Public Holidays in Georgia 2026-2027: Calendar, Closures and Traditions

Georgia has 18 official public holidays a year: 14 fixed dates and 4 Easter days. When a holiday falls on a Saturday or Sunday, the following Monday is a normal working day. The government often adds extra days off around New Year, but only for public institutions.

Banks and the Public Service Hall close, mountain resorts reach their busiest days, and central Tbilisi shuts streets to traffic for processions and concerts. Working on a holiday has its own pay rules, too.

Official public holidays in Georgia

The list of days off is set out in Article 30 of the Labour Code. It was last amended in 2024, when May 17, Family Purity and Respect for Parents Day, was added. May 1 is not a holiday in Georgia.

Two holidays are still to come in 2026: October 14 (Wednesday) and November 23 (Monday). In 2027 the longest break is Easter, with 4 days off in a row from April 30 to May 3.

Are weekend holidays moved?

No. If a holiday lands on a weekend, as May 9 and August 28 do in 2027, you don't get a replacement day off. The law does let the government declare extra days off by decree, and it often does so for New Year and Easter.

Those extra days cover public institutions only. In January 2025 civil servants also had January 3, 6 and 8-10 off, and in January 2026 they had January 5 and 6. Banks and private companies work as usual on those days. The January 2027 days are typically announced in late December.

What's open on holidays

On official holidays, the following are closed:

• government offices and the Public Service Hall, which is closed on January 1-2;
• bank branches, though ATMs and banking apps keep working;
• post offices in Georgia, which also close every Sunday;
• museums of the Georgian National Museum, which are closed every Monday as well.

Supermarkets stay open, often with shorter hours on December 31 and January 1-2, while small neighborhood stores may close for a few days. 24-hour pharmacies, restaurants, taxis and public transit keep running.

New Year and Christmas

New Year is the biggest family holiday of the year. The mekvle, the first guest to step through the door after midnight, is believed to bring luck for the year ahead. Gozinaki, walnuts in honey, is a fixture of the table, and in Guria and Samegrelo families put up a chichilaki, a small "tree" of hazel shavings that is burned at Epiphany.

January 2 is Bedoba: however you spend it is how your year will go. Old New Year on January 14 is a working day. On New Year's Eve 2025/26, Tbilisi's metro and buses ran free until 03:00, even though public transit in Tbilisi normally stops around midnight. The decision is made fresh each year in late December.

On Christmas Day, January 7, the Alilo procession winds through Tbilisi. It sets off at about 14:00 from First Republic Square and follows Rustaveli Avenue through Freedom Square to Sameba Cathedral. Participants collect food, clothing and money for orphanages and nursing homes, and the route is closed to traffic.

Many people head for the mountains between January 1 and 7, so the ski resorts in Georgia are at their busiest and priciest then.

Easter

Orthodox Easter falls on May 2 in 2027, and Great Lent begins on March 15. The days off are Good Friday, Holy Saturday, Easter Sunday and Easter Monday, 4 days in all.

Eggs are dyed red, and the main night service takes place at Sameba Cathedral around midnight. Easter Monday is officially the Day of Commemoration of the Dead: families visit cemeteries and leave red eggs, Easter bread and wine on the graves, so roads out of the city are busy.

Other dates worth knowing

• May 26, Independence Day: concerts and a fair in central Tbilisi, with Rustaveli Avenue usually closed for several days.
• October 14, Mtskhetoba: the main service is held at Svetitskhoveli Cathedral in Mtskheta, and pilgrims arrive from all over the country.
• Tbilisoba, the city festival in October, celebrated since 1979: concerts, fairs and food in old Tbilisi, around Rike, Orbeliani Square, Gudiashvili Street and the Metekhi Bridge. In 2026 it was held on October 3-4; city hall announces the date each year.
• Rtveli, the grape harvest: not a date on the calendar but a season, running from September through October in Kakheti.
• Lamproba in Svaneti: a torchlight procession in mid-February, usually on February 14 in Mestia.

Working on a holiday

Under the Labour Code, work on a public holiday counts as overtime. It is paid at a higher rate agreed between employee and employer; the law sets no fixed multiplier. Instead of extra pay, the two sides can agree on additional time off.

An employee can also agree to take other days off in place of the official holidays, as long as this is written into the employment contract. On top of the holidays, everyone is entitled to at least 24 working days of paid vacation a year, one of the core guarantees of working in Georgia under a contract.

Holiday tips

• Take care of paperwork at the Public Service Hall and government offices before December 31: they close for the first days of January, and in some years stay closed until almost January 10.
• Over the holidays, get to the airport 2.5-3 hours before an international flight.
• Book lodging in the mountains and in Batumi early for New Year.
• On January 7, May 17 and May 26, parts of central Tbilisi are closed off, so allow extra time for detours.

Key takeaways

• There are 18 official public holidays, including 4 Easter days; May 1 is not one of them.
• A holiday that falls on a weekend isn't moved; extra days off from the government apply only to public institutions.
• Banks, post offices, the Public Service Hall and government offices close on holidays; supermarkets, pharmacies and transit stay open.
• Easter 2027 is on May 2, with days off from April 30 to May 3.
• Holiday work is paid as overtime, at a rate set by agreement.