Public Holiday Malaysia

Public Holiday Malaysia refers to the days designated as official holidays for the citizens of Malaysia. These holidays can be nationwide or specific to certain states and are observed as days of rest or to commemorate significant cultural, historical, or religious events.

The holidays can be categorised into two types – Gazetted and Non-Gazetted. The Public Holidays Act 1951 details the public holidays observed in Malaysia, which include New Year’s Day, Chinese New Year, Hari Raya Aidilfitri, Deepavali, Christmas, and many more.

Public Holiday Malaysia 2023

Date	Day	Holiday	States
1 Jan	Sun	New Year’s Day	National except Johor, Kedah, Kelantan, Perlis & Terengganu
2 Jan	Mon	New Year Holiday	National except Johor, Kedah, Kelantan & Terengganu
14 Jan	Sat	YDPB Negeri Sembilan’s Birthday	Negeri Sembilan
22 Jan	Sun	Chinese New Year	National
23 Jan	Mon	Chinese New Year Holiday	National
24 Jan	Tue	Chinese New Year Holiday	National except Johor, Kedah, Kelantan & Terengganu
1 Feb	Wed	Federal Territory Day	Kuala Lumpur, Labuan & Putrajaya
5 Feb	Sun	Thaipusam	Johor, Kuala Lumpur, Negeri Sembilan, Penang, Perak, Putrajaya & Selangor
6 Feb	Mon	Thaipusam Holiday	Kuala Lumpur, Negeri Sembilan, Penang, Perak, Putrajaya & Selangor
18 Feb	Sat	Israk and Mikraj	Kedah, Negeri Sembilan, Perlis & Terengganu
19 Feb	Sun	Israk and Mikraj Holiday	Terengganu
4 Mar	Sat	Installation of Sultan Terengganu	Terengganu
5 Mar	Sun	Installation of Sultan Terengganu Holiday	Terengganu
23 Mar	Thu	Awal Ramadan	Johor, Kedah & Melaka
23 Mar	Thu	Sultan of Johor’s Birthday	Johor
7 Apr	Fri	Good Friday	Sabah & Sarawak
8 Apr	Sat	Nuzul Al-Quran	National except Johor, Kedah, Melaka, Negeri Sembilan, Sabah & Sarawak
9 Apr	Sun	Nuzul Al-Quran Holiday	Kelantan & Terengganu
15 Apr	Sat	Declaration of Melaka as a Historical City	Melaka
21 Apr	Fri	Hari Raya Aidilfitri Holiday	National
22 Apr	Sat	Hari Raya Aidilfitri	National
23 Apr	Sun	Hari Raya Aidilfitri Holiday	National
24 Apr	Mon	Hari Raya Aidilfitri Holiday	National
26 Apr	Wed	Sultan of Terengganu’s Birthday	Terengganu
1 May	Mon	Labour Day	National
4 May	Thu	Wesak Day	National
17 May	Wed	Raja Perlis’ Birthday	Perlis
22 May	Mon	Hari Hol Pahang	Pahang
30 May	Tue	Harvest Festival	Labuan & Sabah
31 May	Wed	Harvest Festival Holiday	Labuan & Sabah
1 Jun	Thu	Hari Gawai	Sarawak
2 Jun	Fri	Hari Gawai Holiday	Sarawak
5 Jun	Mon	Agong’s Birthday	National
18 Jun	Sun	Sultan of Kedah’s Birthday	Kedah
28 Jun	Wed	Arafat Day	Kelantan & Terengganu
29 Jun	Thu	Hari Raya Haji	National
30 Jun	Fri	Hari Raya Haji Holiday	Kedah, Kelantan, Perlis & Terengganu
7 Jul	Fri	Georgetown World Heritage City Day	Penang
8 Jul	Sat	Penang Governor’s Birthday	Penang
19 Jul	Wed	Awal Muharram	National
22 Jul	Sat	Sarawak Day	Sarawak
30 Jul	Sun	Sultan of Pahang’s Birthday	Pahang
31 Jul	Mon	Sultan of Pahang’s Birthday Holiday	Pahang
23 Aug	Wed	Hari Hol Almarhum Sultan Iskandar	Johor
24 Aug	Thu	Melaka Governor’s Birthday	Melaka
31 Aug	Thu	Merdeka Day	National
16 Sep	Sat	Malaysia Day	National
17 Sep	Sun	Malaysia Day Holiday	Kelantan & Terengganu
28 Sep	Thu	Prophet Muhammad’s Birthday	National
29 Sep	Fri	Sultan of Kelantan’s Birthday	Kelantan
30 Sep	Sat	Sultan of Kelantan’s Birthday Holiday	Kelantan
1 Oct	Sun	Sultan of Kelantan’s Birthday Holiday	Kelantan
7 Oct	Sat	Sabah Governor’s Birthday	Sabah
14 Oct	Sat	Sarawak Governor’s Birthday	Sarawak
3 Nov	Fri	Sultan of Perak’s Birthday	Perak
12 Nov	Sun	Deepavali	National except Sarawak
13 Nov	Mon	Deepavali Holiday	National except Johor, Kedah, Kelantan, Sarawak & Terengganu
11 Dec	Mon	Sultan of Selangor’s Birthday	Selangor
24 Dec	Sun	Christmas Eve	Sabah
25 Dec	Mon	Christmas Day	National
26 Dec	Tue	Christmas Holiday	Sabah

