Kazakhstan has 11 official public holidays in 2026, including 9 national and 2 religious holidays. The longest holiday block is Nauryz Meiramy (March 21-23, with weekend transfers extending to March 24-25 in 2026), the most-celebrated traditional holiday. Independence Day falls on December 16. Capital Day on July 6. This article and its CSV dataset are based on the official egov.kz (Electronic Government of Kazakhstan) calendar, last updated 22 April 2026.
Quick Facts
- 11 official public holidays in Kazakhstan in 2026
- Breakdown: 9 national + 2 religious (Orthodox Christmas Jan 7, Kurban Ait May 27)
- Longest holiday block: Nauryz Meiramy - 5 days (March 21-25 with weekend transfers)
- Most important national day: Independence Day - 16 December
- Capital City Day: 6 July (President Nazarbayev's birthday, kept post-renaming)
- Constitution Day (30 August): removed from official non-working day list in 2026
- Best long weekends in 2026: 1 May, 7-9 May (Defender + Victory), 25-26 Oct (Republic Day)
- Source: egov.kz + Law No. 267 of Kazakhstan
Primary source: egov.kz Public Holidays Calendar and Law of Kazakhstan No. 267 "On Holidays in the Republic of Kazakhstan" via adilet.zan.kz.
- Electronic Government of Kazakhstan (egov.kz)
Dataset license: Open access for journalistic, academic, business and personal use with attribution to about-kazakhstan.com.
Full Calendar 2026 (Official)
| Date | Observed | Holiday (English) | Holiday (Kazakh) | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1-2 January | 1-2 January | New Year | Жаңа жыл | National |
| 7 January | 7 January | Orthodox Christmas | Православное Рождество | Religious |
| 8 March | 9 March (transferred) | International Women's Day | Халықаралық әйелдер күні | National |
| 21-23 March | 24-25 March (partly transferred) | Nauryz Meiramy | Наурыз мейрамы | National |
| 1 May | 1 May | People's Unity Day | Қазақстан халқының бірлігі мерекесі | National |
| 7 May | 7 May | Defender of the Fatherland Day | Отан Қорғаушы күні | National |
| 9 May | 11 May (transferred) | Victory Day | Жеңіс күні | National |
| 27 May | 27 May | Kurban Ait (Eid al-Adha) | Құрбан айт | Religious |
| 6 July | 6 July | Capital City Day | Астана күні | National |
| 25 October | 26 October (transferred) | Republic Day | Республика күні | National |
| 16 December | 16 December | Independence Day | Тәуелсіздік күні | National |
Note: Constitution Day (30 August), historically a public holiday, was removed from the official non-working day list in 2026 per recent government decisions. Only the holidays above are observed.
Full Calendar 2027 (Projected)
| Date | Observed | Holiday |
|---|---|---|
| 1-2 January | 1-2 January | New Year |
| 7 January | 7 January | Orthodox Christmas |
| 8 March | 8 March | International Women's Day |
| 21-23 March | 22-23 March (partial) | Nauryz Meiramy |
| 1 May | 3 May (transferred) | People's Unity Day |
| 7 May | 7 May | Defender of the Fatherland Day |
| 9 May | 10 May (transferred) | Victory Day |
| 17 May (estimated) | 17 May | Kurban Ait |
| 6 July | 6 July | Capital City Day |
| 25 October | 25 October | Republic Day |
| 16 December | 16 December | Independence Day |
Kurban Ait (Eid al-Adha) is set on the Islamic lunar calendar; 2027 estimated date will be confirmed by Kazakhstan religious authorities.
Calendar 2025 (Reference)
| Date | Observed | Holiday |
|---|---|---|
| 1-2 January | 1-2 January (3 Jan transferred from 5 Jan) | New Year |
| 7 January | 7 January | Orthodox Christmas |
| 8 March | 10 March (transferred) | International Women's Day |
| 21-23 March | 24-25 March (partial) | Nauryz Meiramy |
| 1 May | 1 May | People's Unity Day |
| 7 May | 7 May | Defender of the Fatherland Day |
| 9 May | 9 May | Victory Day |
| 6 June | 6 June | Kurban Ait |
| 6 July | 7 July (transferred) | Capital City Day |
| 30 August | 1 September (transferred) | Constitution Day |
| 25 October | 27 October (transferred) | Republic Day |
| 16 December | 16 December | Independence Day |
How Kazakhstan Holiday Transfers Work
Per Article 85, paragraph 3 of the Kazakhstan Labor Code, when a public holiday falls on a weekend (Saturday or Sunday), the government may transfer the rest day to the closest working day. This is done by Government Order each year, typically published in November of the preceding year.
