Long weekends in South Africa - 2026, 2027 and leave costs
Every South African long weekend in 2026 and 2027, worked out from the published public holidays: how many days off you get, and how many leave days the break costs.
There are 27 public holidays on our calendar across 2026 and 2027, and 11 of them already form a break of three days or more without using any leave at all. The rest can be stretched with one or two days of annual leave. Everything below is calculated from the published holiday dates - nothing is guessed.
Last reviewed 2026-10-13 · next scheduled review 2026-11-13
2027 long weekends
14 public holidays recorded for 2027, producing 6 breaks of three days or more within four days of leave.
-
Friday 2027-03-26 → Monday 2027-03-29
4 days offGood Friday 2027
No annual leave needed - the break falls on weekends and public holidays only.
-
Friday 2027-01-01 → Sunday 2027-01-03
3 days offNew Year's Day 2027
No annual leave needed - the break falls on weekends and public holidays only.
-
Saturday 2027-03-20 → Monday 2027-03-22
3 days offHuman Rights Day 2027
No annual leave needed - the break falls on weekends and public holidays only.
-
Saturday 2027-08-07 → Monday 2027-08-09
3 days offNational Women's Day 2027
No annual leave needed - the break falls on weekends and public holidays only.
-
Friday 2027-09-24 → Sunday 2027-09-26
3 days offHeritage Day 2027
No annual leave needed - the break falls on weekends and public holidays only.
-
Saturday 2027-12-25 → Monday 2027-12-27
3 days offChristmas Day 2027
No annual leave needed - the break falls on weekends and public holidays only.
2026 long weekends
13 public holidays recorded for 2026, producing 5 breaks of three days or more within four days of leave.
-
Friday 2026-04-03 → Monday 2026-04-06
4 days offGood Friday 2026
No annual leave needed - the break falls on weekends and public holidays only.
-
Saturday 2026-04-25 → Monday 2026-04-27
3 days offFreedom Day 2026
No annual leave needed - the break falls on weekends and public holidays only.
-
Friday 2026-05-01 → Sunday 2026-05-03
3 days offWorkers' Day 2026
No annual leave needed - the break falls on weekends and public holidays only.
-
Saturday 2026-08-08 → Monday 2026-08-10
3 days offNational Women's Day 2026
No annual leave needed - the break falls on weekends and public holidays only.
-
Friday 2026-12-25 → Sunday 2026-12-27
3 days offChristmas Day 2026
No annual leave needed - the break falls on weekends and public holidays only.
The rules that decide how a long weekend forms
Two rules in the Public Holidays Act do most of the work. When a public holiday falls on a Sunday, the following Monday is a public holiday instead - which turns an ordinary Sunday holiday into a three-day weekend. When a public holiday falls on a Saturday, nothing moves: the holiday is simply observed on the Saturday and the working week is unaffected.
That asymmetry is why a Saturday holiday like Workers' Day 2027 produces no substitute day, while a Sunday holiday does. The full table is on the replacement holidays page.
School holidays are a separate matter. They are much longer, they are set in the school calendar gazette, and they do not create public holidays. If you are planning family travel, check the 2027 school calendar alongside this page - a "long weekend" that overlaps a school term is not a family break.
Plan your own break
The long weekend planner runs the same calculation for your province and your leave budget, including provincial holidays. If you are still deciding how much leave to keep for December, the school term countdown shows where the terms end.
In 2027, the earliest break to plan for is Good Friday 2027 from 26 March 2027 . Confirm any travel bookings against the holiday list itself - travel operators price the same dates and sometimes add a premium the week before.
Get deadline reminders by email
One email when a deadline you care about is approaching. No spam, no selling your address, unsubscribe in one click.