Cuti Sarawak 2026: Official Holiday List & HR Planning Guide

Planning ahead is essential when it comes to public holidays and school breaks, especially in a state like Sarawak, where several holidays are unique to the region.

For 2026, Sarawak public holidays are officially announced by the Sarawak State Government, while school holidays are determined by the Ministry of Education Malaysia (KPM) under the national academic calendar.

Below is a complete and practical guide to Sarawak holidays in 2026.

Sarawak Public Holidays 2026

Sarawak observes both federal public holidays and state-specific holidays. Some celebrations are unique to Sarawak and are not observed in all other Malaysian states.

The following are the official public holidays observed in Sarawak for 2026, based on the Sarawak Government Almanac 2026 and official announcements by the Sarawak State Government.

Employers and HR teams are advised to always cross-check dates with the official Sarawak government portal, as certain religious holidays may be subject to confirmation.

Sarawak observes both federal public holidays (which apply nationwide) and state-specific public holidays that are unique to Sarawak. This means that some holidays celebrated in Sarawak may not be observed in other Malaysian states. Likewise, certain holidays observed in Peninsular Malaysia may not apply in Sarawak.

For workforce planning purposes, it is important to distinguish between:

Nationwide celebrations observed in Sarawak (such as National Day and Malaysia Day)
Major religious and cultural celebrations observed across Malaysia (such as Chinese New Year, Hari Raya Aidilfitri, and Christmas)
Sarawak-specific holidays, which reflect the state’s history, leadership, and multicultural identity

Date	Day	Public Holiday	Type
1 January 2026	Thursday	New Year’s Day	Federal
17 February 2026	Tuesday	Chinese New Year (Day 1)	Federal
18 February 2026	Wednesday	Chinese New Year (Day 2)	Federal
21 March 2026*	Saturday	Hari Raya Aidilfitri	Federal (Islamic – subject to confirmation)
22 March 2026*	Sunday	Hari Raya Aidilfitri (Day 2)	Federal (Islamic – subject to confirmation)
23 March 2026	Monday	Replacement Holiday (Hari Raya Aidilfitri)	Federal
3 April 2026	Friday	Good Friday	Sarawak State
1 May 2026	Friday	Labour Day	Federal
27 May 2026*	Wednesday	Hari Raya Haji	Federal (Islamic – subject to confirmation)
31 May 2026	Sunday	Wesak Day	Federal
1 June 2026	Monday	Gawai Dayak (Day 1)	Sarawak State
2 June 2026	Tuesday	Gawai Dayak (Day 2)	Sarawak State
1 June 2026	Monday	Official Birthday of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong	Federal
17 June 2026*	Wednesday	Awal Muharram (Maal Hijrah)	Federal (Islamic – subject to confirmation)
22 July 2026	Wednesday	Sarawak Day	Sarawak State
25 August 2026*	Tuesday	Maulidur Rasul	Federal (Islamic – subject to confirmation)
31 August 2026	Monday	National Day	Federal
16 September 2026	Wednesday	Malaysia Day	Federal
10 October 2026	Saturday	Birthday of the Yang di-Pertua Negeri Sarawak	Sarawak State
25 December 2026	Friday	Christmas Day	Federal

*Islamic dates are subject to official moon sighting confirmation.

Key Sarawak-Specific Public Holidays

Sarawak has several holidays that are unique to the state:

Good Friday: Observed as a public holiday in Sarawak due to the significant Christian population.
Gawai Dayak (1–2 June): A major harvest festival celebrated by the Dayak community. This is one of the most important cultural celebrations in Sarawak.
Sarawak Day (22 July): Commemorates Sarawak’s self-governance in 1963.
Birthday of the Yang di-Pertua Negeri Sarawak: Celebrates the official birthday of the Head of State.

These holidays are not uniformly observed across all Malaysian states.

Major Religious and National Celebrations Observed in Sarawak

In addition to its state-specific holidays, Sarawak also observes federal public holidays, including:

New Year’s Day
Chinese New Year (Day 1 & Day 2)
Hari Raya Aidilfitri
Hari Raya Haji
Wesak Day
National Day (31 August)
Malaysia Day (16 September)
Christmas Day (25 December)

Islamic holidays such as Hari Raya Aidilfitri, Hari Raya Haji, Awal Muharram, and Maulidur Rasul are subject to official moon sighting announcements.

Important Notes on Sarawak Public Holidays

When planning operations or leave, employers should note these:

If a public holiday falls on a Sunday, a replacement holiday is usually given on the following day.
If a public holiday falls on a Saturday, replacement leave depends on official announcements and company policy.
Not all holidays automatically come with replacement leave unless stated in the official gazette.
Employment contracts and company policies may provide additional leave benefits beyond statutory requirements.

Always refer to official government announcements for final confirmation.

Sarawak School Holidays 2026

School holidays in Sarawak are determined by the Ministry of Education Malaysia (KPM). Sarawak follows the Group B school calendar, together with several other states.

Below is a structured overview of the Sarawak School Calendar 2026 (Group B):

School Period	Dates	Notes
School Session Start (2026)	Early January 2026 (as announced by KPM)	Official school year begins for Group B states
Term 1 Break	21 March–29 March 2026	Short mid-term school break
Mid-Year School Holidays	23 May–7 June 2026	Long mid-year break; often overlaps with Gawai Dayak period
Term 2 Break	29 August–6 September 2026	Second mid-term break
Year-End School Holidays	5–31 December 2026	Longest school break of the year

Note: Exact dates should be verified against the official KPM 2026 Academic Calendar once fully released. Official announcements may adjust school holiday dates.

