Public Holidays in Madagascar in [2026]

Are you living in Madagascar or planning a trip there? Here’s a list of the public holidays you need to know in 2026, plus the currently available calendar dates for 2027 and 2028.

Whether you live in Madagascar or are just visiting, it helps to mark these dates in advance. On some public holidays, offices, banks, and other services may close or run shorter hours.

To make sure you do not miss anything important, this guide brings together Madagascar’s public holidays for 2026 and the next two years. The official 2026 decree lists 13 nationwide public holidays, plus Eid al-Fitr, Eid al-Adha, the Malagasy New Year, and the National Culture Day, whose exact dates are set separately. The same decree also notes that International Women’s Day is a holiday only for women.

How many public holidays are there in Madagascar?

For 2026, Madagascar’s official decree sets out 13 named public holidays in the main list. These include New Year’s Day, Martyrs’ Day, Easter, Easter Monday, Labour Day, Ascension, Pentecost, Whit Monday, Independence Day, Assumption Day, All Saints’ Day, and Christmas Day, plus International Women’s Day as a holiday for women only. The decree also says Eid al-Fitr, Eid al-Adha, Malagasy New Year, and National Culture Day are public holidays once their dates are fixed by the relevant authorities.

The most popular public holidays in Madagascar

Some of the best-known public holidays in Madagascar are Martyrs’ Day on 29 March, Independence Day on 26 June, and major Christian holidays such as Easter Monday, Ascension, Whit Monday, Assumption Day, and Christmas Day. The 2026 decree confirms all of these in the official holiday calendar.

Public Holidays in Madagascar in 2026

The table below follows the official 2026 decree. I have included the extra note for International Women’s Day because the decree explicitly says it is a holiday only for women.

What are the public holidays in Madagascar?

New Year’s Day

New Year’s Day falls on 1 January and is one of the official paid public holidays in Madagascar’s 2026 decree.

International Women’s Day

In 2026, 8 March is listed as a public holiday, but only for women. That limitation is stated directly in the decree.

Martyrs’ Day

Martyrs’ Day commemorates those who died in the events of 1947. In 2026 it falls on Sunday, 29 March.

Easter Sunday and Easter Monday

Both Easter Sunday and Easter Monday are included in Madagascar’s 2026 public holiday list.

Labour Day

Labour Day is observed on 1 May and is part of the official national holiday calendar.

Ascension Day

Ascension is one of Madagascar’s official movable public holidays. In 2026 it falls on Thursday, 14 May.

Pentecost and Whit Monday

The 2026 decree includes both Pentecost Sunday and Whit Monday as public holidays.

Independence Day

Independence Day on 26 June is one of the most important national holidays in Madagascar.

Assumption Day

Assumption Day is observed on 15 August and appears in the official 2026 list.

All Saints’ Day

All Saints’ Day falls on 1 November and remains part of the official public holiday calendar.

Christmas Day

Christmas Day on 25 December is one of the final public holidays in the year.

Other holidays that may be announced separately

The 2026 decree also says that Eid al-Fitr, Eid al-Adha, Malagasy New Year, and National Culture Day are public holidays, but their dates are set separately. It also allows other paid public holidays to be declared by decree in advance.

Public Holidays in Madagascar in 2027

Madagascar’s 2027 yearly decree was not in the sources I found, so the table below uses the currently published holiday calendar dates available for Madagascar. These match the standard fixed dates and the expected movable Christian feast dates currently shown in public calendar listings.

Public Holidays in Madagascar in 2028

As with 2027, these are the currently available public calendar dates for Madagascar rather than a yearly decree text. They line up with the fixed-date holidays and the expected Christian movable feast dates shown in published calendar listings.

Summary

Madagascar’s holiday calendar combines fixed national dates with Christian movable feasts, and in some years extra public holidays are added separately by decree. For 2026, the official decree is clear and detailed, while the 2027 and 2028 tables above reflect the currently published calendar dates available now.

Last Updated on 04/02/2026