2026 could be your year of travel: Turn long weekends into mini-vacations

The year 2026 brings plenty of long weekends starting from January. People can start planning getaways and vacations for the next year. While there are several three-day long weekends, many holidays also fall in the middle of the week, offering an opportunity to club a couple more days together and enjoy a long escape from the routine.

The year 2026 is a little more than a month away and the year brings plenty of long weekends starting from January.

A post on Instagram has gone viral with over 50,000 likes, explaining how you can avail multiple mini-vacations in 2026.

People can start planning getaways and vacations for the next year. While there are several three-day long weekends, many holidays also fall in the middle of the week, offering an opportunity to club a couple more days together and enjoy a long escape from the routine.

Here is the list of long weekends in 2026

January

Next year gives an opportunity to switch off the very first week, with the New Year falling on a Thursday. A leave on January 2 could give you a four-day getaway.

Another opportunity arises in the same month as the Republic Day, January 26, falls on Monday.

March

Holi, one of the biggest festivals in India, is on a Wednesday, March 4, 2026. Unless you plan to go back home, you can plan five-day long vacation if you take a leave on March 2 and 3, or March 5 and 6 coupled with their respective weekends. It is the first chance in 2026 to enjoy a 5-day long weekend.

Later in the month, Ugadi falls on Thursday (March 19), offering another chance for a four-day holiday if you take a leave on March 20.

April

Good Friday will be observed on April 3, followed by the weekend.

May

Labour Day, which is observed on May 1, is a Friday, making it another long weekend at the start of May.

June

With Muharram being observed on June 26. which is a Friday this would be the last chance of a long break in the first half of 2026.

September

After a couple of months of no long weekends, September 2026 offers an opportunity with Ganesh Chaturthi being celebrated on September 12, which is a Monday.

October

Gandhi Jayanti will be on Friday, while you can plan a long weekend around October 2, you can also enjoy a vacation later in the month. Dusshera will be celebrated on October 20, which is a Tuesday. A leave on October 19 can be clubbed to make it a four-day long weekend.

December

The last opportunity for a long weekend in 2026 comes with Christmas (25th) being celebrated on a Friday.