Living in MalaysiaGuide
Malaysia public holidays 2027: federal and state dates, long weekends and school terms
The Cabinet list has 14 national holidays in 2027, 12 of them in every state, plus state days on top. Here is the list, what is still to confirm, the long weekends it creates and the 2027 school terms.
How this page is kept up to date The text is re-read and its sources re-opened by the editors at least every two months. Last change to this page: 14 November 2026.
The short answer
Malaysia has 14 national public holidays in 2027, 12 of them marked national in every state, plus each state’s own days. The list was announced by the Cabinet, Constitution and Inter-Governmental Relations Division of the Prime Minister’s Department. We read it as reproduced in a circular from the Federation of Malaysian Manufacturers dated 27 August 2026 (FMM circular GI/15/2026, PDF). We could not open the Cabinet’s own page (kabinet.gov.my) from our servers, so check it before you book anything non-refundable.
- The national list includes both days of Chinese New Year, both days of Hari Raya Puasa, Awal Muharam and the Prophet’s Birthday.
- Four holidays carry an asterisk, “subject to change”: Awal Ramadan (8 February), Hari Raya Puasa (10 to 12 March), Hari Raya Qurban (17 and 18 May) and Deepavali (28 October). The Islamic dates depend on the moon sighting.
- Several 2027 holidays land on a weekend: Chinese New Year (Sat 6 and Sun 7 February), Workers’ Day (Sat 1 May), Awal Muharam (Sun 6 June), the Prophet’s Birthday (Sun 15 August) and Christmas (Sat 25 December).
- Schools open on 4 January 2027 in every state and close on 2 December (Kedah, Kelantan, Terengganu) or 3 December (all other states).
National public holidays 2027
Dates and weekdays are from the Cabinet list. “Status” says whether the list flags the date as subject to change.
| Holiday | Date | Day | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chinese New Year | 6 Feb | Sat | Confirmed in list |
| Chinese New Year, 2nd day | 7 Feb | Sun | Confirmed in list (state holiday in Kelantan and Terengganu) |
| Hari Raya Puasa | 10 Mar | Wed | To confirm (asterisk) |
| Hari Raya Puasa, 2nd day | 11 Mar | Thu | To confirm (asterisk) |
| Workers’ Day | 1 May | Sat | Fixed date |
| Hari Raya Qurban | 17 May | Mon | To confirm (asterisk) |
| Wesak Day | 20 May | Thu | Confirmed in list |
| Awal Muharam (Maal Hijrah) | 6 Jun | Sun | Confirmed in list |
| Yang di-Pertuan Agong’s Birthday | 7 Jun | Mon | Confirmed in list |
| Prophet Muhammad’s Birthday | 15 Aug | Sun | Confirmed in list |
| National Day (Merdeka) | 31 Aug | Tue | Fixed date |
| Malaysia Day | 16 Sep | Thu | Fixed date |
| Deepavali | 28 Oct | Thu | To confirm (asterisk); not a holiday in Sarawak |
| Christmas | 25 Dec | Sat | Fixed date |
New Year’s Day (Fri 1 January) is not on the national list. It is a state holiday only: KL, Labuan, Putrajaya, Malacca, Negeri Sembilan, Pahang, Perak, Penang, Sabah, Sarawak and Selangor. Johor, Kedah, Kelantan, Perlis and Terengganu do not have it.
What happens when a holiday falls on a weekend
The list’s own note says that when a holiday falls on a weekly rest day (Friday or Sunday as applicable), the next day becomes a public holiday, and if that day is already a holiday, the day after it. The list does not print the replacement dates, so these are our reading of the rule and are to confirm:
| Falls on | Likely replacement day |
|---|---|
| Chinese New Year, 2nd day, Sun 7 Feb | Mon 8 Feb (Tue 9 Feb in Johor, where 8 Feb is already Awal Ramadan) |
| Awal Muharam, Sun 6 Jun | Tue 8 Jun (Mon 7 Jun is already the Agong’s Birthday) |
| Prophet’s Birthday, Sun 15 Aug | Mon 16 Aug |
| Harvest Festival, Sun 30 May (Labuan, Sabah) | Tue 1 Jun (Mon 31 May is already Harvest Festival) |
| Almarhum Sultan Iskandar Hol Day, Sun 11 Jul (Johor) | Mon 12 Jul |
Saturday holidays (Chinese New Year day 1, Workers’ Day, Christmas) do not fall on a weekly rest day as the list’s note defines it (Friday or Sunday), so no replacement day is expected. Where Friday is the rest day, the note applies to Friday holidays, so these Sunday replacements may not apply there.
