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Georgia’s Public Holidays in 2026: The Full Calendar
Georgia has more public holidays than most European countries — 17 official days off across the year. For travelers arriving in 2026, this matters in two directions: some holidays are extraordinary moments to witness Georgian culture at its most vivid, while others will catch you off guard with closed banks, empty supermarkets, and full guesthouses. Knowing which is which makes the difference between a frustrating detour and a genuinely memorable experience.
Here is every Georgian public holiday for 2026, in order:
- 1 January — New Year’s Day (Akhali Tseli)
- 2 January — Second day of New Year
- 7 January — Orthodox Christmas (Shoba)
- 19 January — Orthodox Epiphany (Natlistsemeli)
- 3 March — Mother’s Day (Dedaenis Dghe)
- 8 March — International Women’s Day
- 9 April — National Unity Day (Day of Tragedy)
- Orthodox Easter (Aghdgoma) — date varies; in 2026 this falls on 12 April
- 9 May — Victory Day / Day of Remembrance
- 12 May — St. Andrew the First-Called Day (Andreoba) — note: not a mandatory day off for all employers, but widely observed
- 26 May — Independence Day (Damoukideblobis Dghe)
- 28 August — Mariamoba (Assumption of the Virgin Mary)
- 14 October — Svetitskhovloba (Feast of Mtskheta)
- 23 November — Giorgoba (St. George’s Day)
Georgia follows the Julian calendar for Orthodox Christian celebrations, so Christmas falls on 7 January and Easter on a different date than Western Easter. Both carry enormous cultural weight — far more than New Year’s does in many Western countries.
What Actually Closes — and What Stays Open
Georgia’s holiday shutdowns are uneven, and that unevenness surprises many visitors.
What typically closes:
- Government offices, ministries, and consulates — fully closed
- Banks and most ATM top-up services (ATMs still dispense cash but may run low in smaller towns)
- Post offices
- Many pharmacies outside Tbilisi and Batumi city centers
- Schools and universities
What stays open:
- Supermarkets — major chains like Carrefour, Fresco, and Smart keep normal or near-normal hours on most holidays. Christmas (7 January) is the main exception; many close or shorten hours significantly.
- Restaurants and cafes — the majority stay open, often busier than usual
- Hotels and guesthouses
- Most tourist attractions and museums — though some state museums close on 9 April and 7 January specifically
- Petrol stations
The practical rule: anything tied to the Georgian state closes. Anything commercial tends to stay open. The grey zone is Orthodox Christmas and Easter, when even some private businesses close for part of the day because staff attend church services.
How Transport Shifts During Holiday Periods
Georgian public transport doesn’t grind to a halt during holidays, but it changes in ways that matter if you’re catching a marshrutka between cities or a train to Batumi.
Georgian Railway: The Tbilisi–Batumi and Tbilisi–Kutaisi routes run on adjusted holiday schedules in 2026. Since Georgian Railway completed its revised timetable rollout in late 2025, the holiday schedule now publishes online at least two weeks ahead on the official site. Seats sell out on the Tbilisi–Batumi night train during Christmas, Easter, and the 26 May Independence Day weekend — book early through the Georgian Railway app or website.
Marshrutkas (minibuses): Intercity marshrutkas generally run on holidays, but frequency drops on Christmas morning (7 January) and Easter Sunday morning. Drivers attend church. Departures from Didube and Ortachala terminals in Tbilisi tend to thin out between 9:00 and 13:00 on those days, then pick back up in the afternoon.
Tbilisi Metro: The metro runs on all public holidays, including the extended New Year period. Since the metro’s Line 3 extension toward Saburtalo opened in stages through 2025, connectivity within Tbilisi is significantly better than it was two years ago — a useful fallback if you’re trying to reach the Old Town or Avlabari during a crowded holiday weekend.
International flights: No major disruption. Georgian airports — Tbilisi Shota Rustaveli International and Kutaisi David the Builder — operate normally on public holidays. New direct routes opened in 2025–2026 (including expanded connections from several Central European cities to Kutaisi) are unaffected by Georgian holidays. Confirm your airline’s own schedule, not Georgia’s holiday calendar.
Car rental: Offices may operate on reduced hours or close on 7 January and Easter. If you plan to rent a car around those dates, collect the vehicle the day before.
What You’ll Actually Experience on the Ground
Reading a list of closures tells you nothing about what Georgian holidays feel like to walk through.
On the night of 6–7 January — Orthodox Christmas Eve into Christmas morning — Tbilisi transforms. The Alilo procession moves through the city: thousands of people dressed in white, holding candles, singing, carrying icons. The air smells of candle wax and cold stone. Children run alongside adults; priests in gold vestments lead the column through the Old Town. If you’re staying near Rustaveli Avenue or the old city, you will hear the singing and bells before you see the procession. This is not a performance staged for tourists. It is a live act of faith, and standing on the pavement watching it pass is one of the more affecting things you can do in Georgia.
