Public Holidays in Mauritius 2026: Official Calendar and What to Expect

Fifteen public holidays. Mauritius observes more than most jurisdictions in the region, and if you are planning a meeting, a contract signing, or a permit application, missing one will cost you a day at best and a deal at worst. Banks close. Government offices close. Courts close. And nobody warns you in advance.

The official list is published by the Prime Minister’s Office under General Notice No. 1195 of 2025.

The 2026 Calendar

* Eid-Ul-Fitr is subject to moon sighting confirmation. The date may shift by one day.

What Closes and What Stays Open

On every public holiday: government ministries, the Registrar of Companies, the Economic Development Board (EDB), courts, banks, notaries, and most professional services are closed. Factor this in when setting deadlines for company incorporations, work permit applications, property transactions, or any process that depends on a government counter.

Supermarkets generally operate reduced hours, sometimes mornings only, and occasionally close entirely for the major holidays. Local markets are typically shut. Hotels, restaurants, and retail in tourist zones stay open as normal.

One practical note: the days immediately before a major holiday tend to be heavier at public service counters, as people try to complete paperwork before the closure. If your timing is flexible, avoid those days too.

Compensatory Leave: the Sunday and Saturday Rules

Four holidays fall on a Sunday in 2026: Abolition of Slavery Day and Thaipoosam Cavadee (1 February), Maha Shivaratree (15 February), and Diwali (8 November). Under the Employment Rights Act, when a public holiday falls on a Sunday, the following Monday is ordinarily treated as the compensatory day off for employees. Verify the exact entitlement with your HR adviser or refer to the applicable collective agreement.

Two holidays fall on a Saturday: Eid-Ul-Fitr (21 March) and Assumption of the Virgin Mary (15 August). Compensatory leave for Saturday holidays depends on whether the employee is contracted to work Saturdays, and on any applicable collective bargaining agreement.

For businesses managing payroll, note that work performed on a public holiday carries a premium rate obligation. Check the Employment Rights Act or your sector-specific regulations for the applicable multipliers.

Dates That Affect Business Scheduling

Several clusters in 2026 are worth flagging early when planning transactions, closings, or investor meetings:

• New Year (1-2 January, Thursday-Friday): Four consecutive days of closure from New Year’s Eve through the weekend. The island effectively shuts down. Do not schedule any closing that depends on a bank transfer or notarial signature during this window.
• Mid-February (1 and 15 February): Two Sundays back-to-back, each triggering a compensatory Monday. The period from 1 to 17 February is unusually disrupted: three public holidays within 17 days, two of them generating Monday closures, plus the Chinese Spring Festival on a Tuesday. Expect reduced availability across professional services.
• March (12 and 19 March, both Thursdays): Independence Day and Ugaadi fall on consecutive Thursdays. Many businesses operate shortened working weeks around both. Allow extra lead time for government filings during this month.
• November (2 and 8 November): The Arrival of Indentured Labourers falls on a Monday, Diwali on a Sunday (compensatory Monday the 9th). Two public holidays within a week, with the second generating a compensatory day. End-of-year deal timelines should account for this.
• Christmas (25 December, Friday): The working week before Christmas is typically slow across professional services. Build in buffer time for any December closing.

Background on Each Holiday

The 15 holidays span four religious communities and two national commemorations, which is what makes Mauritius’s calendar both distinctive and occasionally dense. Here is what each one marks.

New Year’s Day (1-2 January)

Two consecutive public holidays. The two-day structure is a long-standing feature of the Mauritian calendar, distinct from most other jurisdictions. The second day exists in part to accommodate the extended celebrations across the island’s different communities.

Abolition of Slavery Day (1 February)

Marks the abolition of slavery in Mauritius in 1835. Official ceremonies are held at the Aapravasi Ghat in Port-Louis, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the entry point through which indentured labourers arrived after abolition. A day of national significance, observed quietly by most of the population.

Thaipoosam Cavadee (1 February)

A major Tamil Hindu observance. Devotees carry elaborate ceremonial structures called cavadees and walk in procession to temples. The festival draws notable public participation in the north and east of the island. Traffic disruption in those areas should be expected.

Maha Shivaratree (15 February)

The largest annual public gathering in Mauritius. Hundreds of thousands of pilgrims walk to Grand Bassin, a lake in the central highlands considered sacred. Roads to the lake and its surrounding area are closed to private vehicles for several days. If your business or employees are located in or near the central plateau, plan for notable disruption to travel on and around this date.

Chinese Spring Festival (17 February)

Chinese New Year. Concentrated in Port-Louis, particularly around Chinatown. Chinese-Mauritian businesses commonly close for several days around this date. If your suppliers or service providers include members of the Sino-Mauritian community, check availability in advance.

Independence and Republic Day (12 March)

The national day. Mauritius achieved independence on 12 March 1968 and became a republic on 12 March 1992. A public holiday with a formal character: official ceremony at the Champ-de-Mars, military parade, and a national address. Most commercial activity pauses entirely.

Ugaadi (19 March)

The Telugu and Marathi New Year, observed by part of the Indo-Mauritian community. A quieter public holiday by comparison, with no major public events. Still a full statutory closure.

Eid-Ul-Fitr (21 March)

Marks the end of Ramadan. Observed across Mauritius’s Muslim community with morning prayers and family gatherings. As with any holiday linked to the Islamic lunar calendar, the date is confirmed by moon sighting and may shift by one day. Build in flexibility if you have anything scheduled around this date.

Labour Day (1 May)

International Workers’ Day. A statutory public holiday across all sectors. No notable public events beyond union gatherings in Port-Louis. A straightforward full closure.

Assumption of the Virgin Mary (15 August)

A Catholic feast day with particular resonance in the Franco-Mauritian and Creole communities. Church services are held across the island, with a notable procession at the cathedral in Port-Louis. Falls on a Saturday in 2026; compensatory entitlement depends on employment terms.

Ganesh Chaturthi (16 September)

Celebrates the birth of Lord Ganesh. Statues are placed in homes and temples, then carried in procession to the sea or a river. The immersion processions generate crowds and intermittent road closures along coastal routes, particularly in the west and south.

Arrival of Indentured Labourers (2 November)

Commemorates the arrival of the first indentured workers from India in 1834, a defining moment in Mauritius’s demographic history. Ceremonies at the Aapravasi Ghat in Port-Louis. The date has grown in significance as a marker of national identity and cultural heritage.

Diwali (8 November)

The most visually prominent holiday on the Mauritian calendar. Homes, streets, and commercial frontages are lit with oil lamps and decorative lights. Unlike some of the more community-specific holidays, Diwali is broadly celebrated across communities. Falls on a Sunday in 2026; the compensatory Monday (9 November) adds a fourth closure day to the early November cluster.

Christmas Day (25 December)

Widely observed by the Christian community and more broadly across the island. Falls on a Friday, creating an automatic four-day break through the weekend. Most offices will be running at reduced capacity from mid-week. If you have year-end filings or closings, submit them well before Christmas week.