State and territory holidays 2027
These are on top of the national days. Source: the same Cabinet list.
| State or territory | Extra holidays in 2027 (date, weekday) |
|---|---|
| Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya | Thaipusam (22 Jan, Fri), Nuzul Al-Quran (24 Feb, Wed); Federal Territory Day (1 Feb, Mon) |
| Labuan | Federal Territory Day (1 Feb), Nuzul Al-Quran (24 Feb), Harvest Festival (30 and 31 May) |
| Johor | Thaipusam (22 Jan), Awal Ramadan (8 Feb), Sultan’s Birthday (23 Mar), Almarhum Sultan Iskandar Hol Day (11 Jul, Sun) |
| Kedah | Israk and Mikraj (6 Jan), Awal Ramadan (8 Feb), Hari Raya Qurban 2nd day (18 May), Sultan’s Birthday (20 Jun, Sun) |
| Kelantan | Nuzul Al-Quran (24 Feb), Arafah Day (16 May, Sun), Hari Raya Qurban 2nd day (18 May, marked national there), Sultan’s Birthday (29 and 30 Sep) |
| Malacca | Declaration of Independence Day (20 Feb, Sat), Hari Raya Puasa 3rd day (12 Mar, Fri), Yang di-Pertua’s Birthday (24 Aug) |
| Negeri Sembilan | Israk and Mikraj (6 Jan), Yang di-Pertuan Besar’s Birthday (14 Jan), Thaipusam (22 Jan) |
| Pahang | Nuzul Al-Quran (24 Feb), Hol Day (22 May, Sat), Sultan’s Birthday (30 Jul, Fri) |
| Penang | Thaipusam (22 Jan), Nuzul Al-Quran (24 Feb), World Heritage Day (7 Jul, Wed), Yang di-Pertua’s Birthday (10 Jul, Sat) |
| Perak | Thaipusam (22 Jan), Nuzul Al-Quran (24 Feb), Sultan’s Birthday (5 Nov, Fri) |
| Perlis | Israk and Mikraj (6 Jan), Nuzul Al-Quran (24 Feb), Raja’s Birthday (17 May, the same day as Hari Raya Qurban, so note 2 of the list gives a substitute day, to confirm), Hari Raya Qurban 2nd day (18 May) |
| Sabah | Good Friday (26 Mar), Yang di-Pertua’s Birthday (30 Mar), Harvest Festival (30 and 31 May), Christmas Eve (24 Dec, Fri) |
| Sarawak | Good Friday (26 Mar), Gawai Dayak (1 and 2 Jun), Sarawak Independence Day (22 Jul, Thu), Yang di-Pertua’s Birthday (9 Oct, Sat) |
| Selangor | Thaipusam (22 Jan), Nuzul Al-Quran (24 Feb), Sultan’s Birthday (11 Dec, Sat) |
| Terengganu | Israk and Mikraj (6 Jan), Nuzul Al-Quran (24 Feb), Sultan’s installation anniversary (4 Mar), Sultan’s Birthday (26 Apr), Arafah Day (16 May), Hari Raya Qurban 2nd day (18 May, marked national there) |
Israk and Mikraj appears twice in the Gregorian year because of the Islamic calendar: 6 January and again on 26 December. The December row is hard to read in the copy we have, so look it up for your state in the Cabinet list.
Long weekends and leave planning
These cases use Kuala Lumpur, a Saturday and Sunday weekend, the dates above, and an employer that gives every holiday on the list. Where a case relies on a replacement day, it is marked.
| Break | Days off in a row | Leave days to take | How it works |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chinese New Year, 6 to 8 Feb | 3 | 0 | Sat, Sun, then Mon 8 Feb as replacement day (to confirm) |
| Hari Raya Puasa, 6 to 14 Mar | 9 | 3 | Take Mon 8, Tue 9 and Fri 12 Mar around Wed 10 and Thu 11 (dates to confirm) |
| Good Friday weekend, 26 to 28 Mar | 3 | 0 | Sabah and Sarawak only |
| Qurban and Wesak, 15 to 23 May | 9 | 3 | Mon 17 and Thu 20 are holidays; take Tue 18, Wed 19 and Fri 21 (Qurban date to confirm) |
| Awal Muharam and Agong’s Birthday, 5 to 8 Jun | 4 | 0 | Sat 5, Sun 6, Mon 7, then Tue 8 as replacement day (to confirm) |
| National Day, 28 to 31 Aug | 4 | 1 | Take Mon 30 Aug before Tue 31 Aug |
| Malaysia Day, 16 to 19 Sep | 4 | 1 | Take Fri 17 Sep after Thu 16 Sep |
| Deepavali, 28 to 31 Oct | 4 | 1 | Take Fri 29 Oct after Thu 28 Oct (date to confirm; not Sarawak) |
Easiest single-day bridges: Wesak (Thu 20 May, take Fri 21), Malaysia Day and Deepavali (both Thursdays). Over the year, the cases above (leaving out Good Friday, which is Sabah and Sarawak only) give 37 days off for 9 leave days. New Year’s Day (Fri 1 January) and Thaipusam (Fri 22 January) also make three-day weekends in the states that have them.
