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🇯🇲 Jamaica Public Holidays 2026

Jamaica has 10 nationwide public holidays in 2026 — 7 on a weekday and 3 at a weekend. 4 of them fall on a Friday or a Monday, so the weekend beside them runs to three days without using any leave. The full calendar is below, with the date, the weekday and the local name for every holiday, followed by a month-by-month guide to what closes.

Planning around Jamaica's holidays

On public holidays, banks, government offices and many businesses in Jamaica close, and transport may run on reduced schedules. For remote workers, holidays are a good time to explore — but a poor time to rely on local services or official appointments. Check the dates above before booking visa appointments or important meetings.

Jamaica nomad & visa guide →

Public holidays in other countries

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Is today a public holiday in Jamaica?

Checked on Wednesday 5 August 2026: no, that day is not a public holiday in Jamaica. The next public holiday in Jamaica after that date is Independence Day on Thursday 6 August 2026 — 1 day later. The day after, Thursday 6 August, is Independence Day.

The answer above is rechecked against the published Jamaica holiday dates every time this page loads, so what it says about today and tomorrow stays current.

The next public holidays in Jamaica after 5 August 2026:

  • Independence Day — Thursday 6 August 2026
  • National Heroes Day — Monday 19 October 2026
  • Christmas Day — Friday 25 December 2026
  • Boxing Day — Saturday 26 December 2026
  • New Year's Day — Friday 1 January 2027

Jamaica public holidays are also called Jamaica national holidays or the Jamaica holiday calendar. This page is the Jamaica holiday calendar for 2026, with the 2027 dates below.

🇯🇲 Jamaica's public holidays in 2026 at a glance

Jamaica has 10 nationwide public holidays in 2026. That puts Jamaica joint 81st out of the 100 countries we track, level with 6 others. The median across those 100 is 13, so this is a short list. 7 fall on a weekday and 3 on a Saturday or Sunday. The year opens with New Year's Day on 1 January and closes with Boxing Day on 26 December. April is the busiest month with 2. Nothing at all falls in March, June, July, September or November. One substitute day off — the weekday granted when a holiday lands at a weekend — is shown in brackets beside the holiday it replaces, so that day is not counted twice. This list covers holidays observed across the whole country. Many countries add regional or state holidays on top, and whether a given day is paid depends on your employer, so check locally before you book around it.

Jamaica public holidays in January 2026

New Year's Day on 1 January.

Jamaica public holidays in February 2026

Ash Wednesday on 18 February.

Jamaica public holidays in March 2026

There are no public holidays in Jamaica in March 2026.

Jamaica public holidays in April 2026

Good Friday on 3 April and Easter Monday on 6 April.

Jamaica public holidays in May 2026

National Labour Day (day off Mon 25 May) on 23 May.

Jamaica public holidays in June 2026

There are no public holidays in Jamaica in June 2026.

Jamaica public holidays in July 2026

There are no public holidays in Jamaica in July 2026.

Jamaica public holidays in August 2026

Emancipation Day on 1 August and Independence Day on 6 August.

Jamaica public holidays in September 2026

There are no public holidays in Jamaica in September 2026.

Jamaica public holidays in October 2026

National Heroes Day on 19 October.

Jamaica public holidays in November 2026

There are no public holidays in Jamaica in November 2026.

Jamaica public holidays in December 2026

Christmas Day on 25 December and Boxing Day on 26 December.

Long weekends and bridge days in Jamaica in 2026

On 4 occasions in 2026 a Jamaica holiday lands on a Friday or a Monday, which turns the adjoining weekend into a three-day break with no leave used at all. Another 2 fall exactly one day away from the weekend, so a single day of leave buys four days off.

Every Jamaica public holiday in 2026

Show the full 2026 calendar as a table
Public holidays in Jamaica in 2026
DateDayHolidayLocal name
1 JanuaryThursdayNew Year's DayNew Year's Day
18 FebruaryWednesdayAsh WednesdayAsh Wednesday
3 AprilFridayGood FridayGood Friday
6 AprilMondayEaster MondayEaster Monday
23 MaySaturdayNational Labour Day (day off Mon 25 May)National Labour Day (day off Mon 25 May)
1 AugustSaturdayEmancipation DayEmancipation Day
6 AugustThursdayIndependence DayIndependence Day
19 OctoberMondayNational Heroes DayNational Heroes Day
25 DecemberFridayChristmas DayChristmas Day
26 DecemberSaturdayBoxing DayBoxing Day

Jamaica public holidays — common questions

How many public holidays does Jamaica have in 2026?

Jamaica has 10 nationwide public holidays in 2026, 7 of which fall on a weekday. The count covers days observed across the whole country; regional and state holidays are not included, and whether a day is paid depends on the employer.

When is the first public holiday of 2026 in Jamaica?

It is New Year's Day on 1 January, a Thursday. The last is Boxing Day on 26 December.

Which Jamaica holidays create a long weekend in 2026?

Good Friday (Friday, 3 April), Easter Monday (Monday, 6 April), National Heroes Day (Monday, 19 October) and Christmas Day and Boxing Day (25 December–26 December) fall on a Friday or a Monday, so the weekend beside them runs to three days without using any leave.

Do businesses close on public holidays in Jamaica?

Banks, government offices and schools generally close on national public holidays in Jamaica, while shops, restaurants and transport often run reduced hours rather than shutting entirely. If you are working remotely from Jamaica, expect slower replies from local suppliers and government services on these dates.

Jamaica public holidays in 2027

The 10 public holidays already published for Jamaica in 2027. Dates that depend on a lunar or religious calendar can still be confirmed late, so check locally before booking against them.

What actually closes on a public holiday in Jamaica

The working week in Jamaica runs Monday to Friday, with the weekend on Saturday and Sunday. On a nationwide public holiday, banks, government offices, schools and most post offices close for the day.

Supermarkets, shopping malls and tourist attractions usually stay open, often on shorter hours, and public transport typically drops to a reduced, weekend-style timetable. Restaurants and hotels generally carry on as normal.

In 2026, 7 of the 10 public holidays fall on a working day — those are the dates when closures actually affect banks, offices and deliveries. The other 3 land on the weekend, when most of this is closed anyway.

The public holidays listed on this page apply nationwide in Jamaica — the national calendar we track has no region-only public holidays.

Which 2026 holidays fall on a weekend — and whether Jamaica moves them

3 of Jamaica’s 10 public holidays land on the weekend (Saturday and Sunday) in 2026:

Jamaica generally grants a replacement day off when a public holiday falls on the weekend — where an official in-lieu date has been announced, it is already included in the calendar above.

Jamaica public holidays 2027 — plan ahead

Jamaica has 10 public holidays in 2027 — the same as in 2026. 6 fall on a working day. The year opens with New Year's Day on Friday 1 January 2027 and closes with Boxing Day (day off Mon 27 Dec) on Sunday 26 December 2027.

DateDayHoliday
1 January 2027FridayNew Year's Day
10 February 2027WednesdayAsh Wednesday
26 March 2027FridayGood Friday
29 March 2027MondayEaster Monday
23 May 2027SundayNational Labour Day (day off Mon 24 May)
1 August 2027SundayEmancipation Day (day off Mon 2 Aug)
6 August 2027FridayIndependence Day
18 October 2027MondayNational Heroes Day
25 December 2027SaturdayChristmas Day
26 December 2027SundayBoxing Day (day off Mon 27 Dec)

Want this calendar in your own tools? Download it free: CSV · iCal for Google/Apple/Outlook · JSON — or browse the full 100-country dataset. Free under CC BY 4.0.