As the new year is prefacing its chapters of new experiences, challenges, and opportunities, the urge for long weekends or extended leisure is the much-desired savor in the delicacy of professional life.
Whether you’re a fervent traveler, a nature enthusiast, or someone simply craving a break to chill in your space, these weekends offer the ideal canvas to paint your leisurely pursuits. So buckle up as we traverse through the months, highlighting each long weekend, and offering suggestions on how to make the most of these precious moments.
From cultural festivals to serene getaways, we will give you an insight into all the long weekends in 2024 in India, to relax, explore, and create cherishing memories by seeking respite from the daily grind. We will also enlighten you with some additional tips for applying leaves responsibly.
In this comprehensive blog, we present you the complete list of long weekends in 2024 in India starting from the beginning of January 2024 to December 2024 that will help to plan your long weekends.
List of Long Weekends in 2024
1. Long Weekend In January 2024
The beginning of the year is the most enthusiastic and energetic month, brimming with possibilities, and challenges. Yet, 2024 has your back to relax and rejuvenate a little more in January.
Let’s take a look at it:
- 1st January 2024 (Monday): New Year’s Day (you get a long weekend of Saturday, Sunday, and Monday); those not having a weekend on Saturday can apply for leave to avail of a long weekend of consecutive 3 days.
- 13th January 2024 (Saturday): Lohri Festival
- 15th January 2024 (Monday): Makar Sankranti, take leave on Tuesday (optional) to get a full-fledged leave of 4 days in a row.
- 26th January 2024 (Friday): Republic Day, You get 3 days long leave that is Friday (26th January), Saturday (27th January), and Sunday (28th January) 2024.
2. Long Weekend In February 2024
Oh! No long weekends in 2024 February. You should probably put your cent percent in this tiny month to accomplish your pending tasks, enhance your knowledge, and of course work a bit harder to enjoy the upcoming long weekends in the succeeding months of the year 2024.
3. Long Weekend In March 2024
March 2024 is merciful in granting long weekends. Let us plan out it for you:
- 8th March 2024 (Friday): Mahashivratri
- 9th March 2024 (Saturday): Gudi padwa (You get a long weekend of 3 days off on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.
- 25th March 2024 (Monday): Holi (A 3-day-long weekend from Friday{23rd March 2024})
- 29th March 2024 (Friday): Good Friday
- 31st March 2024 (Sunday): Easter
Note: You can apply for leaves on the 26th, 27th, and 28th March 2024, to avail a giant weekend of 7 days long.
Please make sure your company policies allow you for the same and plan your leaves responsibly without hampering your flow and quality of work.
4. Long Weekend In April 2024
March 2024 has had many weekends in 2024, isn’t it? So buckle up and get going with your daily tasks in April as we have more weekends awaiting in the adjacent months of 2024.
April 2024 doesn’t have any long consecutive weekends as such but yes it contains a holiday:
- 11th April 2024 (Thursday)- Eid-ul-Fitr/ Ramzan Eid (You can team up this by applying for a leave on Friday that is 12th April 2024 and avail 4 days of leave from Thursday to Sunday.
Note: Ramadan Eid is mostly an optional leave for employees belonging to the Muslim community and might not be a universal leave for all employees. It varies as per HR policies and managerial decisions on leave policies.
5. Long Weekend In May 2024
The month of May 2024 has the following long weekends in store for you:
- 23rd May 2024 (Thursday)- Buddha Purnima (Take a day off on 24th May 2024, Friday, and get 4 consecutive offs starting from 23rd of May to 26th May 2024, Sunday).
Note: Please check with your managers, team, and HR for the leave policy of your company to avoid sandwich-configured leaves.
6. Long Weekend In June 2024
- June 17th, 2024 (Monday)- Bakri Eid (Consecutive 3 offs from 16th June 2024, Saturday to Monday). You can also take a day off on 18th June 2024 to avail a long weekend of 4 days and plan your days accordingly.
7. Long Weekend In July 2024
Ups!! No long weekends for July 2024, so utilize the month to complete the incomplete and robust your work pace and productivity.
8. Long Weekend In August 2024
August 2024 has a bucketful of long weekends. Here’s the list of long weekends in August 2024:
- 15th August 2024 (Thursday)/ August 15; 2024- Independence Day and Parsi New Year’s Day.
- 19th August 2024 (Monday)- Raksha Bandhan (Restricted).
Note: Take a day off on 16th August 2024 (Friday) and you get 5 days long leave starting from 15th August to 19th August 2024.
- 26th August 2024 (Monday)- Janmashtami
Note: Take a day off on 27th August 2024; Tuesday (optional) to get 4 long weekends in August starting from 24th August 2024; Saturday to 27th August Tuesday.
9. Long Weekend In September 2024
Here is the list of long weekends in September 2024:
- 5th September 2024 (Thursday)- Onam (Restricted)
- 7th September 2024 (Saturday)- Ganesh Chaturthi
Take leave on 6th September (Friday) to avail 4 days long leave from 5th September to 8th September (Sunday) 2024.
- 16th September 2024 (Monday)- Milad un nabi (Restricted)
Note: Milad un nabi is a restricted leave which is optional for Muslim employees in most of the organizations.
However, it might vary as per different HR policies. So, you get 3 days of long weekends from 14th September (Saturday) to 16th September 2024 (Monday).
10. Long Weekend In October 2024
The month of October holds the following long weekends in 2024:
- 11th October 2024 (Friday)- Maha Navami (Restricted) {depending on region or location of your organization}
- 12th October 2024 (Saturday)- Dussehra
You get 3 days long weekends in 2024; October from 11th to 13th October 2024 (Sunday).
11. Long Weekend In November 2024
Most of the occasions in November 2024 are restricted, yet you never know if the “Luck of Leisure” is on your side and your company policies might include the following in their leave policies:
- 1st November 2024 (Friday)- Diwali
- 3rd November 2024 (Sunday)- Bhai Dooj (Restricted)
Take a Leave on Saturday 2nd November 2024 to avail 3 days long weekend and if it is an off day for you then enjoy 3 consecutive long weekends.
- 15th November 2024 (Friday)- Guru Nanak Jayanti (Restricted)
Three consecutive holidays starting from 15th November 2024 to 17th November 2024 (Sunday)
12. Long Weekend In December 2024
No long weekends in 2024 for December.
Also Read:
Tips to Consider Before Planning Your Long Weekends in 2024
Before you plan your weekends, keep a few things in mind such as:
- Check your work calendar in advance and make sure you don’t miss any important events.
- Set Priorities and don’t compromise work over holidays or refrain from meeting deadlines.
- Stay Flexible on the long weekends and present yourself to complete any urgent tasks if required.
- Check with your leave policies to avoid sandwich leaves as it can cost you your salary even on holidays.
- Avoid over-committing in the urge to get leave permission as it can hamper your work quality as well as your professional reputation.
- Delegate responsibilities if necessary, so that your absence won’t affect the teamwork.
- Ensure your out-of-office messages are clear and concise, specifying the duration of your absence and more.
Happy Weekends!
Last but not least, incorporate these tips before scheduling your long weekends in 2024 and plan in accordance to avoid financial as well as reputation loss at your workplace.
Strive to maintain a healthy work-life balance by being strategic with your energy levels and setting boundaries to avoid burnout. Just keep in mind your mental health is equally important as your professional commitments so keep up with both and don’t let either of them hamper the other.
So, as the weekends unfold before you, seize the opportunity to explore, to rest, and to revel in the beauty of the diverse experiences that the year 2024 holds. Happy long weekend!