Steps to plan the year
- Take the national table and mark the four asterisk dates as provisional.
- Add your state’s days from the state table.
- Book flights and hotels with free cancellation for the provisional dates (10 to 12 March, 17 and 18 May, 28 October) until the dates are confirmed.
- Check your school’s own calendar, because private and international schools set their own terms.
- Check your employer’s own holiday list, which may differ from this one.
Common mistakes
- Treating aggregator sites as official. Only the Cabinet list is official, and its Islamic dates can still move: Hari Raya Qurban, 17 May, carries an asterisk.
- Forgetting that state days differ. A KL colleague may have Nuzul Al-Quran off while a Johor or Kedah colleague has Awal Ramadan.
- Assuming a Saturday holiday gives a Monday off. Under the list’s note the replacement rule is for a rest day (Friday or Sunday), so Saturday holidays get no public replacement day. Your employer’s own policy may differ.
- Booking 28 October travel to Sarawak. Deepavali is not a holiday there.
School terms 2027
The Ministry of Education announced on 3 October 2026 that the 2027 session for national and government-aided schools starts on 4 January 2027 in all states. It ends on 2 December for Group A (Kedah, Kelantan, Terengganu) and 3 December for Group B (every other state, plus the federal territories). The 2028 session starts on 3 January 2028 for both groups (RTM News, 3 October 2026).
The term break dates below are from the 2027 academic calendar as reproduced by the portal ecentral.my on 3 October 2026. We could not open the Ministry’s own PDF (Surat Siaran KPM Bil. 1 Tahun 2027, posted on moe.gov.my on 5 October 2026), so treat them as to confirm on moe.gov.my.
| Break | Group A (Kedah, Kelantan, Terengganu) | Group B (all other states) |
|---|---|---|
| Term 1 break | 5 to 13 Mar | 6 to 14 Mar |
| Mid-year break | 21 May to 5 Jun | 22 May to 6 Jun |
| Term 2 break | 27 Aug to 4 Sep | 28 Aug to 5 Sep |
| End of year | from 3 Dec | from 4 Dec |
The Ministry also set extra festival days for Chinese New Year, Hari Raya Puasa, Hari Raya Qurban, Wesak and Deepavali, which schools do not have to make up. Hari Raya Puasa (10 and 11 March) falls inside the Term 1 break in that calendar. International and private schools follow their own calendars, so ask the school.
FAQ
How many public holidays are there in Malaysia in 2027?
The Cabinet list marks 14 dates as national, and 12 of them are national in every state and territory: Chinese New Year’s second day is a state holiday in Kelantan and Terengganu, and Deepavali is not observed in Sarawak. States add their own days, so a KL resident and a Penang resident will not have the same total.
Is New Year’s Day a public holiday in Malaysia in 2027?
It is a state holiday, not a national one. Friday 1 January is a holiday in KL, Labuan, Putrajaya, Malacca, Negeri Sembilan, Pahang, Perak, Penang, Sabah, Sarawak and Selangor, but not in Johor, Kedah, Kelantan, Perlis and Terengganu.
When is Hari Raya Puasa in 2027?
The Cabinet list gives Wednesday 10 and Thursday 11 March, with a third day on Friday 12 March in Malacca. The list marks the date as subject to change because it follows the moon sighting.
When is Deepavali 2027?
Thursday 28 October 2027, on the Cabinet list, with an asterisk meaning subject to change. It is not a public holiday in Sarawak.
Are there long weekends in Malaysia in 2027?
Yes. National Day (Tue 31 August), Malaysia Day (Thu 16 September) and Deepavali (Thu 28 October) each give four days off for one leave day. See the table above.
When do schools open in Malaysia in 2027?
National and government-aided schools open on 4 January 2027 in every state, according to the Ministry of Education announcement of 3 October 2026.
Source dates: Cabinet list as reproduced by FMM on 27 August 2026; Ministry of Education announcement of 3 October 2026. Dates marked “to confirm” may change; we update this page when the Cabinet or Ministry confirms them.
Spotted a mistake?
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Update history
- First published, from the 2027 list announced by the Cabinet Division (reproduced in an FMM circular dated 27 August 2026) and the Ministry of Education school-session announcement of 3 October 2026.
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