In 2026, public holidays in Bengal to add up to almost two months

The number of public holidays in West Bengal for 2026 adds up to almost two months, something that’s bringing smiles for those who will get frequent (and long) breaks from work and frowns mainly for those who run businesses.

According to a notification issued by the State Government on Thursday (November 28, 2025) evening, public holidays for the coming year total 51 — up from 47 in 2025. The day of Mahalaya has been declared a public holiday, and an extra Durga Puja holiday — a Saturday after the festival has long ended — has also been added to the list.

“During the Left regime, there used to be frequent bandhs in Bengal, and Mamata Banerjee used to oppose them. She opposes them even now, but in effect there are many more closure days in today’s Bengal than during the Left regime. The State’s work culture was never up to the national standard, but now every year people in the government sector have more valid reasons not to work. The autumn of 2026 will effectively see Bengal totally shut right from Mahalaya to Chhath Puja,” said Shailendra Singh, director of Prakash Bulb Industries, one of the oldest light manufacturers in Bengal.

Arabinda Dasgupta, managing director of Dasgupta and Co., the oldest existing bookshop in Kolkata that dates back to 1886, reiterated his recent social media post when asked what he thought about the large number of public holidays in the State.

“The increasing number of holidays has started becoming a hindrance to businesses all over. While the privileged class enjoys its holiday siesta, the unorganised sector suffers greatly. Earlier, Durga puja used to be for four days, that’s it. Now, it has stretched to nearly half a month. From Durga Puja to Christmas, from Saraswati Puja to Eid, we have so many holidays now that half the time people do not even know what the holiday is for,” Mr. Dasgupta said.

“It is comical how most of the morning we get calls on our shop helpline number with people asking if we are open or closed. At this rate, we will soon be printing calendars that will have red dates (holidays) with black dates (working days) scattered in between,” he joked.

Ishita Mukhopadhyay, a senior professor of economics at the University of Calcutta, is also not impressed by the growing number of public holidays in the State. “There is already unemployment. Schools and colleges are often closed. They will be closed more often next year. This will obviously harm the education of children and youth, which is already jeopardised. Declaring a holiday the day before or after festivals is meaningless, it only disturbs classroom discipline and work culture,” Prof. Mukhopadhyay said.

The Trinamool Congress government has, over the years, added an extra day of holiday for several festivals. Usually, the holiday is given the day after. But year, the day before some of the festivals have also been declared as holidays. For example, for the 2026 Saraswati Puja, which falls on a Friday, the extra holiday has been given this time on the day before; as a result, beneficiaries will get a long break that week, right from Thursday to Sunday.

A State Government employee who did not wish to be named supported the idea of so many holidays. “Bengal has a strong tradition of honouring historical figures and reformers. Their birthdays are usually government holidays — part of Bengal’s cultural pride. Sometimes, holidays are politically sensitive — skipping one might upset a community or group. To maintain inclusivity, Bengal often adds holidays for multiple communities and regions,” the officer said.

“Also, the problem isn’t always the number of holidays but their concentration. Bengal might see a large number of holidays in October — Durga Puja, Lakshmi Puja and Deepavali, followed by almost none in November. This creates short-term administrative standstills rather than a year-round slowdown,” the officer added.