Dates & holidays

South African public holidays

Check statutory public holidays and known proclaimed additions, including the Sunday-to-Monday rule. Spot long weekends for a Monday-to-Friday work week.

2019 holidays

← 2018 Back to 2026 2020 →

Long-weekend notes assume a Monday-to-Friday work week.

New Year's Day01 Jan 2019 · Tuesday
Human Rights Day21 Mar 2019 · Thursday
Good Friday19 Apr 2019 · FridayStarts a long weekend.
Family Day22 Apr 2019 · MondayEnds a long weekend.
Freedom Day27 Apr 2019 · SaturdayFalls on Saturday — the Act does not add a Monday holiday.
Workers' Day01 May 2019 · Wednesday
Youth Day16 Jun 2019 · SundayFalls on Sunday — the Act also makes Monday a public holiday.
Youth Day (observed)17 Jun 2019 · MondayEnds a long weekend.Moved from Sunday
National Women's Day09 Aug 2019 · FridayStarts a long weekend.
Heritage Day24 Sept 2019 · Tuesday
Day of Reconciliation16 Dec 2019 · MondayEnds a long weekend.
Christmas Day25 Dec 2019 · Wednesday
Day of Goodwill26 Dec 2019 · Thursday

Date	Day	Holiday
01 Jan 2019	Tuesday	New Year's Day
21 Mar 2019	Thursday	Human Rights Day
19 Apr 2019	Friday	Good FridayStarts a long weekend.
22 Apr 2019	Monday	Family DayEnds a long weekend.
27 Apr 2019	Saturday	Freedom DayFalls on Saturday — the Act does not add a Monday holiday.
01 May 2019	Wednesday	Workers' Day
16 Jun 2019	Sunday	Youth DayFalls on Sunday — the Act also makes Monday a public holiday.
17 Jun 2019	Monday	Youth Day (observed)Moved from SundayEnds a long weekend.
09 Aug 2019	Friday	National Women's DayStarts a long weekend.
24 Sept 2019	Tuesday	Heritage Day
16 Dec 2019	Monday	Day of ReconciliationEnds a long weekend.
25 Dec 2019	Wednesday	Christmas Day
26 Dec 2019	Thursday	Day of Goodwill

Next public holidayLocal Government Elections04 Nov 2026 · in 20 days

Falls on a: Wednesday

Public Holidays Act 36 of 1994

Where this comes from, and what it doesn't cover

Statutory dates plus known proclaimed additions, checked through 22 Sept 2026. The list includes the declared holiday on 4 November 2026. It does not promise a complete history of one-off holidays.

The ten holidays with fixed dates come from the Public Holidays Act 36 of 1994, and so does the rule that makes the Monday a holiday too when one falls on a Sunday. Good Friday and Family Day move with Easter, so we work those out using the same rule the Christian calendar uses. The Act started on 1 January 1995, so the year picker starts there. A Saturday public holiday does not create an extra Monday holiday under this Act.

What this doesn't work out on its own: the President can declare an extra public holiday, usually an election day. There's no rule behind those, so we can't predict one before it's announced — but once the government has officially declared a date, we add it here as its own checked entry. If there's an election coming and it isn't listed above yet, check the government's own holidays page.

South African public holidays

2019 holidays

More in Dates, weather & planning