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. |
It’s always possible the Georgian government issues a decree on additional days off. These differ from the official holidays celebrated by the whole country in that they apply primarily to certain categories of civil servants (specified in the decree).
This is more of a recommendation for commercial enterprises, and whether or not they follow it is up to them. There is no obligation to pay overtime, and ignoring it will result in pay according to the usual amount.
The government publishes decrees a few days before the official holiday, and they can be difficult to predict. Based on last year, it is likely that in 2026 New Year’s Day and Christmas will be celebrated from January 1 to 10, with January 1, 2, and 7 official holidays and January 5, 6, 8, and 9 additional holidays (the other dates fall on Saturday and Sunday).
By the way, additional days off do not usually apply to Georgian banks and important institutions like the House of Justice, who get only official holidays off.
Unofficial holidays in Georgia
Georgia ranks well for number of public holidays (just for comparison, there are only 6 in Vietnam, 8 in Mexico, and 10 in Denmark), and if you thought those were it, how about these:
Academic calendar
According to the Law On General Education, the school year in Georgia begins on September 15, though some organizations may follow their own schedule. The end of the year is more variable yet, with schools generally studying until mid-June and universities (including exams) until mid-July. There are two big breaks:
- In public schools, winter vacation will last from December 30, 2025 to January 14, 2026. Spring break will be half that, officially beginning on March 8 and ending on March 14.
- In private schools, schedules depend on the institution. For example, at International Maarif Schools Georgia, which combines national and Cambridge curriculum, winter vacation will start on December 26, 2025, and continue until January 11, 2026, and spring break will run from March 16 to 20. So if your child is studying in a private school, you’ll want to check with school staff.
- Universities also set their own dates. For example, at Tbilisi State University, bachelor’s degree students get December 29 to January 4, and February 21 to March 4 off.
Overtime for work on holidays
According to the Labor Code, work on the 18 official holidays mentioned above is considered overtime in Georgia and must be accounted for separately. There are two options:
- The employer can pay overtime at a rate specified in the contract. Legislation doesn’t specify an exact amount, but time and a half is pretty standard.
- The employer and the employee may agree on an additional day off in lieu of overtime pay.
Edit tImportant: The law prohibits forcing pregnant women, minors, people with disabilities, or parents with a child under 3 to work on public holidays without their prior consent…he content of the Infobox.
If a company wants to give employees an extra day off in accordance with a government decree (or for some other reason), it can do so in four ways:
- Provide unpaid leave. By law, an employee is entitled to at least 15 days of such leave per year.
- Provide a day off against paid vacation. In Georgia, at least 24 calendar days per year.
- Provide a day off with further work. But remember that the work week cannot exceed 40 hours (or 36 hours for people aged 16-18), and the minimum weekly rest period is 24 hours.
- Provide additional paid vacation. Payment may be partial.
In conclusion, employees in Georgia can come to an agreement with their employer to include additional holidays in the employment contract, a fact that may benefit foreign employees who have other days they may want to spend with their families.
The most important thing here is to properly execute contracts and keep records of personnel documents in accordance with Georgian legislation. Don’t forget about employee statements, vacation requests, and time schedules. Outsourcing HR or accounting to PB Services may be just the thing you need to avoid unnecessary mistakes. Use the form below to find out more.