave on Thaba Bosiu by a delegation led by the monarch.
Why does the date of the King's Birthday change?
Because it is the birthday of whichever king is reigning, as Britannica describes the holiday, so a new reign brings a new date. On the lists for 2026 and 2027 it is 17 July: a Friday in 2026 and a Saturday in 2027.
What is celebrated on 25 May in Lesotho?
Two things at once. Britannica lists 25 May as Heroes' Day and Africa Day, and Lesotho's embassy in Washington calls it Africa's Heroes' Day; timeanddate and the Wikipedia list name only Africa Day, and Office Holidays gives Africa Day with Heroes' Day as a note. It is a Monday in 2026, making a long weekend, and a Tuesday in 2027.
When is Independence Day in Lesotho?
On 4 October, the anniversary of independence from Britain in 1966, when Basutoland became the Kingdom of Lesotho with Moshoeshoe II as king and Leabua Jonathan as prime minister. In 2026 the 60th anniversary falls on a Sunday, and the lists on file give no substitute weekday; in 2027 it is a Monday, which joins a weekend. The present flag, with its black Basotho hat, was first raised at midnight at the start of the 40th anniversary in 2006, replacing the flag introduced under military rule in 1987, and the first flag of all was raised on the same date in 1966.
Which long weekends does Lesotho have in 2026?
Easter gives four days, from Good Friday on 3 April to Easter Monday on 6 April. Workers' Day on Friday 1 May, Heroes' Day and Africa Day on Monday 25 May, the King's Birthday on Friday 17 July and Christmas on Friday 25 December, followed by Boxing Day, each make a weekend of three days.
Is Ascension Day a public holiday in Lesotho?
Yes. It is one of four Christian holidays on the calendar with Good Friday, Easter Monday and Christmas, and it moves with Easter: Thursday 14 May in 2026 and Thursday 6 May in 2027. One list for 2026, from Lesotho's embassy in Washington, gives 29 May instead, which does not match the date of Easter that year.
Dates from Nager.Date, read 2026-10-03. The page counts from Saturday, 3 October 2026, the day it was built.