The Bihar cabinet has approved the list of holidays for government employees for the year 2026. According to the notification, government offices and revenue magistrate courts will get 11 holidays under the executive order, out of which two fall on Sundays.

In addition, 24 holidays have been announced under the Negotiable Instruments Act (NI Act), 1881, four of which coincide with Sundays. Overall, employees will have 35 holidays in 2026, but six of them will fall on Sundays, reducing their effective benefit.

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The general holidays include:

  • Vasant Panchami (January 23)
  • Saint Ravidas Jayanti (February 1)
  • Shab-e-Barat (February 4)
  • Maha Shivratri (February 15)
  • Emperor Ashok Ashtami (March 26)
  • Veer Kunwar Singh Jayanti (April 23)
  • Janaki Navami (April 25)
  • Kabir Jayanti (June 29)
  • Chehallum (August 4)
  • Durga Puja (Saptami – October 17)
  • Chitragupta Puja/Bhai Dooj (November 10).

The optional/restricted list includes festivals such as:

  • Makar Sankranti (January 14)
  • Holika Dahan (March 2)
  • Raksha Bandhan (August 28)
  • Vishwakarma Puja (September 17)
  • Durga Puja Kalash Sthapana (October 11)
  • Christmas Eve (December 24).

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Public holidays under the NI Act include: 

  • Republic Day (January 26)
  • Holi (March 3-4)
  • Bihar Day (March 22)
  • Independence Day (August 15)
  • Gandhi Jayanti (October 2)
  • Diwali (November 8)
  • Chhath Puja (November 15–16)
  • Christmas (December 25), among others.

According to the government, the holiday schedule has been designed to balance official work with cultural, national, and regional celebrations.