Every month in Sri Lanka has at least one public holiday built in: Poya, the full-moon day. Add Buddhist, Hindu, Muslim and Christian festivals and the Sinhala and Tamil New Year, and there are few months without something on. This page explains what changes on a Poya day, lists the official holiday dates from October 2026 to September 2027, and tells you which festival dates are confirmed and which are still waiting to be announced.
What is a Poya day?
Poya is the Sinhala name for the full-moon day, when practising Buddhists go to the temple. Many dress in white, and the big temples fill up. Under the Holidays Act every full-moon Poya is a public and bank holiday, and the dates are fixed in advance: a Poya committee approves them and the government publishes them in the Gazette with the year’s other holidays.
Most years have twelve Poyas, each named after its lunar month. When a month has two, the second is called Adhi (“extra”). 2026 had thirteen, with two full moons in May, and 2027 has twelve. That’s one more reason not to plan around last year’s festival dates.
What changes on a Poya day
- Alcohol: liquor shops and bars close. Every Poya is a dry day on the Excise Department’s list, and the exemption that lets approved hotels serve their own guests applies only at the New Year and at Christmas, not on Poya. Our etiquette guide covers how to handle this politely.
- Meat: the Holidays Act bars slaughtering animals for sale and selling meat on a full-moon Poya. Sri Lanka Tourism says fish isn’t sold either.
- Banks and offices: banks and government offices are closed, and some shops close too.
- Temples: expect crowds at the main temples, especially at Vesak. Go early, dress for a temple (shoulders and knees covered) and be patient with queues.
- Museums: the Colombo National Museum closes on Vesak Poya, as well as on its usual Monday closing day.
Dry days aren’t only Poyas. In 2026 the Excise Department also listed the day after Vesak, Independence Day, the day before the Sinhala and Tamil New Year and New Year’s Day itself, World Temperance Day (3 October) and Christmas Day. The 2026 list was announced in February 2026; check the 2027 list before you travel.
Poya days from October 2026 to September 2027
These are the dates in the government’s holiday lists: for 2026 the calendar published in December 2025, and for 2027 the Gazette of 16 June 2026.
- Vap Poya: Sunday 25 October 2026
- Il Poya: Tuesday 24 November 2026
- Unduvap Poya: Wednesday 23 December 2026
- Duruthu Poya: Friday 22 January 2027
- Navam Poya: Saturday 20 February 2027
- Medin Poya: Monday 22 March 2027
- Bak Poya: Tuesday 20 April 2027
- Vesak Poya: Wednesday 19 May 2027, and the day after, Thursday 20 May, is also a holiday
- Poson Poya: Friday 18 June 2027
- Esala Poya: Sunday 18 July 2027
- Nikini Poya: Monday 16 August 2027
- Binara Poya: Wednesday 15 September 2027
Some online calendars show different days for a few 2027 Poyas, Vesak among them. Go by the gazetted dates above. And even a gazetted date can change: Vesak 2026 was first listed for 1 May, but at the request of the chief monks of the three Buddhist chapters the state Vesak festival was held on 30 May, the second full moon that month, and in April the government moved the extra holiday from 2 May to 31 May. If a Poya or festival is the reason for your trip, check again a few weeks before you go.
Festivals month by month
Dates below are given only where they have been officially announced. Everything else is described by its usual season, because the dates follow the moon or are set each year by the temple.
October and November 2026. Vap Poya falls on 25 October. Deepavali, the Hindu festival of lights, is a public holiday on Sunday 8 November 2026, and Il Poya follows on 24 November.
December 2026. The pilgrimage season on Sri Pada (Adam’s Peak) traditionally opens on Unduvap Poya, which is 23 December this year; no opening announcement had been made when we checked on 3 October 2026. Christmas Day is a public holiday and a dry day, though approved hotels may serve their own guests.
January 2027. Thai Pongal, the Tamil harvest festival, is a holiday on Friday 15 January. Duruthu Poya is 22 January. Around it, the Kelaniya Raja Maha Vihara near Colombo holds its Duruthu Perahera, a procession with elephants and dancers; in 2026 it ran on three nights, 8 to 10 January, and the 2027 dates hadn’t been announced when we checked.
February 2027. Independence Day is Thursday 4 February. Navam Poya is 20 February, and Gangaramaya Temple in Colombo has announced its Navam Maha Perahera, which circles Beira Lake, for 19 and 20 February 2027.
March 2027. A busy month for holidays: Maha Sivarathri (Hindu) on 6 March, the Muslim festival of Id-ul-Fitr (the end of Ramadan) on 10 March, Medin Poya on 22 March and Good Friday on 26 March. The Muslim festivals follow the Islamic lunar calendar, so check nearer the time.
April 2027. The Sinhala and Tamil New Year is on Wednesday 14 April, with the day before also a holiday. Astrologers set the auspicious times for the rituals, such as lighting the hearth and eating the first meal of the year (in Sinhalese homes, milk rice or kiribath), and many people go back to their home towns for the holiday. Sri Lanka Tourism describes a general pause in government, business and banking around the New Year; in 2026 the transport board and Sri Lanka Railways added extra buses and trains for the journeys home and back. Many shops and businesses close for several days, so stock up and expect full trains and buses on either side of the holiday. Bak Poya is 20 April.