Group B School Calendar Explained

Malaysia divides school calendars into two groups:

Group A: States with Friday–Saturday weekend.
Group B: States with Saturday–Sunday weekend.

Sarawak falls under Group B, together with most Malaysian states, including Johor, Selangor, Perak, Sabah, and others.

In Group B, school weekends are Saturday and Sunday. Additionally, school holiday dates align with other Group B states.

Long Holiday Periods in Sarawak (2026)

Some “long breaks” happen naturally because public holidays fall next to weekends, while others come from school holidays (Group B). These are the periods that usually trigger higher leave requests, staffing gaps, and payroll cut-off planning.

A. Public Holiday Based Long Breaks (Sarawak)

Period	Dates (Start → End)	Why Does It Become “Long”	What HR Should Expect
Chinese New Year	17 Feb (Tue) → 22 Feb (Sun) (if employees take 19–20 Feb as leave)	Public holidays on 17–18 Feb, then many employees apply leave on Thu–Fri (19–20 Feb) to connect to the weekend	Higher leave requests from staff travelling home; customer-facing teams may need shift swaps
Hari Raya Aidilfitri (Sarawak)	21 Mar (Sat) → 23 Mar (Mon) (automatic long weekend)	Sarawak lists 21–23 Mar as the Raya holiday period, with weekend included	Peak leave + travel; if you run operations, confirm early who must be on duty
Hari Raya Aidilfitri “extended break”	21 Mar (Sat) → 29 Mar (Sun) (if employees take 24–27 Mar as leave)	The 21–23 Mar holiday block connects nicely if staff apply leave Tue–Fri	Common for offices to see “empty week”; plan deadlines and payroll cut-offs before this
Gawai Dayak + Agong’s Birthday/Wesak cluster (Sarawak listing)	30 May (Sat) → 2 Jun (Tue) (automatic 4-day break)	Weekend 30–31 May + public holidays 1–2 Jun	Many Dayak employees may take extra leave around this; watch branch coverage in Sarawak
Christmas Long Weekend	25 Dec (Fri) → 27 Dec (Sun) (automatic 3-day break)	Christmas on Friday + weekend	End-year leave stacking is common; payroll and year-end close planning matters

Tip for HR: Put these blocks in your internal calendar early, because they often affect leave approvals, shift rosters, customer support capacity, and finance closing timelines.

B. School Holiday Long Breaks (Group B)

Sarawak follows the Group B school calendar. These are the main school break periods that typically drive family leave requests:

School Holiday Period	Dates (Start → End)	How Long	Why It Matters for Workplaces
Term 1 break	21 Mar → 29 Mar	9 days	This overlaps with Raya season in 2026, so leave demand can spike
Mid-year break	23 May → 7 Jun	16 days	Often paired with Gawai and travel plans
Term 2 break	29 Aug → 6 Sep	9 days	Short but still triggers “family leave” requests
Year-end school holidays	5 Dec → 31 Dec	27 days	Biggest leave clustering period; also affects childcare planning and scheduling

C. “Leave-stacking” windows HR usually sees in Sarawak

These are not official long breaks by default, but they’re common leave-stacking patterns:

Chinese New Year week (mid-Feb): employees take 2 leave days after CNY to get almost a full week off.
Raya week (late March): with a 3-day holiday block in Sarawak, employees often add Tue–Fri leave for a longer rest/travel period.
Early June (Gawai): because 1–2 June are holidays, many will add a few leave days before/after for hometown visits.
December: year-end school holidays make December the peak month for annual leave burn-down.

Why Sarawak Public & School Holidays Matter for Employers & HR

Public and school holidays directly affect operations and payroll planning. Below are the details:

Workforce Planning

Festive seasons such as Gawai and Chinese New Year usually result in higher leave requests.

Payroll & Public Holiday Pay

Employers must ensure:

Correct public holiday pay
Overtime calculations (if employees work on public holidays)
Proper replacement leave handling

Business Operations

Industries such as retail, logistics, hospitality, and manufacturing may need early shift planning during festive periods.

Preventing Staffing Shortages

Advance planning reduces the risk of sudden manpower gaps during major celebrations or school holidays.

Planning Tips for Employers & HR in Sarawak

Here are practical steps for smoother planning:

Share The Holiday Calendar Early

Distribute the official Sarawak holiday calendar at the beginning of the year.

Align Leave Policies

Review employment contracts to ensure compliance with Sarawak public holiday rules.

Plan Payroll Cut-off Dates

Avoid processing payroll during long holiday periods where banks or offices may be closed.

Prepare Shift Coverage

Arrange backup staff for essential operations during:

Gawai Dayak
Chinese New Year
Christmas
Hari Raya

Anticipate Higher Leave Requests

Employees who already become parents often apply for leave during:

Mid-year school holidays
Year-end school holidays

Having a clear leave approval system helps prevent conflicts.

FAQs

What are the public holidays in Sarawak for 2026?

Sarawak observes federal and state holidays, including Chinese New Year, Good Friday, Gawai Dayak, Sarawak Day, Malaysia Day, Christmas, and others as listed above.

Are Sarawak public holidays different from other states?

Yes. Sarawak has state-specific holidays such as Gawai Dayak and Sarawak Day.

Is Deepavali a public holiday in Sarawak?

No, Deepavali is not an official Sarawak state public holiday.

What happens if two public holidays fall on the same day?

Generally, only one day is counted unless officially announced otherwise.

When are school holidays in Sarawak for 2026?

Key breaks begin on 21 March, 23 May, 29 August, and 5 December 2026.

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