Public holidays in Bahrain, 2026
Bahrain observes 5 nationwide public holidays in 2026. After weekends and those holidays are removed, the working year comes to 257 days.
Every public holiday in 2026
| Date | Day | Holiday | Scope |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thu, 1 Jan | Thursday | New Year's Day رأس السنة الميلادية |
Nationwide |
| Sun, 22 Feb | Sunday Weekend | Sports Day اليوم الرياضي |
Nationwide |
| Fri, 1 May | Friday | Labour Day يوم العمال |
Nationwide |
| Wed, 16 Dec | Wednesday | National Day اليوم الوطني |
Nationwide |
| Thu, 17 Dec | Thursday | National Day اليوم الوطني |
Nationwide |
Working days month by month
| Month | Calendar days | Weekend | Holidays | Working days | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 31 | 9 | 1 | 21 | 168 |
| February | 28 | 8 | 0 | 20 | 160 |
| March | 31 | 9 | 0 | 22 | 176 |
| April | 30 | 8 | 0 | 22 | 176 |
| May | 31 | 10 | 1 | 20 | 160 |
| June | 30 | 8 | 0 | 22 | 176 |
| July | 31 | 8 | 0 | 23 | 184 |
| August | 31 | 10 | 0 | 21 | 168 |
| September | 30 | 8 | 0 | 22 | 176 |
| October | 31 | 9 | 0 | 22 | 176 |
| November | 30 | 9 | 0 | 21 | 168 |
| December | 31 | 8 | 2 | 21 | 168 |
| Year | 365 | 104 | 4 | 257 | 2,056 |
Reading these figures
The working day count treats Saturday and Sunday as the weekend, which is the standard working week in Bahrain. Only nationwide holidays are deducted; a date observed in one region alone still counts as a working day here, because a national figure that moved with regional calendars would describe nobody accurately.
1 of this year's public holidays fall on a weekend and therefore adds no time away from work: Sports Day (22 Feb). Whether these are compensated with a substitute day depends on national rules rather than on the calendar, so confirm before planning around them.
The longest working month is July at 23 days; the shortest is May at 20. That spread of 3 days matters for anything billed or accrued monthly, which is why payroll and capacity plans that assume an even year drift by the end of it. The thinnest quarter is Q1, carrying 63 working days across January, February, March.
Compared with 2025, which held 257 working days, 2026 is identical in length.
Against the 204 countries covered here for 2026, Bahrain's 5 nationwide holidays put it below the median of 12, around the 5th percentile. The range across all countries this year runs from 3 to 49.
The holidays produce 1 break of three consecutive non-working days or more. The longest runs 3 days, from 1 May 2026 to 3 May 2026, built around Labour Day. A further 2 working days are stranded between a holiday and a weekend, where one day of leave buys a break of four days or more. The full breakdown is here.
1 of this year's holidays sits on a different calendar date than in 2025: National Day. Dates that move cannot be carried forward from last year's planning spreadsheet, which is the most common way a holiday is missed.