India Holidays in June 2026: The Short List, State by State

If you have been eyeing the calendar hoping for a mid-year break, brace yourself: the list of India holidays in June 2026 is one of the thinnest of the entire year. There is no Republic Day, no Independence Day, no Diwali or Holi to anchor a long weekend. For most of the country, June offers exactly one near-national holiday — and even that one moves with the moon.

That scarcity is not a bug; it is how India's holiday system is built. The country layers a national list over dozens of state lists, so whether you actually get a day off in June depends on where you live and who you work for. Here is the clear, verified rundown — national first, then state by state, then the bank-holiday and long-weekend math.

The one near-national holiday: Muharram

The single holiday that shows up on most calendars across India this month is Muharram, marking Ashura, the tenth day of the first month of the Islamic year. In 2026 it is expected to fall on Friday, 26 June, though a few calendars list 25 June. Because the Islamic calendar is lunar, the precise date depends on the sighting of the crescent moon and on each state government's official notification, so treat it as near-final rather than locked.

Muharram is a solemn occasion, not a celebratory one. For the Shia community in particular it is a period of mourning that commemorates the martyrdom of Imam Hussain, the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad, at the Battle of Karbala. Processions, recitations and acts of charity mark the day in cities from Lucknow to Hyderabad.

Crucially, Muharram is a gazetted holiday in most states, which usually means government offices, schools and banks close. But it sits in a grey zone for many private employers, who may treat it as optional. That distinction — gazetted versus restricted — is the key to understanding why June feels so empty.

Why June feels so empty: gazetted vs restricted holidays

India does not run one holiday list; it runs several. The Centre publishes a roster split into two buckets, and every state adds its own layer on top.

• Gazetted (mandatory) holidays: A fixed national set — think Republic Day, Independence Day, Gandhi Jayanti — when offices and banks shut across the country.
• Restricted (optional) holidays: A longer menu of festivals from which employees can pick a limited number, often two or three a year, to suit their own faith or region.

June's problem is that almost nothing in it is gazetted nationwide. The big festivals that everyone gets off — the ones tied to the harvest, the monsoon's arrival or the major religious calendars — cluster in spring, autumn and winter. June, sitting in the pre-monsoon heat, simply has fewer of them. So the month leans heavily on restricted holidays and state-specific observances, which is exactly why your neighbour in another state may get a day off when you don't.

State by state: where June still gives you a day off

Even without a national holiday, several states do shut down for regional occasions this month. If you live in one of these places, June is kinder to you than the national calendar suggests.

1. Odisha — Raja Parba (14–16 June): A three-day festival, also called Mithuna Sankranti, that celebrates womanhood and the earth's fertility ahead of the monsoon. Schools, colleges and many offices in Odisha close for it. It is one of the state's most beloved festivals — a time of swings, traditional games and special pithas.
2. Mizoram — YMA Day (15 June): A state public holiday honouring the Young Mizo Association, founded on 15 June 1935 and one of the most influential community organisations in the Northeast. The day is marked by social service — blood donation, tree planting and help for the elderly — rather than feasting.
3. Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Chandigarh — Sant Guru Kabir Jayanti (29 June): The birth anniversary of the 15th-century mystic poet Kabir, whose couplets cut across caste and creed, is a recognised holiday in parts of the north. Confirm it locally, as observance varies by state notification.

A quick myth-buster while we are here: Rath Yatra, Puri's spectacular chariot festival, is not in June 2026. It falls on 16 July this year. June's Odisha headliner is Raja Parba, not Rath Yatra — a common mix-up worth avoiding when you plan travel.

Festivals and observances that are NOT holidays

June is busy with awareness days, but most are observances, not days off. It is easy to confuse the two, so here is the honest distinction.

• World Environment Day (5 June): A global UN observance widely marked in India with tree drives and clean-ups — but no one gets leave for it.
• International Day of Yoga (21 June): Now a fixture of Indian soft power, celebrated with mass sessions led by officials and celebrities. Still an observance, not a holiday.
• Father's Day (third Sunday, 21 June): A commercial and cultural date, not an official holiday — and it happens to land on a Sunday anyway.

These matter culturally and may mean events at school or work, but they will not appear in your leave balance. If a calendar app shows them in the same colour as Muharram, that is the app blurring a real distinction.

Bank holidays and the weekend math

For anything involving cheques, branch visits or cash logistics, the bank holiday calendar is what actually governs your month. Indian banks follow the Reserve Bank of India's roster, which closes branches on:

• Every Sunday — 7, 14, 21 and 28 June.
• The second and fourth Saturdays — 13 June and 27 June.
• Muharram — in most states, expected 26 June.
• Regional holidays — extra closures in specific states, such as Raja Parba in Odisha or YMA Day in Mizoram.

Note what is open: the first, third and fifth Saturdays are normal working days for banks. And because bank holidays are notified state by state, a branch in Bhubaneswar may shut for a day that a branch in Bengaluru keeps open. Digital banking — UPI, NEFT, IMPS and mobile apps — runs through holidays, so only branch-dependent tasks are affected.

The long-weekend angle: how to stretch June

Here is the silver lining for planners. Muharram on Friday 26 June sets up a natural three-day weekend (26–28 June) in states that observe it — the only built-in long weekend the month offers nationally. With a single day of casual leave on Monday 29 June, that becomes a four-day break, and in the northern states celebrating Kabir Jayanti on the 29th, you may not even need to spend the leave.

Odisha residents get the better deal: Raja Parba from 14–16 June brushes up against the weekend of 13–14 June, making a comfortable five-day stretch with minimal leave. If you are flexible on where you take your break, the regional calendar quietly rewards you.

How to read your own holiday calendar

The single most useful habit is to stop asking "what are the holidays in India?" and start asking "what are the holidays for me?" Three quick checks settle it:

1. Find your state's gazetted list. Your day off is determined by your state government's notification, not the national headline.
2. Check your employer's restricted-holiday policy. If Muharram or Kabir Jayanti is on the optional menu, you may need to formally opt in.
3. Separate observances from holidays. Yoga Day and Environment Day are not leave; plan around the dates that actually close offices and banks.

The bottom line: June 2026 is genuinely quiet, with Muharram as its lone near-national marker and a handful of regional festivals filling the gaps. The fireworks — literal and figurative — return later in the year. For now, the smart move is to know exactly which of these dates applies to you, and to stretch the one long weekend the month is willing to give.