Singapore Public Holidays 2028: Complete List and Dates

If you're the type who likes to book flights the moment a new year's holiday calendar comes out, you're in the right place. Singapore marks 11 gazetted public holidays every year, and the mix says a lot about the country itself — Chinese, Malay, Indian and Christian traditions all get their place on the calendar. Below is the expected public holiday 2028 list for Singapore, along with a few notes on how they fall this year and what that means for your leave planning.

Singapore Public Holidays 2028 at a Glance

A quick note before you start marking your calendar: Singapore counts Chinese New Year as two separate days, which is how the country gets to 11 holidays from what looks like 10 occasions. The dates for religious holidays such as Hari Raya Puasa, Hari Raya Haji and Vesak Day depend on the sighting of the moon or other calendar calculations, so treat them as expected rather than final until the Ministry of Manpower confirms them closer to the date.

New Year's Day — Saturday, January 1

2028 opens on a Saturday, which means the holiday lands on a day most people weren't working anyway. If you're covered by the Employment Act, don't worry — when a public holiday falls on a day you don't normally work, you're entitled to a day off in lieu or salary instead. Worth checking with HR early in the year so it doesn't get forgotten.

Chinese New Year — Wednesday and Thursday, January 26–27

Chinese New Year is the big one for a lot of families, and this year it lands right in the middle of the working week. That's not the worst outcome — a Wednesday-Thursday holiday gives you the option to add a day or two of annual leave on either side and turn it into a proper week off. Expect reunion dinners, red packets, and the usual scramble to book a table before everyone else has the same idea.

Hari Raya Puasa — Sunday, February 27 (observed Monday, February 28)

Hari Raya Puasa marks the end of the fasting month and is one of the most meaningful days of the year for Singapore's Muslim community. It's expected to fall on a Sunday in 2028, so under the usual rule, the following Monday becomes the public holiday instead. As with all Islamic holidays on this list, the actual date depends on moon sighting, so it's worth double-checking closer to the time.

Good Friday — Friday, April 14

Good Friday gives Singapore a built-in long weekend this year. Falling on a Friday, it stretches straight into the weekend without anyone needing to touch their annual leave — a good one to keep free for a short trip or simply a proper rest.

Labour Day — Monday, May 1

Labour Day lands on a Monday in 2028, which is about as clean as a public holiday gets. No leave to plan around, no calculations needed — just a straightforward three-day weekend to mark the occasion.

Hari Raya Haji — Friday, May 5

Hari Raya Haji, sometimes called the Festival of Sacrifice, is expected to fall on a Friday this year, giving another three-day weekend not long after Labour Day. May is shaping up to be a good month for short breaks. As always, the final date is confirmed closer to the occasion.

Vesak Day — Tuesday, May 9

Vesak Day, which commemorates key moments in the Buddha's life, falls on a Tuesday in 2028. Taking the Monday before as annual leave would turn this into a four-day stretch, which is a popular move for anyone eyeing a short getaway that month.

National Day — Wednesday, August 9

National Day is fixed every year on August 9, and in 2028 it falls right in the middle of the week. Expect the National Day Parade and the usual round of community events. A Wednesday holiday doesn't naturally extend into a weekend, but it does split the work week nicely in two.

Deepavali — Tuesday, October 17

Deepavali, the Festival of Lights, is expected to land on a Tuesday in 2028. Families typically mark it with prayers, home visits and plenty of festive food. Taking the Monday off as leave is an easy way to stretch this into a four-day break.

Christmas Day — Monday, December 25

The year wraps up with Christmas Day on a Monday, which hands everyone a three-day weekend right before the new year begins. It's a convenient spot on the calendar for travel or simply winding down before January starts again.

Making the Most of the 2028 Calendar

A few holidays in 2028 already sit next to a weekend without any extra effort — Good Friday, Labour Day, Hari Raya Haji and Christmas Day all fall in a way that gives you a break with zero annual leave spent. The ones that land midweek, like Vesak Day and Deepavali, are where a single day of leave goes furthest, turning a one-day holiday into a four-day stretch.

If travel is part of your plans, it's worth booking early, especially around Chinese New Year and the Hari Raya period, when flights and hotels across the region fill up fast.

Public Holiday 2028 vs Public Holiday 2027

If you're planning further ahead, it helps to see how the calendar shifts from year to year. Looking at the public holiday 2027 list alongside the public holiday 2028 one is useful if you're mapping out travel or work schedules across both years. In 2027, Chinese New Year falls on February 6 and 7, National Day is still fixed on August 9, Labour Day is on May 1, and Christmas Day falls on December 25 as usual. The dates that move each year are mostly the religious ones tied to lunar or astronomical calculations — everything else, like Labour Day, National Day and Christmas, stays anchored to the same date regardless of the year. Even so, the number of practical long weekends can look quite different between the public holiday 2027 and public holiday 2028 calendars, simply because the same 11 holidays land on different days of the week.

What You're Entitled To

Under Singapore's Employment Act, most employees are entitled to 11 paid public holidays a year. If a holiday falls on your rest day, the next working day is treated as the public holiday instead. If it falls on a day you wouldn't normally work anyway, you're entitled to another day off or pay in lieu. And if you do end up working on a public holiday, you're generally owed an extra day's pay at the basic rate, subject to your employment terms. Some employers and employees also agree to swap a holiday for a different working day — it's worth checking your own contract if that situation comes up.

Plan Early, Confirm Later

The public holiday 2028 calendar gives Singapore residents a good spread of long weekends and short breaks across the year, from Chinese New Year in January through to Christmas in December. That said, the dates above are based on current expectations rather than the final government release — especially for the religious holidays, where the exact day depends on official confirmation closer to the time. Before locking in flights or non-refundable bookings, it's worth checking the Ministry of Manpower's gazetted list once it's published.

With a bit of foresight, though, there's no reason not to start planning now. A handful of well-placed annual leave days around the midweek holidays can turn 2028 into a year with several proper breaks — not just the usual scattering of single-day holidays.