Public Holidays, Cultural Holidays & Events in Guyana

Guyanese welcome the new year after Old Year's Night celebrations with family gatherings, church services and fireworks.

Business & logistics: Public holiday: government offices, banks and most businesses in Guyana are closed. Plan deliveries, customs clearance and site work around it.

Source: Office Holidays – Guyana 2026

Mashramani ("Mash"), an Amerindian word often translated as celebration after hard work, is Guyana's national festival. Costume bands, steel pan and calypso competitions and a float parade in Georgetown fill the Republic Day celebrations.

Business & logistics: Public holiday: government offices, banks and most businesses in Guyana are closed. Plan deliveries, customs clearance and site work around it.

Source: Office Holidays – Guyana 2026

Phagwah celebrates the arrival of spring and the triumph of good over evil. Communities across Guyana gather to sprinkle coloured powder (abeer) and water, sing chowtaals and share sweets. People of all backgrounds join in.

Business & logistics: Public holiday: government offices, banks and most businesses in Guyana are closed. Plan deliveries, customs clearance and site work around it.

Source: timeanddate.com – Holidays in Guyana

Eid-ul-Fitr closes the month of fasting with prayers, charity and family visits. The exact date depends on the sighting of the new moon.

Business & logistics: Not a national public holiday; some Muslim-owned businesses may close.

Source: Wikipedia – Public holidays in Guyana (Public Holidays Act)

Church services are held across the country. The Easter weekend is also a traditional time for family outings.

Business & logistics: Public holiday: government offices, banks and most businesses in Guyana are closed. Plan deliveries, customs clearance and site work around it.

Source: Office Holidays – Guyana 2026

The Rupununi Rodeo in Lethem showcases the vaquero (cowboy) culture of the savannahs, and the Bartica Regatta features boat racing and festivities. Exact dates and programmes are announced by the organisers each year.

Source: Wikipedia – Public holidays in Guyana (Public Holidays Act)

On Easter Monday, Guyanese families fly colourful kites on the sea wall, in parks and open fields, a much-loved national tradition.

Business & logistics: Public holiday: government offices, banks and most businesses in Guyana are closed. Plan deliveries, customs clearance and site work around it.

Source: Office Holidays – Guyana 2026

Trade unions and workers mark the day with rallies and marches in Georgetown and other towns.

Business & logistics: Public holiday: government offices, banks and most businesses in Guyana are closed. Plan deliveries, customs clearance and site work around it.

Source: Office Holidays – Guyana 2026

Arrival Day honours the contribution of the peoples who came to Guyana as indentured labourers, including from India, Portugal and China, and celebrates the country's diversity.

Business & logistics: Public holiday: government offices, banks and most businesses in Guyana are closed. Plan deliveries, customs clearance and site work around it.

Source: Office Holidays – Guyana 2026

Independence is marked with the raising of the Golden Arrowhead flag, cultural shows, fireworks and celebrations across the country.

Business & logistics: Public holiday: government offices, banks and most businesses in Guyana are closed. Plan deliveries, customs clearance and site work around it.

Source: Office Holidays – Guyana 2026

Eid-ul-Adha commemorates Prophet Ibrahim's willingness to sacrifice and is marked with prayers, the sharing of qurbani meat with family and those in need, and community visits. The date depends on the Islamic lunar calendar.

Business & logistics: Public holiday: government offices, banks and most businesses in Guyana are closed. Plan deliveries, customs clearance and site work around it.

Source: Office Holidays – Guyana 2026

CARICOM Day marks the signing of the Treaty of Chaguaramas in 1973 and Guyana's role as host of the CARICOM Secretariat.

Business & logistics: Public holiday: government offices, banks and most businesses in Guyana are closed. Plan deliveries, customs clearance and site work around it.

Source: Office Holidays – Guyana 2026

Emancipation Day honours the struggle and resilience of enslaved Africans and their descendants, with the Emancipation Festival, African heritage displays, food and drumming, notably at the National Park in Georgetown.

Business & logistics: Public holiday: government offices, banks and most businesses in Guyana are closed. Plan deliveries, customs clearance and site work around it.

Source: Office Holidays – Guyana 2026

Muslim Guyanese mark Youman-Nabi with prayers, lectures on the life of the Prophet, and community gatherings.

Business & logistics: Public holiday: government offices, banks and most businesses in Guyana are closed. Plan deliveries, customs clearance and site work around it.

Source: Office Holidays – Guyana 2026

A month-long celebration of the culture, crafts, food, language and traditions of Guyana's Indigenous peoples, with a Heritage Village and events in communities across the country.

Business & logistics: Not a public holiday.

Source: Wikipedia – Public holidays in Guyana (Public Holidays Act)