South Africa Public Holidays 2025
South Africa has 13 national public holidays in 2025, starting with New Year's Day on January 1, 2025 and ending with Day of Goodwill on December 26, 2025. Around 2 coincide with the weekend, so plan long weekends around the rest.
| Holiday | Date | Weekday | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Year's Day | January 1, 2025 | Wednesday | Public holiday |
| Human Rights Day | March 21, 2025 | Friday | Public holiday |
| Good Friday | April 18, 2025 | Friday | Public holiday |
| Easter MondayFamily Day | April 21, 2025 | Monday | Public holiday |
| Freedom Day | April 27, 2025 | SundayWeekend | Public holiday |
| Public Holiday | April 28, 2025 | Monday | Public holiday |
| Workers' Day | May 1, 2025 | Thursday | Public holiday |
| Youth Day | June 16, 2025 | Monday | Public holiday |
| National Women's Day | August 9, 2025 | SaturdayWeekend | Public holiday |
| Heritage Day | September 24, 2025 | Wednesday | Public holiday |
| Day of Reconciliation | December 16, 2025 | Tuesday | Public holiday |
| Christmas Day | December 25, 2025 | Thursday | Public holiday |
| Day of Goodwill | December 26, 2025 | Friday | Public holiday |
The busiest stretch is April (4 holidays), a good window to plan around if you rely on offices, banks or schools being open. Use the table below to see each 2025 holiday in South Africa, when it happens and which day of the week it lands on. Regional and local observances are excluded, so what you see are the holidays recognised across South Africa.
Frequently asked questions
How many public holidays does South Africa have in 2025?
South Africa has 13 national public holidays in 2025. The first is New Year's Day on January 1, 2025 and the last is Day of Goodwill on December 26, 2025.
What is the first public holiday of 2025 in South Africa?
The first public holiday of 2025 is New Year's Day, which falls on January 1, 2025.
When is New Year celebrated in South Africa in 2025?
In 2025, New Year's Day in South Africa is on January 1, 2025.
Are regional holidays included for South Africa?
No. This calendar lists national public holidays only, so it stays consistent across countries. Holidays that apply to just part of South Africa are listed separately on the South Africa holiday hub, together with the regions that observe them.
Do the South Africa holiday dates change from 2025 to the next year?
Some of them do. 3 of the 13 holidays in 2025 sit on a moving rule (linked to easter and substitute day), so their date has to be recalculated for every year. The rest keep the same calendar date and only change weekday. Moving ones this year include Good Friday on April 18, 2025, Easter Monday on April 21, 2025 and Public Holiday on April 28, 2025.
How far ahead is the South Africa calendar actually fixed?
Through 2027. The holidays are set in law rather than announced year by year, so the dates repeat predictably. What can still change is a law amendment, a one-off holiday declared for a national event, and the exact day of any holiday on the Islamic calendar, which is confirmed by moon sighting. No corrections to the underlying dataset were needed for South Africa.
Which South Africa holidays are regional, and which move?
The table above is the national calendar for 2025. Some holidays keep the same date every year while others are tied to Easter, to a lunar calendar or to a named weekday, and some parts of the country add their own days off. The South Africa holiday hub breaks that down: which holidays are fixed, which move and why, and which ones are observed in certain regions only. To compare South Africa with other countries in the same year, see the 2025 worldwide overview.
Other years for South Africa
Planning further ahead or looking back? Compare the South Africa public holiday calendar across years: