A year ago, we published a detailed description of holidays in Georgia, and it went on to become one of the most popular on our blog. So we’ve decided to continue the tradition in 2026, the year of the Horse, luck, enthusiasm, and creativity in the Chinese Zodiac.
Working days in 2026
Barring a major disaster, there will be 365 days in 2026 (it’s not a leap year). 104 of those fall on a Saturday or Sunday. Add holidays, and you get 117 days off, one day more than in 2025.
For your convenience, we’ve marked all the official non-working days on a calendar that you can download below:
A list of official holidays in Georgia
Georgia has a total of 18 public holidays, most enshrined in the Labor Code, and they are never transferred to another date, even if they fall on a calendar weekend (in contrast to 调休, if you know what that is).
The only exception is Orthodox Easter, a moveable feast celebrated on the first Sunday after the spring full moon. Easter holidays in the Georgian calendar span four days, Good Friday to Easter Monday (April 10-13 in 2026).
All dates are given in the table with explanations:
| Date | Holiday name | Name in Georgian | Brief description |
| January 1, 2026 | New Year’s | Akhali tseli (ახალი წელი) | New Year’s needs no introduction. They say that how you spend Bedoba is how you will spend your year. Best spent at home with family and without any quarrels or contention… |
| January 2, 2026 | Your Lucky Day (I kid you not) | Bedoba (ბედობბა) | New Year’s needs no introduction. They say that how you spend Bedoba is how you will spend your year. Best spent at home with family and without any quarrels or contention… |
| January 7, 2026 | Christmas | Shoba (შობბა) | Georgia celebrates Christmas according to the Julian calendar along with Serbia, Jerusalem, Russia, and a few other Orthodox jurisdictions. Liturgy is celebrated at midnight. |
| January 19, 2026 | Theophany | Natlisgeba (ნათლისღება) | Theophany, known as Epiphany in the Western tradition (ნათლისღება), is, among other things, a day of mass baptisms. |
| March 3, 2026 | Mother’s Day | დედის დღე | Georgian Mother’s Day was established by the first president, Zviad Gamsakhurdia, in 1991. |
| March 8, 2026 | International Women’s Day | ქალთა საერთაშორისო დღე | International Women’s Day has been drawing attention to women’s rights in Georgia since 1996. |
| April 9, 2026 | National Unity Day | ეროვნული ერთიანობის დღე | Honors those who died for their homeland. On this day in 1989, Soviet troops entered Tbilisi to suppress a rally, killing protesters and catalyzing the independence movement and leading to the eventual Restoration of Georgia’s Independence on April 9, 1991. |
| April 10-13, 2026 | Easter | Aghdgoma (აღდგომა) | Starts on Good Friday and includes Monday, when everyone in the entire country is out visiting the graves of their dearly departed. The dates of the Easter holidays change every year. |
| May 9, 2026 | Day of Victory over Fascism | ფაშიზმზე გამარჯვების დღე | Victory over Fascism Day. According to the Georgia State Veterans Affairs Service, up to 700,000 Georgians participated in World War II, 400,000 laying down their lives. In 2024, 74 veterans were still alive. |
| May 12, 2026 (two holidays at once) | St. Andrew the Apostle | ანდრია პირველწოდებულის ხსენების დღეა | During his extensive missionary travels, St. Andrew visited many countries; this date marks his entry into Georgia and is unique to the Georgian Church. Celebrated since 2002. |
| May 12, 2026 (two holidays at once) | Day of the Mother of God and Georgia | ყოვლადწმინდა ღვთისმშობლისადმი საქართველოს წილხვდომილობის დღე | Celebrated since 2019 on the initiative of the Patriarchate and in accordance with the belief that the country has been under the special protection of the Mother of God for more than two thousand years, a fact that has influenced Georgia’s culture and identity. |
| May 17, 2026 | A day for the sanctity of the family and respect for parents | ოჯახის სიწმინდისა და მშობლების პატივისცემის დღე | This new holiday dedicated to the family was celebrated for the first time in 2025. Emphasizes respect for traditional values. |
| May 26, 2026 | Georgia’s Independence Day | დამოუკიდებლობის დღე | Specifically the independence first declared in 1918 following the collapse of the Russian Empire. New recruits take their military oaths and concerts and festive events abound. |
| August 28, 2026 | Dormition | Mariamoba (მარიამობა) | Begins with an all-night vigil on the eve of the feast. Mariamoba because it’s the Feast of the Dormition of the Mother of God (Mary…). |
| October 14, 2026 | Feast of the Tunic of the Lord | Mtskhetoba (მცხეთობის) | Also known as Mtskhetoba for the ancient capital of Georgia, Mtskheta, where the Tunic is preserved in Svetitskhoveli Cathedral. |
| November 23, 2026 | St. George’s Day | Giorgoba (გიორგობა) | In honor of Georgia’s patron saint. |
Extra days off
| Date | Holiday name | Name in Georgian | Brief description |
| February 14, 2026 | Feast of Torches (or Day of Souls) | Lamproba (ლამპრობა) | An ancient Svani festival dedicated to victory over enemies, also dedicated to St. George and early spring. Not unlike Up Helly Aa in Shetland, if you know what that is. |
| March 20, 2026 | Spring Festival | Novruz (ნოვრუზი) | The coming of spring and solar new year. Celebrated in regions inhabited by ethnic Azeris, about 6% of the population of Georgia. |
| April 15, 2026 | Day of Love | სიყვარულის დღე | A relatively new holiday conceived as an alternative to Valentine’s Day, also popular. |
| April 16, 2026 | Thursday of Holy Week (after Easter) | Tsachkhuroba (წაჩხურობას) | Known for the centuries-old tradition of lighting cradles in the village of Tsachkhuri, Martvili. Happy parents and childless couples come to pray for the blessing of a child. |
| May 15, 2026 | Birthday of the 20th century writer Konstantin Gamsakhurdia | Konstantinneoba (კონსტანტინეობა) | Birthday of writer Konstantin Gamsakhurdia, father of the first president of Georgia. Actively celebrated in the writer’s hometown of Abasha, a town of unique wonders and cleanliness… |
| June 1, 2026 | The day of the coming of St. Nino to Georgia | Ninooba (ნინოოობა) | Also known as the Day of the Coming of Saint Nino, who brought Christianity to Georgia. |
| July 16, 2026 | Day of Spiritual Love | Gergetoba (გერგეთობა) | A Christian holiday revived by Holy Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia Ilia II. |
| July 28, 2026 | Day of the Holy Martyrs | Kvirikoba (კვირიკობა) | Celebrated in Svaneti and Lamiskana. In fact, villages throughout the country have special holidays on the day of their patron saint. It’s a good time to watch some Geogian wrestling, a common part of the celebration, and maybe win yourself a sheep… |
| Late September – mid-October | Grape harvest festival | Rtveli (რთველი) | A multi-day festival, its exact date depending on the weather and harvest. It marks the beginning of the winemaking season. |
| The beginning of October | Harvest Completion Festival in Tbilisi | Tbilisoba (თბილისობა) | A separate harvest festival in Tbilisi dedicated to the capital city itself. |