Public Holidays in Sri Lanka 2023 🇱🇰

Sri Lanka has 27 public holidays in 2023. 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
6. Jan	Friday Long weekend	Duruthu Full Moon Poya Day	Public holiday
15. Jan	Sunday	Tamil Thai Pongal Day	Public holiday
16. Jan	Monday Long weekend	Special Bank Holiday	Bank holiday
4. Feb	Saturday	Independence Day	Public holiday
5. Feb	Sunday	Nawam Full Moon Poya Day	Public holiday
18. Feb	Saturday	Maha Sivarathri Day	Public holiday
6. Mar	Monday Long weekend	Medin Full Moon Poya Day	Public holiday
5. Apr	Wednesday	Bak Full Moon Poya Day	Public holiday
7. Apr	Friday Long weekend	Good Friday	Public holiday
13. Apr	Thursday Bridge day	Day Before Sinhala and Tamil New Year	Public holiday
14. Apr	Friday Long weekend	Sinhala and Tamil New Year	Public holiday
22. Apr	Saturday	Eid al-Fitr	Public holiday
1. May	Monday Long weekend	International Workers' Day	Public holiday
5. May	Friday Long weekend	Vesak Full Moon Poya Day	Public holiday
6. May	Saturday	Day Following Vesak Full Moon Poya Day	Public holiday
3. Jun	Saturday	Poson Full Moon Poya Day	Public holiday
29. Jun	Thursday Bridge day	Eid al-Adha	Public holiday
3. Jul	Monday Long weekend	Adhi Esala Full Moon Poya Day	Public holiday
1. Aug	Tuesday Bridge day	Esala Full Moon Poya Day	Public holiday
30. Aug	Wednesday	Nikini Full Moon Poya Day	Public holiday
28. Sep	Thursday Bridge day	Prophet's Birthday	Public holiday
29. Sep	Friday Long weekend	Binara Full Moon Poya Day	Public holiday
28. Oct	Saturday	Vap Full Moon Poya Day	Public holiday
12. Nov	Sunday	Deepavali Festival Day	Public holiday
26. Nov	Sunday	Il Full Moon Poya Day	Public holiday
25. Dec	Monday Long weekend	Christmas Day	Public holiday
26. Dec	Tuesday Bridge day	Unduvap Full Moon Poya Day	Public holiday

Long weekends in Sri Lanka 2023

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 — 6. Jan (Friday) — long weekend
Special Bank Holiday — 16. Jan (Monday) — long weekend
Medin Full Moon Poya Day — 6. Mar (Monday) — long weekend
Good Friday — 7. Apr (Friday) — long weekend
Day Before Sinhala and Tamil New Year — 13. Apr (Thursday) — take Friday off to bridge into the weekend
Sinhala and Tamil New Year — 14. Apr (Friday) — long weekend
International Workers' Day — 1. May (Monday) — long weekend
Vesak Full Moon Poya Day — 5. May (Friday) — long weekend
Eid al-Adha — 29. Jun (Thursday) — take Friday off to bridge into the weekend
Adhi Esala Full Moon Poya Day — 3. Jul (Monday) — long weekend
Esala Full Moon Poya Day — 1. Aug (Tuesday) — take Monday off to bridge into the weekend
Prophet's Birthday — 28. Sep (Thursday) — take Friday off to bridge into the weekend
Binara Full Moon Poya Day — 29. Sep (Friday) — long weekend
Christmas Day — 25. Dec (Monday) — long weekend
Unduvap Full Moon Poya Day — 26. 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 2023 to 2024.

Duruthu Full Moon Poya Day: 6. Jan 2023 → 25. Jan 2024
Nawam Full Moon Poya Day: 5. Feb 2023 → 23. Feb 2024
Maha Sivarathri Day: 18. Feb 2023 → 8. Mar 2024
Medin Full Moon Poya Day: 6. Mar 2023 → 24. Mar 2024
Bak Full Moon Poya Day: 5. Apr 2023 → 23. Apr 2024
Good Friday: 7. Apr 2023 → 29. Mar 2024
Day Before Sinhala and Tamil New Year: 13. Apr 2023 → 12. Apr 2024
Sinhala and Tamil New Year: 14. Apr 2023 → 13. Apr 2024
Eid al-Fitr: 22. Apr 2023 → 11. Apr 2024
Vesak Full Moon Poya Day: 5. May 2023 → 23. May 2024
Day Following Vesak Full Moon Poya Day: 6. May 2023 → 24. May 2024
Poson Full Moon Poya Day: 3. Jun 2023 → 21. Jun 2024
Eid al-Adha: 29. Jun 2023 → 17. Jun 2024
Esala Full Moon Poya Day: 1. Aug 2023 → 20. Jul 2024
Nikini Full Moon Poya Day: 30. Aug 2023 → 19. Aug 2024
Prophet's Birthday: 28. Sep 2023 → 16. Sep 2024
Binara Full Moon Poya Day: 29. Sep 2023 → 17. Sep 2024
Vap Full Moon Poya Day: 28. Oct 2023 → 17. Oct 2024
Deepavali Festival Day: 12. Nov 2023 → 31. Oct 2024
Il Full Moon Poya Day: 26. Nov 2023 → 15. Nov 2024
Unduvap Full Moon Poya Day: 26. Dec 2023 → 14. Dec 2024

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 2023?

Sri Lanka observes 27 public holidays in 2023. 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 2023.