Coptic Christmas Religious
Coptic Christmas is celebrated on 7 January by Egypt's Coptic Orthodox Christians and is an official public holiday for all Egyptians.
Egypt Public Holidays 2026
Official Calendar
Complete Guide to Islamic Holidays, National Days & Work Schedule in Egypt
Egypt Public Holidays List 2026
| Holiday | Date | Day | Hijri date | Days off | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coptic Christmas | Wednesday | 18 Rajab 1447 AH | 1 day | Religious | |
| 25 January Revolution Day | Sunday | 6 Shaban 1447 AH | 1 day (29 January) | National | |
| Eid al-Fitr | Friday | 1 Shawwal 1447 AH | 5 days (19 March – 23 March) | Religious | |
| Sham el-Nessim | Monday | 25 Shawwal 1447 AH | 1 day | National | |
| Sinai Liberation Day | Saturday | 8 Dhu al-Qadah 1447 AH | 1 day | National | |
| Labour Day | Friday | 14 Dhu al-Qadah 1447 AH | 1 day (7 May) | National | |
| Arafat Day | Tuesday | 9 Dhu al-Hijjah 1447 AH | 1 day | Religious | |
| Eid al-Adha | Wednesday | 10 Dhu al-Hijjah 1447 AH | 5 days (27 May – 31 May) | Religious | |
| Islamic New Year | Tuesday | 1 Muharram 1448 AH | 1 day (18 June) | Religious | |
| 30 June Revolution Day | Tuesday | 15 Muharram 1448 AH | 1 day (2 July) | National | |
| 23 July Revolution Day | Thursday | 9 Safar 1448 AH | 1 day | National | |
| Prophet's Birthday | Tuesday | 12 Rabi al-Awwal 1448 AH | 1 day (27 August) | Religious | |
| Armed Forces Day | Tuesday | 25 Rabi al-Thani 1448 AH | 1 day (8 October) | National |
Weekend days: Friday and Saturday
Note: Religious holiday dates may vary based on moon sighting and could change by one day. Please check official sources for confirmation.
Long Weekends 2026
Plan your vacations! There are 9 long weekends this year where public holidays connect with regular weekend days.
-
3 days off 29 January – 31 January
25 January Revolution Day
-
5 days off 19 March – 23 March
Eid al-Fitr
-
3 days off 7 May – 9 May
Labour Day
-
6 days off 26 May – 31 May
Arafat Day + Eid al-Adha
-
3 days off 18 June – 20 June
Islamic New Year
-
3 days off 2 July – 4 July
30 June Revolution Day
-
3 days off 23 July – 25 July
23 July Revolution Day
-
3 days off 27 August – 29 August
Prophet's Birthday
-
3 days off 8 October – 10 October
Armed Forces Day
Egypt Calendar 2026
Public holiday Weekend
| Sun | Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | ||||
| 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 — Coptic Christmas | 8 | 9 | 10 |
| 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 |
| 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 |
| 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 — 25 January Revolution Day | 30 | 31 |
- 7 January Coptic Christmas
- 25 January 25 January Revolution Day
| Sun | Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 |
| 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 |
| 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 |
| 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 |
| Sun | Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 |
| 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 |
| 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 — Eid al-Fitr | 20 — Eid al-Fitr | 21 — Eid al-Fitr |
| 22 — Eid al-Fitr | 23 — Eid al-Fitr | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 |
| 29 | 30 | 31 |
- 20 March Eid al-Fitr
| Sun | Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | |||
| 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 |
| 12 | 13 — Sham el-Nessim | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 |
| 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 — Sinai Liberation Day |
| 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 |
- 13 April Sham el-Nessim
- 25 April Sinai Liberation Day
| Sun | Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | |||||
| 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 — Labour Day | 8 | 9 |
| 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 |
| 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 |
| 24 | 25 | 26 — Arafat Day | 27 — Eid al-Adha | 28 — Eid al-Adha | 29 — Eid al-Adha | 30 — Eid al-Adha |
| 31 — Eid al-Adha |
- 1 May Labour Day
- 26 May Arafat Day
- 27 May Eid al-Adha
| Sun | Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | |
| 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 |
| 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 — Islamic New Year | 19 | 20 |
| 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 |
| 28 | 29 | 30 |
- 16 June Islamic New Year
- 30 June 30 June Revolution Day
| Sun | Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 — 30 June Revolution Day | 3 | 4 | |||
| 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 |
| 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 |
| 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 — 23 July Revolution Day | 24 | 25 |
| 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 |
- 23 July 23 July Revolution Day
| Sun | Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ||||||
| 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 |
| 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 |
| 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 |
| 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 — Prophet's Birthday | 28 | 29 |
| 30 | 31 |
- 25 August Prophet's Birthday
| Sun | Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | ||
| 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 |
| 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 |
| 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 |
| 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 |
| Sun | Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | ||||
| 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 — Armed Forces Day | 9 | 10 |
| 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 |
| 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 |
| 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 |
- 6 October Armed Forces Day
| Sun | Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 |
| 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 |
| 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 |
| 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 |
| 29 | 30 |
| Sun | Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | ||
| 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 |
| 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 |
| 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 |
| 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 |
Religious Holidays
- Based on Islamic (Hijri) calendar
- May vary based on moon sighting
- Move about 11 days earlier each Gregorian year
National Holidays
- Fixed dates every year
- Celebrate historical events
- Usually single-day observances
2026 Holiday Summary
- Total public holidays
- 13
- National holidays
- 7
- Religious holidays
- 6
- Total days off
- 21
- Long weekends
- 9
- Weekend days
- Friday and Saturday
About Public Holidays in Egypt
Egypt has one of the most diverse public holiday calendars in the Arab world, combining national commemorations, Islamic religious observances, and a unique Coptic Christian holiday. Uniquely among Arab countries, Egypt observes Coptic Christmas on 7 January as an official public holiday, reflecting the significant presence of the Coptic Orthodox Church and the country's ancient Christian heritage. National holidays include the 25 January Revolution, Sinai Liberation Day on 25 April, Labour Day, and the 23 July Revolution. Islamic religious holidays follow the lunar Hijri calendar, with dates officially confirmed by Dar Al-Iftaa Egypt based on moon sighting observations. Public holidays that fall mid-week are often moved to Thursday by cabinet decision to create a long weekend. Egypt's economy rests on tourism, agriculture, manufacturing, and remittances, with the standard work week running Sunday through Thursday and the weekend on Friday and Saturday. Islamic holidays shift about eleven days earlier each Gregorian year due to the shorter lunar Hijri calendar.