2026 transfers explained:
- 8 March 2026 falls on Sunday → observed Monday 9 March
- 21-22 March 2026 (Nauryz days 1-2) fall on Saturday-Sunday → observed Tuesday-Wednesday 24-25 March; 23 March (Monday) is the regular Nauryz day off
- 9 May 2026 falls on Saturday → observed Monday 11 May
- 25 October 2026 falls on Sunday → observed Monday 26 October
2027 transfers explained:
- 1 May 2027 falls on Saturday → observed Monday 3 May
- 9 May 2027 falls on Sunday → observed Monday 10 May
- 21-22 March 2027 fall on Sunday-Monday → observed depending on Cabinet ruling
Holiday Categories Explained
National holidays (государственные праздники)
- New Year (1-2 January) - universal civil holiday
- International Women's Day (8 March) - celebrated since Soviet era
- Nauryz Meiramy (21-23 March) - spring equinox, most-celebrated traditional holiday
- People's Unity Day (1 May) - multi-ethnic unity (replaced International Workers' Day)
- Defender of the Fatherland Day (7 May) - Kazakh Armed Forces founding (1992)
- Victory Day (9 May) - WWII victory commemoration
- Capital City Day (6 July) - anniversary of Astana's designation as capital
- Republic Day (25 October) - declaration of state sovereignty (1990)
- Independence Day (16 December) - independence from USSR (1991)
Religious holidays (религиозные праздники)
- Orthodox Christmas (7 January) - observed by ethnic Russian, Ukrainian, Belarusian populations
- Kurban Ait / Eid al-Adha (varies by Islamic calendar) - observed by ethnic Kazakh, Uzbek, Tajik, Tatar, Uyghur populations
Note: Both major religious holidays are recognized as state non-working days, reflecting Kazakhstan's secular but multi-confessional constitution.
Long Weekends and Travel Planning
For travelers and business planners, the longest extended holiday windows in 2026 are:
| Period | Length | Holidays included |
|---|---|---|
| 21-25 March | 5 days | Nauryz Meiramy with weekend transfer |
| 7-11 May | 5 days | Defender's Day + Victory Day with transfer |
| 1-3 May | 3 days | Unity Day + weekend |
| 25-26 October | 2 days | Republic Day with transfer |
| 1-2 January | 2 days | New Year |
Travel implications:
- Domestic flight prices increase 30-80% during Nauryz week (March 21-25)
- Almaty hotels fill 60-80% during Nauryz; Astana fills 50-70%
- May 7-11 block creates predictable holiday traffic to Burabay, Kolsai, Charyn day-trips
- Embassies in Almaty and Astana are closed for both Kazakhstan public holidays and the home country's national days
Historical Holiday Changes
| Year | Change |
|---|---|
| 1992 | Defender of the Fatherland Day created (May 7) |
| 1996 | International Women's Day reinstated as public holiday |
| 1995 | People's Unity Day created (1 May) |
| 1998 | Capital City Day created when Astana became capital |
| 2009 | Day of the First President added (1 December) - later removed in 2022 |
| 2017 | Republic Day status updated |
| 2022 | Day of the First President removed from holiday list |
| 2024 | Astana Day formally renamed Capital City Day in administrative usage |
| 2026 | Constitution Day (30 August) reportedly removed from official non-working day calendar (per egov.kz April 2026 publication) |
Comparison with Neighboring Central Asian States
Kazakhstan has slightly more public holidays than its Central Asian neighbors, reflecting both its multi-ethnic policy (recognizing both Orthodox and Islamic religious holidays) and its post-Soviet calendar reforms.