Easter (Aghdgoma) carries a similar intensity. The midnight liturgy at churches across the country is followed by family feasts that stretch into the early hours. The streets quiet after midnight, then fill with the smell of roasting mtsvadi as families gather. Easter Monday sees a national migration toward villages and family graves — a tradition called visiting the departed — and the roads out of Tbilisi toward the regions are visibly busy.
Mariamoba (28 August) and Svetitskhovloba (14 October) draw enormous pilgrimages to Mtskheta, Georgia’s ancient religious capital. On Svetitskhovloba, the Patriarch of the Georgian Orthodox Church leads a service at Svetitskhoveli Cathedral. The old town of Mtskheta fills to capacity; local vendors sell churchkhela, the walnut-and-grape-must candy strung like candles, and fresh bread alongside religious icons. The walk through the crowds in the warm October air — the scent of churchkhela wax and fresh walnuts mixing with incense drifting from the cathedral doors — is something between a medieval fair and a deeply serious religious occasion.
Holidays That Create Real Travel Bottlenecks
Not every holiday creates logistical stress. These specific ones do.
New Year (1–2 January)
Georgians celebrate New Year with more intensity than Christmas. The 31 December–1 January period is the most heavily booked time in the Georgian tourism calendar. Tbilisi’s Old Town, Batumi seafront, and mountain resorts like Gudauri and Bakuriani all reach full capacity. Expect prices elevated 30–60% above standard rates. Accommodation booked less than a month out is extremely scarce.
Orthodox Easter (12 April 2026)
The Easter long weekend triggers the first major domestic travel wave of spring. Sighnaghi, Mtskheta, and the Alazani Valley in Kakheti all see sharp increases in Georgian visitors. The roads toward Kakheti on Good Friday and Easter Saturday are notably congested.
Independence Day (26 May)
A public holiday with military parade in Tbilisi and fireworks in the evening. Hotels along Rustaveli Avenue book out. Useful if you want to see the parade; frustrating if you want a quiet city break.
Svetitskhovloba (14 October)
The road to Mtskheta from Tbilisi (roughly 20 kilometres) becomes heavily congested from early morning. If you’re traveling to Mtskheta specifically for the festival, go by marshrutka from Didube terminal or by suburban train — driving and parking on this day is a genuine headache.
2026 Budget Reality: Holiday Price Shifts
Prices in Georgia are not fixed year-round. During major holidays, accommodation especially sees significant movement.
Accommodation (per night, 2026 estimates)
- Budget (hostel dorm, guesthouse room): Standard rate 40–80 GEL; rises to 70–130 GEL during Christmas, New Year, and Easter periods
- Mid-range (3-star hotel, boutique guesthouse): Standard rate 130–220 GEL; rises to 200–320 GEL during peak holidays
- Comfortable (4-star hotel): Standard rate 280–450 GEL; rises to 400–650 GEL at New Year in Tbilisi and Gudauri
Food and Transport
Restaurant prices in Georgia are relatively stable across the year — a full meal with wine at a mid-range restaurant still runs 50–90 GEL per person during holidays. Street food and bakeries don’t typically price-surge. Marshrutka fares remain fixed regardless of holiday. The price hike is almost entirely in accommodation, and to a lesser extent in private taxi fares during New Year’s Eve itself (expect 2–3x surge pricing from apps like Bolt and Yandex on the night of 31 December).
Overall Holiday Budget Tip
If your travel dates overlap with a major Georgian holiday and you’re on a tight budget, the practical move is to stay in a city or town one step removed from the focal point — stay in Gori rather than Mtskheta for Svetitskhovloba, or in Telavi rather than Sighnaghi for Easter weekend. Prices are lower and day-trip logistics are manageable.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are ATMs reliable in Georgia during public holidays?
ATMs stay operational but can run low on cash in smaller towns during major holidays like Christmas and Easter, when bank branches are closed and refills slow. Withdraw cash in a larger city before heading to rural areas during a holiday period. TBC Bank and Bank of Georgia ATMs are the most reliably stocked.
Do Georgian museums and historical sites close on public holidays?
Most state-run museums close on 7 January (Orthodox Christmas) and may adjust hours on Easter. Private galleries and many archaeological sites remain accessible. The national museums in Tbilisi — including the Georgian National Museum on Rustaveli Avenue — publish their holiday schedules on their official websites ahead of each holiday period. Always confirm before making a specific trip.
📷 Featured image by Colin Lloyd on Unsplash.
