Bahamas Public Holidays
Discover upcoming public holiday dates for Bahamas and start planning to make the most of your time off.
Public holidays in the Bahamas are regulated under the Public Holidays Act of 2000 which is an amended version of the original 1938 law. This law stipulates that all employees are entitled to a paid day off for public holidays. If employees are required to work on the holiday, they are guaranteed a premium pay rate for each hour worked.
The law additionally states that any holiday which occurs on a Sunday will be observed on the following day. Traditionally, many businesses are required to remain closed on Sundays, except in tourist areas.
The government of the Bahamas has retained the right to announce one-time special public holidays for special occasions. By law, the government must publish the date only two weeks prior to the one-time holiday in the Official Gazette to make it legal. All businesses are required to acknowledge these one time holidays.
Each year the government of the Bahamas will publish the holidays for the upcoming year. In most cases, this list is published in the Official Gazette in the end of November or beginning of December.