| Country | Public holidays | Notable |
|---|---|---|
| Kazakhstan | 11 | Both Orthodox Christmas and Kurban Ait |
| Kyrgyzstan | 9 | Similar structure, more Islamic emphasis |
| Uzbekistan | 9 | Independence Day September 1 |
| Tajikistan | 8 | More religious orientation |
| Turkmenistan | 9 | Several state-specific holidays |
Downloadable Dataset
Complete CSV with all holidays for 2025, 2026, and 2027:
📥 Download kazakhstan-public-holidays-2026.csv (3 KB)
Schema (columns):
| Column | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
date |
YYYY-MM-DD | Calendar date of the holiday |
date_observed |
YYYY-MM-DD | Day actually observed (after weekend transfer) |
name_en |
string | English holiday name |
name_kz |
string | Kazakh name (Cyrillic) |
name_ru |
string | Russian name |
type |
enum |
national / religious
|
working_status |
enum |
working / non_working
|
year |
int | Calendar year |
License: Open access for journalistic, academic, business and commercial use with attribution: "Source: about-kazakhstan.com (compiled from egov.kz, verified April 2026)."
Methodology and Verification
This dataset was compiled from the official Public Holidays Calendar of Electronic Government of Kazakhstan (egov.kz), last updated 22 April 2026, plus the underlying Law of Kazakhstan No. 267 "On Holidays in the Republic of Kazakhstan" (adilet.zan.kz database).
Process:
- Scraped official egov.kz Russian-language calendar for 2025 and 2026
- Cross-referenced against Kazakhstan Labor Code Article 85 (transfer rules)
- Projected 2027 dates using same transfer rules
- Religious holiday dates (Kurban Ait) verified via Spiritual Administration of Muslims of Kazakhstan calendar
Update commitment: This dataset is reviewed quarterly and refreshed in November of each year when the Government issues the next year's transfer order. Material changes will trigger interim updates.
Known limitations:
- 2027 Kurban Ait date is estimated; will be confirmed Q4 2026
- Government-issued transfer orders for 2027 may modify observed dates published Q4 2026
- Day of the First President (1 December) was a holiday 2009-2022 and is excluded from current dataset
For Journalists, HR, and Travel Industry
This dataset is structured to support business, HR planning, journalism, and travel industry use.
Suggested citation:
- APA: Konabayev, T. (2026). Kazakhstan Public Holidays 2026-2027: Full Calendar & Dataset. about-kazakhstan.com.
- AP: "Kazakhstan public holidays 2026-2027 calendar, about-kazakhstan.com (April 2026)"
Press inquiries: info@konabayev.com
Sources
Source cross-checks used for this dataset: eGov Kazakhstan public holidays calendar, Kazakhstan Labor Code on Adilet, Ministry of Labor and Social Protection of Kazakhstan.
Related guides
For planning context, use Nauryz in Kazakhstan, Best time to visit Kazakhstan, Kazakhstan travel tips, Almaty guide.
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"name": "Kazakhstan Public Holidays 2025-2027",
"description": "Complete dataset of all Kazakhstan public holidays for years 2025, 2026, and 2027 with calendar dates, observed dates after weekend transfers, English/Kazakh/Russian names, and type classification.",
"url": "https://about-kazakhstan.com/kazakhstan-public-holidays-2026-2027-data/",
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"license": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
"creator": {"@type": "Person", "name": "Tugelbay Konabayev"},
"publisher": {"@type": "Organization", "name": "about-kazakhstan.com"},
"datePublished": "2026-04-26",
"dateModified": "2026-04-27",
"isAccessibleForFree": true,
"keywords": ["Kazakhstan holidays", "Nauryz dates", "Kazakhstan public holidays 2026", "Kazakhstan calendar"],
"spatialCoverage": "Kazakhstan",
"temporalCoverage": "2025/2027",
"distribution": [{"@type": "DataDownload", "encodingFormat": "text/csv", "contentUrl": "https://about-kazakhstan.com/datasets/kazakhstan-public-holidays-2026.csv"}]
};
export const speakableSchema = {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "WebPage",
"name": "Kazakhstan Public Holidays 2026-2027",
"speakable": {
"@type": "SpeakableSpecification",
"cssSelector": ["h1", "h2#quick-facts + ul"],
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};
Last verified: 27 April 2026. Primary source: egov.kz (last updated 22 April 2026). Quarterly refresh.
Originally published on about-kazakhstan.com
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