Public Holidays in Sri Lanka 2018 🇱🇰

Sri Lanka has 28 public holidays in 2018. 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
1. Jan	Monday Long weekend	Duruthu Full Moon Poya Day	Public holiday
14. Jan	Sunday	Tamil Thai Pongal Day	Public holiday
15. Jan	Monday Long weekend	Special Bank Holiday	Bank holiday
31. Jan	Wednesday	Nawam Full Moon Poya Day	Public holiday
4. Feb	Sunday	Independence Day	Public holiday
5. Feb	Monday Long weekend	Special Bank Holiday	Bank holiday
13. Feb	Tuesday Bridge day	Maha Sivarathri Day	Public holiday
1. Mar	Thursday Bridge day	Medin Full Moon Poya Day	Public holiday
30. Mar	Friday Long weekend	Good Friday	Public holiday
31. Mar	Saturday	Bak Full Moon Poya Day	Public holiday
13. Apr	Friday Long weekend	Day Before Sinhala and Tamil New Year	Public holiday
14. Apr	Saturday	Sinhala and Tamil New Year	Public holiday
29. Apr	Sunday	Vesak Full Moon Poya Day	Public holiday
30. Apr	Monday Long weekend	Day Following Vesak Full Moon Poya Day	Public holiday
1. May	Tuesday Bridge day	International Workers' Day	Public holiday
29. May	Tuesday Bridge day	Adhi Poson Full Moon Poya Day	Public holiday
15. Jun	Friday Long weekend	Eid al-Fitr	Public holiday
27. Jun	Wednesday	Poson Full Moon Poya Day	Public holiday
27. Jul	Friday Long weekend	Esala Full Moon Poya Day	Public holiday
22. Aug	Wednesday	Eid al-Adha	Public holiday
25. Aug	Saturday	Nikini Full Moon Poya Day	Public holiday
24. Sep	Monday Long weekend	Binara Full Moon Poya Day	Public holiday
24. Oct	Wednesday	Vap Full Moon Poya Day	Public holiday
6. Nov	Tuesday Bridge day	Deepavali Festival Day	Public holiday
20. Nov	Tuesday Bridge day	Prophet's Birthday	Public holiday
22. Nov	Thursday Bridge day	Il Full Moon Poya Day	Public holiday
22. Dec	Saturday	Unduvap Full Moon Poya Day	Public holiday
25. Dec	Tuesday Bridge day	Christmas Day	Public holiday

Long weekends in Sri Lanka 2018

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

Duruthu Full Moon Poya Day — 1. Jan (Monday) — long weekend
Special Bank Holiday — 15. Jan (Monday) — long weekend
Special Bank Holiday — 5. Feb (Monday) — long weekend
Maha Sivarathri Day — 13. Feb (Tuesday) — take Monday off to bridge into the weekend
Medin Full Moon Poya Day — 1. Mar (Thursday) — take Friday off to bridge into the weekend
Good Friday — 30. Mar (Friday) — long weekend
Day Before Sinhala and Tamil New Year — 13. Apr (Friday) — long weekend
Day Following Vesak Full Moon Poya Day — 30. Apr (Monday) — long weekend
International Workers' Day — 1. May (Tuesday) — take Monday off to bridge into the weekend
Adhi Poson Full Moon Poya Day — 29. May (Tuesday) — take Monday off to bridge into the weekend
Eid al-Fitr — 15. Jun (Friday) — long weekend
Esala Full Moon Poya Day — 27. Jul (Friday) — long weekend
Binara Full Moon Poya Day — 24. Sep (Monday) — long weekend
Deepavali Festival Day — 6. Nov (Tuesday) — take Monday off to bridge into the weekend
Prophet's Birthday — 20. Nov (Tuesday) — take Monday off to bridge into the weekend
Il Full Moon Poya Day — 22. Nov (Thursday) — take Friday off to bridge into the weekend
Christmas Day — 25. Dec (Tuesday) — take Monday off to bridge into the 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 2018 to 2019.

Duruthu Full Moon Poya Day: 1. Jan 2018 → 20. Jan 2019
Tamil Thai Pongal Day: 14. Jan 2018 → 15. Jan 2019
Special Bank Holiday: 15. Jan 2018 → 11. Nov 2019
Nawam Full Moon Poya Day: 31. Jan 2018 → 19. Feb 2019
Special Bank Holiday: 5. Feb 2018 → 11. Nov 2019
Maha Sivarathri Day: 13. Feb 2018 → 4. Mar 2019
Medin Full Moon Poya Day: 1. Mar 2018 → 20. Mar 2019
Vesak Full Moon Poya Day: 29. Apr 2018 → 18. May 2019
Day Following Vesak Full Moon Poya Day: 30. Apr 2018 → 19. May 2019
Eid al-Fitr: 15. Jun 2018 → 5. Jun 2019
Poson Full Moon Poya Day: 27. Jun 2018 → 16. Jun 2019
Esala Full Moon Poya Day: 27. Jul 2018 → 16. Jul 2019
Eid al-Adha: 22. Aug 2018 → 12. Aug 2019
Nikini Full Moon Poya Day: 25. Aug 2018 → 14. Aug 2019
Binara Full Moon Poya Day: 24. Sep 2018 → 13. Sep 2019
Vap Full Moon Poya Day: 24. Oct 2018 → 13. Oct 2019
Deepavali Festival Day: 6. Nov 2018 → 27. Oct 2019
Prophet's Birthday: 20. Nov 2018 → 10. Nov 2019
Il Full Moon Poya Day: 22. Nov 2018 → 12. Nov 2019
Unduvap Full Moon Poya Day: 22. Dec 2018 → 11. Dec 2019

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 2018?

Sri Lanka observes 28 public holidays in 2018. 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 2018.