Public Holidays in Sri Lanka 2016 🇱🇰

Sri Lanka has 29 public holidays in 2016. The table below lists every national public holiday with its date and weekday, so you can plan travel, business days and time off in Sri Lanka.

Date	Day	Holiday Name	Category
15. Jan	Friday Long weekend	Tamil Thai Pongal Day	Public holiday
23. Jan	Saturday	Duruthu Full Moon Poya Day	Public holiday
4. Feb	Thursday Bridge day	Independence Day	Public holiday
22. Feb	Monday Long weekend	Nawam Full Moon Poya Day	Public holiday
7. Mar	Monday Long weekend	Maha Sivarathri Day	Public holiday
22. Mar	Tuesday Bridge day	Medin Full Moon Poya Day	Public holiday
25. Mar	Friday Long weekend	Good Friday	Public holiday
13. Apr	Wednesday	Day Before Sinhala and Tamil New Year	Public holiday
14. Apr	Thursday Bridge day	Sinhala and Tamil New Year	Public holiday
15. Apr	Friday Long weekend	Special Public Holiday	Public holiday
21. Apr	Thursday Bridge day	Bak Full Moon Poya Day	Public holiday
1. May	Sunday	International Workers' Day	Public holiday
2. May	Monday Long weekend	Special Bank Holiday	Bank holiday
21. May	Saturday	Vesak Full Moon Poya Day	Public holiday
22. May	Sunday	Day Following Vesak Full Moon Poya Day	Public holiday
23. May	Monday Long weekend	Special Bank Holiday	Bank holiday
19. Jun	Sunday	Poson Full Moon Poya Day	Public holiday
6. Jul	Wednesday	Eid al-Fitr	Public holiday
19. Jul	Tuesday Bridge day	Esala Full Moon Poya Day	Public holiday
17. Aug	Wednesday	Nikini Full Moon Poya Day	Public holiday
12. Sep	Monday Long weekend	Eid al-Adha	Public holiday
16. Sep	Friday Long weekend	Binara Full Moon Poya Day	Public holiday
15. Oct	Saturday	Vap Full Moon Poya Day	Public holiday
29. Oct	Saturday	Deepavali Festival Day	Public holiday
14. Nov	Monday Long weekend	Il Full Moon Poya Day	Public holiday
12. Dec	Monday Long weekend	Prophet's Birthday	Public holiday
13. Dec	Tuesday Bridge day	Unduvap Full Moon Poya Day	Public holiday
25. Dec	Sunday	Christmas Day	Public holiday
26. Dec	Monday Long weekend	Special Bank Holiday	Bank holiday

Long weekends in Sri Lanka 2016

These public holidays fall next to the weekend or just one bridge day away, making it easy to plan an extended break.

Tamil Thai Pongal Day — 15. Jan (Friday) — long weekend
Independence Day — 4. Feb (Thursday) — take Friday off to bridge into the weekend
Nawam Full Moon Poya Day — 22. Feb (Monday) — long weekend
Maha Sivarathri Day — 7. Mar (Monday) — long weekend
Medin Full Moon Poya Day — 22. Mar (Tuesday) — take Monday off to bridge into the weekend
Good Friday — 25. Mar (Friday) — long weekend
Sinhala and Tamil New Year — 14. Apr (Thursday) — take Friday off to bridge into the weekend
Special Public Holiday — 15. Apr (Friday) — long weekend
Bak Full Moon Poya Day — 21. Apr (Thursday) — take Friday off to bridge into the weekend
Special Bank Holiday — 2. May (Monday) — long weekend
Special Bank Holiday — 23. May (Monday) — long weekend
Esala Full Moon Poya Day — 19. Jul (Tuesday) — take Monday off to bridge into the weekend
Eid al-Adha — 12. Sep (Monday) — long weekend
Binara Full Moon Poya Day — 16. Sep (Friday) — long weekend
Il Full Moon Poya Day — 14. Nov (Monday) — long weekend
Prophet's Birthday — 12. Dec (Monday) — long weekend
Unduvap Full Moon Poya Day — 13. Dec (Tuesday) — take Monday off to bridge into the weekend
Special Bank Holiday — 26. Dec (Monday) — long weekend

Holidays that change date in Sri Lanka

Some holidays are movable and land on a different date each year. Here is how these dates shift from 2016 to 2017.

Tamil Thai Pongal Day: 15. Jan 2016 → 14. Jan 2017
Duruthu Full Moon Poya Day: 23. Jan 2016 → 12. Jan 2017
Nawam Full Moon Poya Day: 22. Feb 2016 → 10. Feb 2017
Maha Sivarathri Day: 7. Mar 2016 → 24. Feb 2017
Medin Full Moon Poya Day: 22. Mar 2016 → 12. Mar 2017
Bak Full Moon Poya Day: 21. Apr 2016 → 10. Apr 2017
Vesak Full Moon Poya Day: 21. May 2016 → 10. May 2017
Day Following Vesak Full Moon Poya Day: 22. May 2016 → 11. May 2017
Poson Full Moon Poya Day: 19. Jun 2016 → 8. Jun 2017
Eid al-Fitr: 6. Jul 2016 → 26. Jun 2017
Esala Full Moon Poya Day: 19. Jul 2016 → 8. Jul 2017
Nikini Full Moon Poya Day: 17. Aug 2016 → 7. Aug 2017
Eid al-Adha: 12. Sep 2016 → 1. Sep 2017
Binara Full Moon Poya Day: 16. Sep 2016 → 5. Sep 2017
Vap Full Moon Poya Day: 15. Oct 2016 → 5. Oct 2017
Deepavali Festival Day: 29. Oct 2016 → 18. Oct 2017
Il Full Moon Poya Day: 14. Nov 2016 → 3. Nov 2017
Prophet's Birthday: 12. Dec 2016 → 1. Dec 2017
Unduvap Full Moon Poya Day: 13. Dec 2016 → 3. Dec 2017

Browse Holidays for Other Years in Sri Lanka:

2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 | 2027 | 2028 | 2029 | 2030

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Frequently Asked Questions

How many public holidays does Sri Lanka have in 2016?

Sri Lanka observes 29 public holidays in 2016. Each is listed above with its date and weekday.

Are public holidays in Sri Lanka the same every year?

Most national holidays recur on the same date each year, while some (such as religious or lunar-calendar holidays) move. This page is updated for 2016.