Public holidays · Africa · 2025
South Africa Holidays 2025: Public Holidays in South Africa
South Africa has 12 national public holidays in 2025. 11 of them fall on a weekday and 1 on a weekend. There are 5 long weekends and 2 more if you take a bridge day off.
South Africa public holidays 2025 — full list
| Date | Holiday | Local name | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Year's Day | New Year's Day | Public holiday | |
| Human Rights Day | Human Rights Day | Public holiday | |
| Good Friday | Good Friday | Public holiday | |
| Family Day | Family Day | Public holiday | |
| Freedom Day | Freedom Day | Public holiday | |
| Workers' Day | Workers' Day | Public holiday | |
| Youth Day | Youth Day | Public holiday | |
| Weekend | National Women's Day | National Women's Day | Public holiday |
| Heritage Day | Heritage Day | Public holiday | |
| Day of Reconciliation | Day of Reconciliation | Public holiday | |
| Christmas Day | Christmas Day | Public holiday | |
| Day of Goodwill | St. Stephen's Day | Public holiday |
Data: Nager.Date public holiday database and the vacanza/holidays library (both MIT licence). Dates of religious holidays based on the lunar calendar may shift by a day after official announcements.
South Africa holiday calendar 2025
- National holiday
- Regional holiday
- Bridge day (take off for a long weekend)
January 1
February
March 1
April 3
May 1
June 1
July
August 1
September 1
October
November
December 3
Long weekends in South Africa 2025
5 long weekends come for free, and 2 more need just one or two days of leave. Plan your trips around these dates.
Fri 21 Mar – Sun 23 Mar
No leave needed
Fri 18 Apr – Mon 21 Apr
No leave needed
Sat 26 Apr – Mon 28 Apr
No leave needed
Thu 1 May – Sun 4 May
Take off Fri 2 May
Sat 14 Jun – Mon 16 Jun
No leave needed
Sat 13 Dec – Tue 16 Dec
Take off Mon 15 Dec
Thu 25 Dec – Sun 28 Dec
No leave needed
South Africa vs its neighbours — public holidays in 2025
Planning a trip to South Africa?
On public holidays banks, offices and many shops close, public transport often runs a Sunday timetable and popular destinations get busy and more expensive. Book early around long weekends.