Public Holidays in Sri Lanka 2020 🇱🇰

Sri Lanka has 31 public holidays in 2020. 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
10. Jan	Friday Long weekend	Duruthu Full Moon Poya Day	Public holiday
15. Jan	Wednesday	Tamil Thai Pongal Day	Public holiday
4. Feb	Tuesday Bridge day	Independence Day	Public holiday
8. Feb	Saturday	Nawam Full Moon Poya Day	Public holiday
21. Feb	Friday Long weekend	Maha Sivarathri Day	Public holiday
9. Mar	Monday Long weekend	Medin Full Moon Poya Day	Public holiday
16. Mar	Monday Long weekend	Special Public Holiday	Public holiday
17. Mar	Tuesday Bridge day	Special Public Holiday	Public holiday
18. Mar	Wednesday	Special Public Holiday	Public holiday
19. Mar	Thursday Bridge day	Special Public Holiday	Public holiday
7. Apr	Tuesday Bridge day	Bak Full Moon Poya Day	Public holiday
10. Apr	Friday Long weekend	Good Friday	Public holiday
12. Apr	Sunday	Day Before Sinhala and Tamil New Year	Public holiday
13. Apr	Monday Long weekend	Sinhala and Tamil New Year	Public holiday
14. Apr	Tuesday Bridge day	Special Bank Holiday	Bank holiday
1. May	Friday Long weekend	International Workers' Day	Public holiday
7. May	Thursday Bridge day	Vesak Full Moon Poya Day	Public holiday
8. May	Friday Long weekend	Day Following Vesak Full Moon Poya Day	Public holiday
25. May	Monday Long weekend	Eid al-Fitr	Public holiday
4. Jun	Thursday Bridge day	Public Sector Holiday	Government holiday
5. Jun	Friday Long weekend	Poson Full Moon Poya Day	Public holiday
4. Jul	Saturday	Esala Full Moon Poya Day	Public holiday
1. Aug	Saturday	Eid al-Adha	Public holiday
3. Aug	Monday Long weekend	Nikini Full Moon Poya Day	Public holiday
1. Sep	Tuesday Bridge day	Binara Full Moon Poya Day	Public holiday
1. Oct	Thursday Bridge day	Adhi Vap Full Moon Poya Day	Public holiday
30. Oct	Friday Long weekend	Prophet's Birthday; Vap Full Moon Poya Day	Public holiday
14. Nov	Saturday	Deepavali Festival Day	Public holiday
29. Nov	Sunday	Il Full Moon Poya Day	Public holiday
25. Dec	Friday Long weekend	Christmas Day	Public holiday
29. Dec	Tuesday Bridge day	Unduvap Full Moon Poya Day	Public holiday

Long weekends in Sri Lanka 2020

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 — 10. Jan (Friday) — long weekend
Independence Day — 4. Feb (Tuesday) — take Monday off to bridge into the weekend
Maha Sivarathri Day — 21. Feb (Friday) — long weekend
Medin Full Moon Poya Day — 9. Mar (Monday) — long weekend
Special Public Holiday — 16. Mar (Monday) — long weekend
Special Public Holiday — 17. Mar (Tuesday) — take Monday off to bridge into the weekend
Special Public Holiday — 19. Mar (Thursday) — take Friday off to bridge into the weekend
Bak Full Moon Poya Day — 7. Apr (Tuesday) — take Monday off to bridge into the weekend
Good Friday — 10. Apr (Friday) — long weekend
Sinhala and Tamil New Year — 13. Apr (Monday) — long weekend
Special Bank Holiday — 14. Apr (Tuesday) — take Monday off to bridge into the weekend
International Workers' Day — 1. May (Friday) — long weekend
Vesak Full Moon Poya Day — 7. May (Thursday) — take Friday off to bridge into the weekend
Day Following Vesak Full Moon Poya Day — 8. May (Friday) — long weekend
Eid al-Fitr — 25. May (Monday) — long weekend
Public Sector Holiday — 4. Jun (Thursday) — take Friday off to bridge into the weekend
Poson Full Moon Poya Day — 5. Jun (Friday) — long weekend
Nikini Full Moon Poya Day — 3. Aug (Monday) — long weekend
Binara Full Moon Poya Day — 1. Sep (Tuesday) — take Monday off to bridge into the weekend
Adhi Vap Full Moon Poya Day — 1. Oct (Thursday) — take Friday off to bridge into the weekend
Prophet's Birthday; Vap Full Moon Poya Day — 30. Oct (Friday) — long weekend
Christmas Day — 25. Dec (Friday) — long weekend
Unduvap Full Moon Poya Day — 29. 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 2020 to 2021.

Duruthu Full Moon Poya Day: 10. Jan 2020 → 28. Jan 2021
Tamil Thai Pongal Day: 15. Jan 2020 → 14. Jan 2021
Nawam Full Moon Poya Day: 8. Feb 2020 → 26. Feb 2021
Maha Sivarathri Day: 21. Feb 2020 → 11. Mar 2021
Medin Full Moon Poya Day: 9. Mar 2020 → 28. Mar 2021
Bak Full Moon Poya Day: 7. Apr 2020 → 26. Apr 2021
Good Friday: 10. Apr 2020 → 2. Apr 2021
Day Before Sinhala and Tamil New Year: 12. Apr 2020 → 13. Apr 2021
Sinhala and Tamil New Year: 13. Apr 2020 → 14. Apr 2021
Vesak Full Moon Poya Day: 7. May 2020 → 26. May 2021
Day Following Vesak Full Moon Poya Day: 8. May 2020 → 27. May 2021
Eid al-Fitr: 25. May 2020 → 14. May 2021
Poson Full Moon Poya Day: 5. Jun 2020 → 24. Jun 2021
Esala Full Moon Poya Day: 4. Jul 2020 → 23. Jul 2021
Eid al-Adha: 1. Aug 2020 → 21. Jul 2021
Nikini Full Moon Poya Day: 3. Aug 2020 → 22. Aug 2021
Binara Full Moon Poya Day: 1. Sep 2020 → 20. Sep 2021
Deepavali Festival Day: 14. Nov 2020 → 4. Nov 2021
Il Full Moon Poya Day: 29. Nov 2020 → 18. Nov 2021
Unduvap Full Moon Poya Day: 29. Dec 2020 → 18. Dec 2021

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 2020?

Sri Lanka observes 31 public holidays in 2020. 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 2020.