Public holidays in Namibia
13 days in 2026 · 15 in 2027
Back to NamibiaNext public holiday
Human Rights Day
After it: Christmas Day, Friday 25 December
Thursday, 10 December 2026
Namibia has 13 public holidays in 2026, two of which, Independence Day on 21 March and Family Day on 26 December, fall on a Saturday. The list is set by the Public Holidays Act of 1990, which moves a holiday falling on a Sunday to the following Monday, and lets the president declare further holidays. That rule adds two days in 2027, when Independence Day and Family Day both fall on a Sunday and are kept on Monday 22 March and Monday 27 December.
The calendar is built around the liberation war and its end. Independence Day marks 21 March 1990, Cassinga Day falls on the date of the South African attack on Cassinga in Angola in 1978, and Heroes' Day on the date of the clash at Omugulugwombashe in 1966. The newest holiday, Genocide Remembrance Day on 28 May, was proclaimed in 2024 and first kept in 2025 for the Herero and Nama killed under German rule between 1904 and 1908.
May carries five of the thirteen: Workers' Day, Cassinga Day, Ascension Day, Africa Day and Genocide Remembrance Day. In 2026 two of them fall on a Monday, two on a Thursday and one on a Friday.
- Days off in 2026
- 13Nationwide public holidays
- On a weekday
- 11Monday to Friday
- On a weekend
- 2Saturday or Sunday
- Long weekends
- 4and 4 with one day of leave
2026
Public holidays in Namibia in 2026
- 1 January: New Year's DayThe first day of the year, a public holiday under the Public Holidays Act of 1990.Thursday
- 21 March: Independence DayNamibia became independent shortly after midnight on 21 March 1990, when the South African flag was lowered in Windhoek and the Namibian flag raised.Saturday
- 3 April: Good FridayThe Friday before Easter Sunday.FridayDate moves
- 6 April: Easter MondayThe day after Easter Sunday. Easter Sunday itself is not a separate public holiday.MondayDate moves
- 1 May: Workers' Day1 May.Friday
- 4 May: Cassinga DayKept on 4 May, the date in 1978 of the South African airborne attack on Cassinga in Angola, which SWAPO described as a refugee camp and the South African government as a guerrilla base.Monday
- 14 May: Ascension DayThirty-nine days after Easter Sunday, always on a Thursday.ThursdayDate moves
- 25 May: Africa DayKept on 25 May each year.Monday
- 28 May: Genocide Remembrance DayProclaimed on 28 May 2024 and first kept on 28 May 2025, for the OvaHerero and Nama killed between 1904 and 1908. The date was chosen to cover both peoples; Namibian.org dates the order to release the prisoners and close the camps to 28 May 1908, the ICTJ to 1907.Thursday
- 26 August: Heroes' DayKept on 26 August, the date in 1966 of the clash at Omugulugwombashe that the Wikipedia history of Namibia counts as the first attack of the armed struggle.Wednesday
- 10 December: Human Rights Day10 December, listed by timeanddate as the Day of the Namibian Women and International Human Rights Day.Thursday
- 25 December: Christmas Day25 December.Friday
- 26 December: Family Day26 December, the day after Christmas.Saturday
Long weekends
Long weekends in Namibia 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
- 4daysFri 1 May to Mon 4 MayWorkers' Day, Cassinga Day
- 4daysThu 14 May to Sun 17 MayWith Fri 15 May taken as leave · Ascension Day
- 3daysSat 23 May to Mon 25 MayAfrica Day
- 4daysThu 28 May to Sun 31 MayWith Fri 29 May taken as leave · Genocide Remembrance Day
- 4daysThu 10 Dec to Sun 13 DecWith Fri 11 Dec taken as leave · Human Rights Day
- 3daysFri 25 Dec to Sun 27 DecChristmas Day, Family Day
2027
Public holidays in Namibia in 2027
- 1 January: New Year's DayFriday
- 21 March: Independence DaySunday
- 22 March: Independence Day observedMondayDate moves
- 26 March: Good FridayFridayDate moves
- 29 March: Easter MondayMondayDate moves
- 1 May: Workers' DaySaturday
- 4 May: Cassinga DayTuesday
- 6 May: Ascension DayThursdayDate moves
- 25 May: Africa DayTuesday
- 28 May: Genocide Remembrance DayFriday
- 26 August: Heroes' DayThursday
- 10 December: Human Rights DayFriday
- 25 December: Christmas DaySaturday
- 26 December: Family DaySunday
- 27 December: Family Day observedMondayDate moves
Genocide Remembrance Day is the newest holiday. The motion for it was tabled in Parliament on 28 April 2016, and the date was argued over for years: many OvaHerero favoured 2 October, the day of von Trotha's extermination order in 1904, and many Nama 22 April, the day of his order to the Nama in 1905. 28 May was chosen as a day for both. OvaHerero and Nama groups announced a boycott of the first official ceremony, in the Parliament Gardens in Windhoek, in 2025.
Only a Sunday holiday is moved. A holiday on a Saturday is not replaced, which is why Independence Day and Family Day in 2026 and Workers' Day and Christmas Day in 2027 cost a day off.
Common questions
Questions about public holidays in Namibia
How many public holidays does Namibia have in 2026?
Thirteen. Eleven fall on weekdays and two, Independence Day on 21 March and Family Day on 26 December, fall on a Saturday, which the law does not replace. In 2027 the calendar has fifteen entries, because Independence Day and Family Day fall on a Sunday and each adds a Monday off.
Which day replaces a Namibian holiday that falls on a Sunday?
The following Monday becomes the public holiday, under the Public Holidays Act of 1990. In 2027 this applies twice: Independence Day on Sunday 21 March is kept on Monday 22 March, and Family Day on Sunday 26 December on Monday 27 December. Holidays on a Saturday are not moved.
Why is 28 May a public holiday in Namibia?
It is Genocide Remembrance Day, for the OvaHerero and Nama killed under German colonial rule between 1904 and 1908. The government proclaimed it on 28 May 2024 and it was first kept in 2025. The date marks the end of the concentration camps, which Namibian.org dates to 1908 and the ICTJ to 1907, and was chosen over 2 October and 22 April as a date for both peoples.
Why is 4 May called Cassinga Day?
Cassinga Day falls on 4 May, the date in 1978 when South African paratroops attacked Cassinga in Angola. The two sides gave different accounts: SWAPO and Cuba described it as a refugee camp, and the South African government as a guerrilla base.
Which Easter days are public holidays in Namibia?
Good Friday and Easter Monday; Easter Sunday is not on the list in its own right. In 2026 they fall on 3 and 6 April, and in 2027 on 26 and 29 March. Ascension Day, 39 days after Easter, is a holiday too: 14 May 2026 and 6 May 2027.
Why are so many Namibian holidays in May?
Five of the thirteen fall in May: Workers' Day on 1 May, Cassinga Day on 4 May, Ascension Day, Africa Day on 25 May and Genocide Remembrance Day on 28 May. Namibian.org reported in 2025 that offices and most shops closed for the whole week around 28 May, when Africa Day, Genocide Remembrance Day and Ascension Day fell together.
Can the president add public holidays in Namibia?
Yes. The Public Holidays Act of 1990 allows the president to declare public holidays beyond the list in the law. Genocide Remembrance Day came about this way: the government proclaimed 28 May a public holiday on 28 May 2024, eight years after a motion for it was first tabled in Parliament, and it was kept for the first time in 2025.
Dates from Nager.Date, read 2026-10-03. The page counts from Saturday, 3 October 2026, the day it was built.