AKTU Holiday List 2026: Dr A.P.J. Abdul Kalam Technical University (AKTU), Lucknow has released the official holiday calendar for the year 2026 for all affiliated institutes across Uttar Pradesh. The list includes both public holidays and restricted holidays, covering major national events and important religious festivals from different communities.
What the circular says
The circular, issued from the university headquarters at Jankipuram Extension, Lucknow, is dated 21 December 2025 and is addressed to directors, principals and deans of all affiliated institutions. It clearly states that all institutes affiliated to AKTU will observe the notified public and restricted holidays in 2026 as per the given schedule.
The calendar mentions dates as per the Gregorian calendar along with corresponding Shaka Samvat (1947–1948) and Vikram Samvat (2082–2083), as well as the day of the week. This makes the schedule convenient for administrative as well as academic planning.
Big public holidays in 2026
The public holidays list carries 29 days, covering national occasions and major religious festivals. Some of the key dates are:
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Birth anniversary of Hazrat Ali: 3 January, Saturday.
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Republic Day: 26 January, Monday.
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Mahashivratri: 15 February, Sunday.
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Holika Dahan: 2 March, Monday, followed by Holi on 4 March (Wednesday) and an additional Holi holiday on 5 March (Thursday).
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Eid-ul-Fitr: 21 March, Saturday.
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Ram Navami: 26 March, Thursday, and Mahavir Jayanti on 31 March, Tuesday.
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Annual closing of commercial banks: 1 April, Wednesday (only for banks/treasuries/sub-treasuries).
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Good Friday: 3 April, Friday.
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Dr B.R. Ambedkar Jayanti: 14 April, Tuesday.
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Buddha Purnima: 1 May, Friday.
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Eid-ul-Zuha (Bakrid): 27 May, Wednesday.
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Moharram: 26 June, Thursday.
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Independence Day: 15 August, Saturday.
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Eid-e-Milad/Barawafat: 26 August, Wednesday.
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Raksha Bandhan: 28 August, Friday, and Janmashtami on 4 September, Friday.
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Gandhi Jayanti: 2 October, Friday.
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Dussehra (Mahanavami/Vijayadashami): 20 October, Tuesday.
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Diwali: 8 November, Sunday, followed by Govardhan Puja on 9 November (Monday) and Bhai Dooj/Chitragupt Jayanti on 11 November (Wednesday).
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Guru Nanak Jayanti/Kartik Purnima: 24 November, Tuesday.
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Guru Tegh Bahadur Martyrdom Day: 25 December, Friday, and Christmas Day listed thereafter.
Restricted holidays for staff
Along with public holidays, the university has also notified a separate list of restricted holidays, from which each employee can choose any two days as per preference. These include cultural, regional and community-specific festivals.
Some important restricted holidays are:
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New Year’s Day: 1 January, Thursday.
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Makar Sankranti: 14 January, Wednesday, and Basant Panchami on 23 January, Friday.
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Birth anniversaries of Jan Nayak Karpoori Thakur (24 January, Saturday) and Sant Ravidas (1 February, Sunday).
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Shab-e-Barat: 4 February, Wednesday.
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Jamat-ul-Vida (last Friday of Ramzan): 13 March, Friday.
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Cheti Chand: 19 March, Thursday.
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Easter Saturday (4 April), Easter Monday (6 April) and related Christian observances.
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Maharshi Kashyap and Maharaja Nishad Raj Guhya Jayanti: 5 April, Sunday.
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Chandrashekhar Jayanti: 17 April, Friday, and Parshuram Jayanti on 19 April, Sunday.
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Maharana Pratap Jayanti: 9 May, Saturday.
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Eid-ul-Zuha (Bakrid) and Moharram also appear in the restricted list with alternate dates.
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Vishwakarma Puja: 17 September, Thursday, and Anant Chaturdashi on 25 September, Friday.
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Maharaja Agrasen Jayanti: 11 October, Sunday, and Dussehra (Maha Ashtami) on 19 October, Monday.
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Maharshi Valmiki Jayanti: 26 October, Monday, and Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel and Acharya Narendra Dev Jayanti on 31 October, Saturday.
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Narak Chaturdashi: 8 November, Sunday, and Chhath Puja on 15 November, Sunday.
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Veerangana Uda Devi Shaheed Diwas: 16 November, Monday.
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Urs of Hazrat Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti (Ajmer): 16 December, Wednesday.
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Chaudhary Charan Singh Jayanti: 23 December, Wednesday, and Christmas Eve on 24 December, Thursday.
Important notes for institutions
The calendar clearly states that some festivals marked with an asterisk (*) will be observed as per local moon sighting. It also mentions that the annual closing holiday is applicable only to banks, treasuries and sub-treasuries.
Local holidays marked with a hash (#) fall under government manual provisions and may be treated accordingly by institutions. Offices following a five-day work week will not get certain executive-order holidays marked with a plus (+).
The circular is signed by Registrar Reena Singh, and copies have been sent to senior university officials, including the Vice-Chancellor, Finance Officer, Controller of Examinations, directors of various institutes and other concerned officers. A copy has also been put up on the notice board and kept in the guard file for record.