Practical Information for Residents and Visitors
- Government ministries and public authorities close on all officially declared public holidays.
- Private sector employees are entitled to paid leave on public holidays under Egyptian Labour Law.
- Many shops and restaurants remain open during holidays, often with adjusted hours.
- Dar Al-Iftaa Egypt officially announces Islamic holiday dates following moon sighting; dates may shift by one day.
Official source: Government of Egypt
Public Holiday Details 2026
25 January Revolution Day National
25 January commemorates the 2011 revolution in Egypt and also coincides with National Police Day.
Eid al-Fitr Religious
Eid al-Fitr marks the end of the holy month of Ramadan and falls on 1 Shawwal in the Hijri calendar. Families attend the Eid prayer in the morning, visit relatives and exchange gifts, and children traditionally receive Eidiya money. The exact start is confirmed by moon sighting, so the date can move by one day. See Eid 2026 dates for all Arab countries.
Sham el-Nessim National
Sham el-Nessim is an ancient Egyptian spring festival held on the Monday after Coptic Easter. Families picnic outdoors and eat traditional dishes such as feseekh and coloured eggs.
Sinai Liberation Day National
Sinai Liberation Day on 25 April marks the final Israeli withdrawal from the Sinai Peninsula in 1982.
Labour Day National
Labour Day on 1 May honours workers and the labour movement. In Egypt government offices, banks and most businesses close for the day.
Arafat Day Religious
Arafat Day falls on 9 Dhu al-Hijjah, when pilgrims gather on Mount Arafat for the most important rite of the Hajj. Many Muslims who are not on pilgrimage fast on this day. It immediately precedes Eid al-Adha.
Eid al-Adha Religious
Eid al-Adha, the Feast of the Sacrifice, begins on 10 Dhu al-Hijjah, the day after pilgrims stand at Mount Arafat during the Hajj. Muslims perform the Eid prayer and many sacrifice a sheep or other livestock, sharing the meat with family, neighbours and those in need. It is the longest public holiday of the year in most Arab countries. See Eid 2026 dates for all Arab countries.
Islamic New Year Religious
The Islamic New Year (Ras al-Sana al-Hijriya) falls on 1 Muharram and marks the start of a new Hijri year, commemorating the Prophet Muhammad's migration (Hijra) from Mecca to Medina in 622 CE. It is a quiet, reflective holiday rather than a festive one.
30 June Revolution Day National
30 June commemorates the mass protests of 2013 in Egypt.
23 July Revolution Day National
23 July marks the 1952 revolution that ended the monarchy in Egypt and is the country's national day.
Prophet's Birthday Religious
Al-Mawlid al-Nabawi commemorates the birth of the Prophet Muhammad on 12 Rabi al-Awwal. In Egypt it is an official holiday, often marked with religious lectures, poetry recitals in praise of the Prophet and traditional sweets.
Armed Forces Day National
Armed Forces Day on 6 October commemorates the crossing of the Suez Canal in the October War of 1973.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many public holidays does Egypt have in 2026?
Egypt has 13 public holidays in 2026: 7 national and 6 religious, adding up to about 21 days off.
When is Eid al-Fitr 2026 in Egypt?
Eid al-Fitr in Egypt falls on Friday, 20 March 2026 (1 Shawwal 1447 AH), with 5 days off (19 March to 23 March).
When is Eid al-Adha 2026 in Egypt?
Eid al-Adha in Egypt falls on Wednesday, 27 May 2026 (10 Dhu al-Hijjah 1447 AH), with 5 days off (27 May to 31 May).
What are the weekend days in Egypt?
The official weekend in Egypt is Friday and Saturday.
How many long weekends are there in Egypt in 2026?
There are 9 long weekends where public holidays connect with the weekend. The longest is 6 days, from 26 May to 31 May.