Knowing the Zimbabwe public holidays is useful far beyond planning a braai. Banks, government offices and most schools close, transport gets expensive and crowded, and deadlines that fall on a holiday move. This guide lists the holidays, explains which ones move, and covers what actually shuts.
The holidays
Fixed-date holidays
- New Year's Day — 1 January.
- Robert Gabriel Mugabe National Youth Day — 21 February.
- Independence Day — 18 April, marking independence in 1980.
- Workers' Day — 1 May.
- Africa Day — 25 May.
- Unity Day — 22 December, marking the 1987 Unity Accord.
- Christmas Day — 25 December.
- Boxing Day — 26 December.
Holidays that move each year
- Good Friday, Easter Saturday and Easter Monday — tied to the Easter calendar, so they shift between late March and late April.
- Heroes' Day — the second Monday of August.
- Defence Forces Day — the day immediately after Heroes' Day, giving a two-day break in August.
When a public holiday falls on a Sunday, the following Monday is generally observed as the holiday. The government confirms observances by public notice, and occasional one-off holidays are declared for national events — so check announcements before making a firm plan around a single day.
What closes, and what does not
- Closed: banks, government offices, most schools, courts and many corporate offices.
- Open, usually with adjusted hours: supermarkets, fuel stations, pharmacies, restaurants and shopping centres.
- Running: hospitals, emergency services and public transport, though transport fares tend to rise around the major holidays.
Digital services — mobile money, banking apps and card payments — continue, but anything requiring a human at a bank branch waits for the next working day. Plan cash and payments the week before, especially around the December cluster.
Planning long weekends
The August pairing of Heroes' Day and Defence Forces Day, which always falls on a Monday and Tuesday, is the most reliable long weekend of the year and the busiest travel period after Christmas. Book accommodation at Victoria Falls, Nyanga and Kariba weeks ahead — see our guide to places to visit in Zimbabwe.
The Easter weekend is the other big domestic travel period, and because it moves, it is worth checking the date early in the year if you are planning around it.
Holidays and your rights at work
Employees required to work on a public holiday are generally entitled to compensation in line with the Labour Act and their contract or collective bargaining agreement. Essential services — health, security, hospitality, utilities — routinely operate on holidays. If you are unsure what your contract provides, ask your employer for the written policy rather than relying on what a colleague tells you.
What the days commemorate
These are not arbitrary dates, and knowing what they mark makes the calendar easier to remember:
- Independence Day marks the end of colonial rule and the birth of Zimbabwe in April 1980.
- Heroes' Day honours those who died in the liberation struggle, with national commemorations at Heroes' Acre.
- Defence Forces Day recognises the armed forces, and is deliberately placed alongside Heroes' Day.
- Unity Day marks the 1987 accord that ended the conflict between the two main political formations of the time.
- Youth Day is observed on 21 February.
Our chronological guide to Zimbabwe's presidents since 1980 gives the political context around several of these dates.
Frequently asked questions
How many public holidays does Zimbabwe have?
Counting the fixed dates and the moving Easter and August holidays, the calendar runs to roughly a dozen days a year, plus any special holiday declared for a national event.
What happens when a holiday falls on a Sunday?
The following Monday is generally observed instead, so the public gets the day off during the working week.
When is Heroes' Day?
The second Monday of August, immediately followed by Defence Forces Day on the Tuesday.
Are banks open on public holidays?
Branches close. Cards, mobile money and banking apps continue to work, so plan any branch business for a working day.
Do schools close for all public holidays?
Yes, though most of the fixed holidays already fall within school terms or holidays. School calendars are set separately by the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education each year.
More lifestyle and planning guides are in Lifestyle and on our guides page.