Public Holiday Malaysia 2022

Date	Day	Holiday	States
1 Jan	Sat	New Year’s Day	National except Johor, Kedah, Kelantan, Perlis & Terengganu
14 Jan	Fri	YDPB Negeri Sembilan’s Birthday	Negeri Sembilan
18 Jan	Tue	Thaipusam	Johor, Kedah, Kuala Lumpur, Negeri Sembilan, Penang, Perak, Putrajaya & Selangor
1 Feb	Tue	Chinese New Year	National
1 Feb	Tue	Federal Territory Day	Kuala Lumpur, Labuan & Putrajaya
2 Feb	Wed	Chinese New Year Holiday	National
1 Mar	Tue	Israk and Mikraj	Kedah, Negeri Sembilan, Perlis & Terengganu
4 Mar	Fri	Installation of Sultan Terengganu	Terengganu
23 Mar	Wed	Sultan of Johor’s Birthday	Johor
3 Apr	Sun	Awal Ramadan	Johor, Kedah & Melaka
4 Apr	Mon	Awal Ramadan Holiday	Melaka
15 Apr	Fri	Declaration of Melaka as a Historical City	Melaka
15 Apr	Fri	Good Friday	Sabah & Sarawak
19 Apr	Tue	Nuzul Al-Quran	National except Johor, Kedah, Melaka, Negeri Sembilan, Sabah & Sarawak
26 Apr	Tue	Sultan of Terengganu’s Birthday	Terengganu
1 May	Sun	Labour Day	National
2 May	Mon	Hari Raya Aidilfitri	National
3 May	Tue	Hari Raya Aidilfitri Holiday	National
4 May	Wed	Labour Day Holiday	National
15 May	Sun	Wesak Day	National
16 May	Mon	Wesak Day Holiday	National except Johor, Kedah, Kelantan & Terengganu
17 May	Tue	Raja Perlis’ Birthday	Perlis
22 May	Sun	Hari Hol Pahang	Pahang
23 May	Mon	Hari Hol Pahang Holiday	Pahang
30 May	Mon	Harvest Festival	Labuan & Sabah
31 May	Tue	Harvest Festival Holiday	Labuan & Sabah
1 Jun	Wed	Hari Gawai	Sarawak
2 Jun	Thu	Hari Gawai Holiday	Sarawak
6 Jun	Mon	Agong’s Birthday	National
19 Jun	Sun	Sultan of Kedah’s Birthday	Kedah
7 Jul	Thu	Georgetown World Heritage City Day	Penang
9 Jul	Sat	Arafat Day	Terengganu
9 Jul	Sat	Penang Governor’s Birthday	Penang
10 Jul	Sun	Hari Raya Haji	National
11 Jul	Mon	Hari Raya Haji Holiday	National except Johor
12 Jul	Tue	Hari Raya Haji Holiday	Perlis & Terengganu
22 Jul	Fri	Sarawak Day	Sarawak
30 Jul	Sat	Awal Muharram	National
30 Jul	Sat	Sultan of Pahang’s Birthday	Pahang
31 Jul	Sun	Awal Muharram Holiday	Kelantan & Terengganu
24 Aug	Wed	Melaka Governor’s Birthday	Melaka
31 Aug	Wed	Merdeka Day	National
3 Sep	Sat	Hari Hol Almarhum Sultan Iskandar	Johor
16 Sep	Fri	Malaysia Day	National
18 Sep	Sun	Malaysia Day Holiday	Johor & Kedah
1 Oct	Sat	Sabah Governor’s Birthday	Sabah
8 Oct	Sat	Sarawak Governor’s Birthday	Sarawak
9 Oct	Sun	Prophet Muhammad’s Birthday	National
10 Oct	Mon	Prophet Muhammad’s Birthday Holiday	National except Johor, Kedah, Kelantan & Terengganu
24 Oct	Mon	Deepavali	National except Sarawak
4 Nov	Fri	Sultan of Perak’s Birthday	Perak
11 Nov	Fri	Sultan of Kelantan’s Birthday	Kelantan
12 Nov	Sat	Sultan of Kelantan’s Birthday Holiday	Kelantan
13 Nov	Sun	Sultan of Kelantan’s Birthday Holiday	Kelantan
18 Nov	Fri	Special Public Holiday (GE15)	National
19 Nov	Sat	Special Public Holiday (GE15)	National
20 Nov	Sun	Special Public Holiday (GE15)	Johor, Kelantan & Terengganu
28 Nov	Mon	Special Public Holiday 28 Nov	National
11 Dec	Sun	Sultan of Selangor’s Birthday	Selangor
12 Dec	Mon	Sultan of Selangor’s Birthday Holiday	Selangor
24 Dec	Sat	Christmas Eve	Sabah
25 Dec	Sun	Christmas Day	National
26 Dec	Mon	Christmas Holiday	National except Johor, Kedah, Kelantan & Terengganu