May 2027. Vesak, which marks the Buddha’s birth, enlightenment and passing, is the year’s biggest Poya. In 2027 it falls on Wednesday 19 May, with Thursday 20 May also a holiday. Streets and homes are hung with paper lanterns, towns put up huge illuminated panels called thoranas, many painted with scenes from Buddhist stories, and roadside stalls called dansal hand out free food and drinks. Go out after dark to see the lights. May also has May Day (1 May) and Id-ul-Alha, the Hajj festival (17 May).
June 2027. Poson Poya, on 18 June, marks the arrival of Buddhism in Sri Lanka. The national Poson festival centres on Mihintale, near Anuradhapura, where Buddhist tradition says the monk Mahinda met King Devanampiya Tissa and brought Buddhism to the island.
July 2027. Esala Poya is 18 July. This is perahera season. The festival at Kataragama runs for about two weeks of nightly processions as the moon waxes in the month of Esala, with fire-walking and a water-cutting ceremony in the Menik Ganga at the end. Its dates move a lot from year to year: 26 June to 11 July in 2025, 15 to 30 July in 2026. The 2027 dates hadn’t been announced when we checked.
August 2027. The Esala Perahera in Kandy is a series of night processions whose dates are set each year by the Temple of the Tooth’s astrologers. In 2026 it ran from 18 to 28 August, with the final night on the Nikini full moon. The temple publishes the schedule on its Esala Perahera page, and it hadn’t posted 2027 dates when we checked. In Jaffna, the Nallur Kandaswamy Temple festival lasts about 25 days and can run into September; in 2024 it ran from 9 August to 3 September. Nikini Poya is 16 August, and Milad-un-Nabi, the Prophet’s birthday, is a holiday on 15 August.
Thinking of timing your trip around the Esala Perahera? Our guide to whether the Kandy Perahera is worth it covers the crowds, seats and rooms.
September 2027. Binara Poya is 15 September.
How to check a date before you book
- Poya days and public holidays: the government publishes each year’s list in the Gazette ahead of time (the 2027 list was gazetted on 16 June 2026), and Sri Lankan news sites report it.
- Dry days: the Excise Department’s list, reported in the Sri Lankan news (the 2026 list in February).
- Temple festivals: the temple itself. The Temple of the Tooth posts the Kandy dates on its Esala Perahera page, the Kataragama shrine’s site is rmkd.lk, and Gangaramaya posts its perahera on gangaramaya.com.
Be wary of dates on sites that sell seats or tours before the temple has announced anything, and don’t assume this year’s festival falls on last year’s dates. If you’re choosing when to travel more broadly, our best time to visit Sri Lanka guide covers the weather and seasons.
Frequently asked questions (FAQs)
When is Vesak in 2027?
Vesak Poya is on Wednesday 19 May 2027, and Thursday 20 May is also a public holiday. Those are the dates in the government’s 2027 holiday Gazette.
Can you buy alcohol on Poya days in Sri Lanka?
Not from liquor shops or bars, which close on every Poya day. The exemption for approved hotels covers the New Year and Christmas, not Poya.
Are shops open on Poya days?
Banks and government offices are closed, and some shops close too. Meat isn’t sold, and the main temples are crowded, especially at Vesak.
How many Poya days are there in a year?
Usually twelve, one for each full moon. Some years have a thirteenth, called Adhi; 2026 had thirteen, with two in May.
When is the Kandy Esala Perahera in 2027?
The 2027 dates had not been announced when we checked on 3 October 2026. They are set each year by the Temple of the Tooth and published on its Esala Perahera page; in 2026 the perahera ran from 18 to 28 August.
When is the Sinhala and Tamil New Year in 2027?
Wednesday 14 April 2027, and the day before, 13 April, is also a public holiday.
Sources: dailymirror.lk (2027 public and bank holidays gazetted), adaderana.lk (news), adaderana.lk (news), dailymirror.lk (Gazette issued amending Vesak holiday), english.newsfirst.lk, srilankamirror.com, dailymirror.lk (Excise Department announces 19 dry…), lankalaw.net, srilanka.travel (index.php), srilanka.travel (travel tips), museum.gov.lk, en.wikipedia.org (Poya), en.wikipedia.org (Vesak), en.wikipedia.org (Sinhalese New Year), en.wikipedia.org (Thai Pongal), adaderana.lk (news), themorning.lk, dailymirror.lk (Kelaniya Duruthu Perahera to be…), gangaramaya.com, rmkd.lk, dailymirror.lk (Kataragama Esala Festival to commence…), sundaytimes.lk, newswire.lk, sridaladamaligawa.lk, en.wikipedia.org (Kandy Esala Perahera), tourismnorth.lk and recent visitor reports. Header photo: Damith Madhuranga / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
