Dalal Street investors finally get clarity on Holi 2026 trading holiday date
Drik Panchang says Holika Dahan is on March 2; eclipse falls March 3
The exchange calendar has cleared the confusion. Markets will stay closed on March 3, 2026, for Holi across major exchanges
Investors on Dalal Street have finally received clarity on the Holi 2026 trading break after days of uncertainty over the festival date. Confusion around the calendar had raised doubts about when exchanges would suspend operations.
As per Drik Panchang, Holika Dahan will take place on March 2, 2026, which falls on a Monday. A Chandra Grahan is scheduled on March 3, 2026, triggering debate over whether Holi celebrations should align with that day.
The overlap left traders unsure whether markets would shut on March 3 or move the break to March 4. Investors should check the official exchange holiday list before making any trading decisions.
3 February 2026
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Holi 2026 Market Holiday
The official holiday schedule is now clear. Trading will remain closed on March 3, 2026, for Holi across major exchanges.
Both the BSE and the National Stock Exchange (NSE) will suspend activity for the entire day. The equity and equity derivatives segments will not operate during regular hours.
Currency derivatives, NDS-RST and tri-party repo segments will also remain shut on March 3. In the commodity derivatives and electronic gold receipts segments, the morning session from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM will stay closed.
However, trading in the commodity and electronic gold receipts segments will reopen at 5:00 PM and continue till 11:55 PM on March 3.
Earlier in the year, markets had already paused trading on January 15, 2026, for the MCGM election and on January 26, 2026, for Republic Day.
More Market Holidays Ahead
Holi will mark the third market holiday of the year. Exchanges will also remain closed on March 26, 2026, for Shri Ram Navami and on March 31, 2026, for Shri Mahavir Jayanti.
Markets will shut on April 3, 2026, for Good Friday, followed by another break on April 14, 2026, for Dr Baba Saheb Ambedkar Jayanti. Trading will halt on May 1, 2026, for Maharashtra Day and again on May 28, 2026, for Bakri Id.
The calendar lists one holiday on June 26, 2026, for Muharram, while July and August will not see any trading suspension. Exchanges will close on September 14, 2026, for Ganesh Chaturthi.
Markets will shut on October 2, 2026, for Mahatma Gandhi Jayanti and again on October 20, 2026, for Dussehra. The final three holidays will fall on November 10, 2026, for Diwali Balipratipada, on November 24, 2026, for Prakash Gurpurb Sri Guru Nanak Dev and on December 25, 2026, for Christmas.