Public Holiday Malaysia 2021

Date	Day	Holiday	States
1 Jan	Fri	New Year’s Day	National except Johor, Kedah, Kelantan, Perlis & Terengganu
14 Jan	Thu	YDPB Negeri Sembilan’s Birthday	Negeri Sembilan
28 Jan	Thu	Thaipusam	Johor, Kuala Lumpur, Negeri Sembilan, Penang, Perak, Putrajaya & Selangor
1 Feb	Mon	Federal Territory Day	Kuala Lumpur, Labuan & Putrajaya
12 Feb	Fri	Chinese New Year	National
13 Feb	Sat	Chinese New Year Holiday	National
14 Feb	Sun	Chinese New Year Holiday	Johor, Kedah, Kelantan & Terengganu
4 Mar	Thu	Installation of Sultan Terengganu	Terengganu
11 Mar	Thu	Israk and Mikraj	Kedah, Negeri Sembilan, Perlis & Terengganu
23 Mar	Tue	Sultan of Johor’s Birthday	Johor
2 Apr	Fri	Good Friday	Sabah & Sarawak
13 Apr	Tue	Awal Ramadan	Johor, Kedah & Melaka
15 Apr	Thu	Declaration of Melaka as a Historical City	Melaka
26 Apr	Mon	Sultan of Terengganu’s Birthday	Terengganu
29 Apr	Thu	Nuzul Al-Quran	National except Johor, Kedah, Melaka, Negeri Sembilan, Sabah & Sarawak
1 May	Sat	Labour Day	National
2 May	Sun	Labour Day Holiday	Kelantan & Terengganu
13 May	Thu	Hari Raya Aidilfitri	National
14 May	Fri	Hari Raya Aidilfitri Holiday	National
16 May	Sun	Hari Raya Aidilfitri Holiday	Johor & Kedah
22 May	Sat	Hari Hol Pahang	Pahang
26 May	Wed	Wesak Day	National
30 May	Sun	Harvest Festival	Labuan & Sabah
31 May	Mon	Harvest Festival Holiday	Labuan & Sabah
1 Jun	Tue	Hari Gawai	Sarawak
2 Jun	Wed	Hari Gawai Holiday	Sarawak
7 Jun	Mon	Agong’s Birthday	National
20 Jun	Sun	Sultan of Kedah’s Birthday	Kedah
7 Jul	Wed	Georgetown World Heritage City Day	Penang
10 Jul	Sat	Penang Governor’s Birthday	Penang
17 Jul	Sat	Raja Perlis’ Birthday	Perlis
19 Jul	Mon	Arafat Day	Terengganu
20 Jul	Tue	Hari Raya Haji	National
21 Jul	Wed	Hari Raya Haji Holiday	Kedah, Kelantan, Perlis & Terengganu
22 Jul	Thu	Sarawak Day	Sarawak
30 Jul	Fri	Sultan of Pahang’s Birthday	Pahang
10 Aug	Tue	Awal Muharram	National
24 Aug	Tue	Melaka Governor’s Birthday	Melaka
31 Aug	Tue	Merdeka Day	National
13 Sep	Mon	Hari Hol Almarhum Sultan Iskandar	Johor
16 Sep	Thu	Malaysia Day	National
2 Oct	Sat	Sabah Governor’s Birthday	Sabah
9 Oct	Sat	Sarawak Governor’s Birthday	Sarawak
19 Oct	Tue	Prophet Muhammad’s Birthday	National
4 Nov	Thu	Deepavali	National except Sarawak
5 Nov	Fri	Sultan of Perak’s Birthday	Perak
11 Nov	Thu	Sultan of Kelantan’s Birthday	Kelantan
12 Nov	Fri	Sultan of Kelantan’s Birthday Holiday	Kelantan
3 Dec	Fri	Malaysia Cup Holiday	Kuala Lumpur, Labuan & Putrajaya
11 Dec	Sat	Sultan of Selangor’s Birthday	Selangor
24 Dec	Fri	Christmas Eve	Sabah
25 Dec	Sat	Christmas Day	National
26 Dec	Sun	Christmas Holiday	Kelantan & Terengganu

