What is closed, what is open, what is celebrated and when — a practical reference for travellers and readers planning around the Turkish calendar.
Last reviewed on 2 May 2026.
The Republic of Türkiye runs on two calendars at once. National holidays are tied to the Gregorian calendar and fall on the same dates every year. Religious holidays follow the Islamic lunar calendar, which is roughly eleven days shorter than the solar year, so their Gregorian dates shift earlier by about that much each year. Knowing which is which is the difference between planning a trip well and walking into a city where every government office and a third of the restaurants are closed.
A standard public holiday. Many shops and restaurants are open in the larger cities, especially in tourist districts; banks and government offices are closed. Hotels often run special menus on New Year's Eve.
Marks the opening of the Grand National Assembly in 1920 during the War of Independence. The day is also dedicated to children, with school events and televised performances. Public buildings and streets are decorated with Turkish flags.
An international workers' day with a long political history in Türkiye. In some years and cities, central squares may be closed for assemblies. Travel within the cities themselves is otherwise normal.
Commemorates Mustafa Kemal Atatürk's arrival in Samsun in 1919, the symbolic start of the War of Independence. Sporting and youth events take place across the country. See the Atatürk page for context.
Commemorates the events of 15 July 2016. A relatively new addition to the holiday calendar, with public ceremonies and a moment of silence in the evening.
Marks the decisive victory at Dumlupınar in 1922 that effectively ended the War of Independence. Military parades take place in larger cities, especially Ankara.
The most prominent national holiday. Marks the founding of the Republic of Türkiye in 1923. Cities are illuminated, flags are widely displayed, and large public ceremonies take place. The afternoon and evening of 28 October are also a half-holiday in practice.
Not a public holiday in the sense of office closures, but observed nationwide. At 9:05 in the morning — the time of Atatürk's death in 1938 — the country pauses for a moment of silence. Sirens sound, traffic stops, and people stand still in the street. Visitors should know about this in advance.
Two religious holidays — known together as bayram — are official multi-day holidays. Their dates are calculated from the Islamic lunar calendar, so each holiday falls roughly eleven days earlier in the Gregorian year than it did the year before. Both are extended public holidays for banks, schools and government offices; many private businesses also close, especially around the first morning.
Three official public-holiday days at the end of the month of fasting. Families visit each other; sweets — especially baklava and lokum — are exchanged, which is why the holiday is also called the "Sweet Festival" in Turkish. Long-distance travel is intense around the start of the holiday: book bus, train and flight tickets early.
The "Festival of the Sacrifice", commemorating the Prophet Ibrahim's willingness to sacrifice his son. Four official holiday days. Animal sacrifice and meat distribution to the less well-off are central to the religious observance. Like Ramazan Bayramı, this is the busiest travel period of the year inside Türkiye.
The month of Ramadan (Ramazan) is not a public holiday — government offices and most businesses operate normally — but it changes the rhythm of daily life enough to mention here. Observant Muslims fast from dawn to sunset for the full month. In smaller cities and conservative neighbourhoods, eating, drinking or smoking visibly during daylight hours can read as discourteous. In larger tourist areas this is much less of an issue and many cafés stay fully open.
The fast-breaking meal at sunset (iftar) is a notable social event. Many restaurants offer special iftar menus, mosque squares set up communal tables, and households open their doors to guests. The pre-dawn meal (sahur) is announced by neighbourhood drummers in some districts; bring earplugs if you sleep light. The exact dates of Ramadan shift earlier by about eleven days each Gregorian year.
The spring equinox, observed in different forms across Türkiye and the wider Turkic and Persian world. Bonfires are lit and jumped over for symbolic renewal, especially in eastern and southeastern provinces.
A spring festival marking the meeting of the prophets Hızır and İlyas, traditionally celebrated outdoors with picnics, music and small wishes written on paper and tied to trees.
Around the second week of December, Konya holds a large programme commemorating the death of the 13th-century poet Rumi (Mevlana). The Sema ceremony of the whirling dervishes — listed by UNESCO — is performed multiple times during the period.