Public Holidays

Discover upcoming public holiday dates for Lesotho and start planning to make the most of your time off.

2026 Public Holidays

Date	Day	Holiday
1 Jan	Thu	New Year's Day
11 Mar	Wed	King Moshoeshoe I's Anniversary
3 Apr	Fri	Good Friday
6 Apr	Mon	Easter Monday
1 May	Fri	Workers' Day
14 May	Thu	Ascension Day
25 May	Mon	Africa Day
17 Jul	Fri	King Letsie III's Birthday
4 Oct	Sun	Independence Day
25 Dec	Fri	Christmas Day
26 Dec	Sat	Boxing Day

2027 Public Holidays

Date	Day	Holiday
1 Jan	Fri	New Year's Day
11 Mar	Thu	King Moshoeshoe I's Anniversary
26 Mar	Fri	Good Friday
29 Mar	Mon	Easter Monday
1 May	Sat	Workers' Day
6 May	Thu	Ascension Day
25 May	Tue	Africa Day
17 Jul	Sat	King Letsie III's Birthday
4 Oct	Mon	Independence Day
25 Dec	Sat	Christmas Day
26 Dec	Sun	Boxing Day

2028 Public Holidays

Date	Day	Holiday
1 Jan	Sat	New Year's Day
11 Mar	Sat	King Moshoeshoe I's Anniversary
14 Apr	Fri	Good Friday
17 Apr	Mon	Easter Monday
1 May	Mon	Workers' Day
25 May	Thu	Ascension Day
25 May	Thu	Africa Day
17 Jul	Mon	King Letsie III's Birthday
4 Oct	Wed	Independence Day
25 Dec	Mon	Christmas Day
26 Dec	Tue	Boxing Day

The Kingdom of Lesotho currently celebrates 11 national holidays each year. National holidays are regulated by the Public Holiday Act of 1995. This Act overrides any previous Acts concerning holidays.

It should be noted that the Public Holiday Act of 1995 has been amended by public decree due to a change in Kings. This decree changes the public holiday commemorating the birthday of the king to reflect the new kings’ birthdate. Additionally, a public decree has been made declaring Boxing Day a national holiday.

The Labour Laws of Lesotho require that all employers provide their employees with a paid day off for a national holiday. Pay rates are at the same rate at which the employee is paid for normal hours worked. Employees that are required to work on a national holiday are provided with a different paid day off in lieu of the holiday.

The government of Lesotho reserves the right to declare one-time national holidays by publication. Many times these holidays are declared with very short notice to the employers. Regardless, all national holidays must be observed within the country.

The government also reserves the right to move holiday celebrations to the following Monday if any national holiday occurs on a Sunday. The government will also release in the beginning of each year the official dates for national holidays. This announcement is made by official publication.