Impact of Public Holidays in Malaysia

The impact of public holidays in Malaysia resonates through various sectors of the economy in both positive and negative ways.

Positive Impacts

Consumer Spending

Public holidays often see a surge in consumer spending as people shop for gifts, clothing, and festive food. Retailers capitalize on this trend by offering discounts and promotions, thereby boosting their sales volume and revenue.

Tourism Boost

The celebrations during public holidays attract tourists from around the globe, significantly boosting the tourism sector. Increased tourist inflow translates to higher occupancy rates in hotels, more restaurant customers, and increased sales in souvenir shops, all contributing to the local economy.

Employment Opportunities

The heightened retail and tourism activity during public holidays creates temporary and seasonal employment opportunities. This not only helps in reducing the unemployment rate but also provides individuals with a chance to earn extra income.

Cultural Exchange

Public holidays offer a platform for cultural exchange and understanding among Malaysia’s diverse population. They also present an opportunity for foreigners to immerse themselves in Malaysia’s rich cultural heritage, promoting a positive image of the country internationally.

Economic Stimulus

The cumulative spending during public holidays acts as an economic stimulus. The government also often partakes in boosting the economy by organizing events or improving infrastructure to accommodate the festivities.

Negative Impacts

Business Closures

Mandatory closures can affect certain businesses, particularly those operating in a B2B model or those that rely on daily operations for revenue. The operational costs incurred even when closed can strain the finances of small businesses.

Operational Challenges

Businesses in the hospitality and retail sector may face operational challenges due to the sudden surge in demand. Managing inventory, ensuring adequate staffing, and maintaining a high level of service can be strenuous.

Traffic Congestion and Infrastructure Strain

The influx of both local and international tourists, coupled with locals traveling for celebrations, often leads to traffic congestion and a strain on public infrastructure.

Increased Government Spending

The government may need to spend more on public safety, traffic management, and infrastructure maintenance to ensure smooth celebrations, which could strain public finances.

Post-Holiday Slump

The spike in sales and tourism often leads to a post-holiday slump, where businesses see a significant drop in customer spending and activity, which can affect their quarterly performance.

The impact of public holidays in Malaysia mirrors the complex interplay of economic, social, and cultural factors inherent in such a multicultural nation. While they offer various benefits, their challenges require strategic planning and management to maximise the positive aspects while mitigating the negative impacts.