The closure of West Bengal due to Durga Puja will last almost 2 weeks of time. Under the Negotiable Instruments Act’s list of public holidays, there are the dates Mahalaya (10 October), Maha Ashtami (19 October), Maha Nabami (20 October), and Vijaya Dashami (21 October). Together with these, if we count the state government List-II holidays consisting of (Chaturthi Panchami Shashthi, and three days after Dashami), then government offices shall remain closed one after the other for almost 12 consecutive days, counting in the days off. Schools even extended their holidays with the Puja Vacation of WBBSE being between 15th October to 12th November. This article brings detailed information about what will be closed, for what period, and for whom the closures are. 

West Bengal Government Holidays, October 2026

Source: Government of West Bengal, Finance (Audit)

Department, Notification No. 4188-F(P2), dated 27 November 2025.

 

Date	Day	Occasion	Category
2 Oct	Friday	Gandhi Jayanti	Section 25, NI Act
10 Oct	Saturday	Mahalaya	Section 25, NI Act (**)
15 Oct	Thursday	Durga Puja, Maha Chaturthi	State holiday (List-II)
16 Oct	Friday	Durga Puja, Maha Panchami	State holiday (List-II)
17 Oct	Saturday	Durga Puja, Maha Shashthi	State holiday (List-II) (**)
18 Oct	Sunday	Durga Puja, Maha Saptami	Falls on Sunday — already an NI Act holiday
19 Oct	Monday	Durga Puja, Maha Ashtami	Section 25, NI Act

 

Date	Day	Occasion	Category
20 Oct	Tuesday	Durga Puja, Maha Nabami	Section 25, NI Act
21 Oct	Wednesday	Durga Puja, Dasami (Vijaya Dashami)	Section 25, NI Act
22 Oct	Thursday	Additional day for Durga Puja	State holiday (List-II)
23 Oct	Friday	Additional day for Durga Puja	State holiday (List-II)
24 Oct	Saturday	Additional day for Durga Puja	State holiday (List-II) (**)
25 Oct	Sunday	Kojagori Lakshmi Puja	Falls on Sunday
26 Oct	Monday	Additional day for Lakshmi Puja	State holiday (List-II)

(**)These items are only effective in the offices where Saturday is not a complete weekly holiday. Bottom line: government offices will be closed from 15 October to 26 October, and open on 27 October (Tuesday), if your department or particular office already does not have Saturday holidays, then there won’t be any breaks in your work at all during these days. Kali Puja is celebrated on 8 November (Sunday); this is a public holiday, and extra holidays are given on these two days (9th and 10th November). Afterwards, there is Bhai Phonta celebrated on 11-12 November.

School Holidays

So it gets really confusing there since three different calendars are in play.

WBSE / WBCHSE, etc. (state board schools): as the WBBSE Model Holiday List (dated 9 December 2025), Puja Vacation lasts from 15th  October to 12th  November (which means that you get your vacation from Maha Chaturthi to the day after Bhai Phonta, a total of 25 working days minus Sundays). WBBSE is the authority that will decide the schedule and they will notify about it. It would be the local variation if any that primary schools under WBBP will be making.

CBSE / ICSE schools in Kolkata: These schools have their own calendars and are not necessarily bound to the WBBSE model holiday list. In fact, many CBSE/ICSE schools in Kolkata will close around 15th to 17th October and may reopen in the 27th October to the 3rd November window roughly 12 to 18 days less compared to state-board schools. Be sure to check your school’s calendar because dates aren’t all the same and no one date is official.

Institutes of higher education: Normally, most state universities and colleges will closely align with the WBBSE Puja Holiday Window but there will of course be some differences based on institutions. Many of them may even be having their classes back in late October.

Institution type	Typical closure	Typical reopening
WBBSE/WBCHSE schools	15 October	12 November
CBSE/ICSE schools (Kolkata)	15–17 October	Late October– early November (varies)
Colleges/Universities	Mid- October	Late October– early November (varies)

Bank Holidays

Majority of the banks in West Bengal adhere to RBI’s holiday calendar which is the same set of national holidays as in the Indian Constitution except the state holidays and national holidays which are declared by the West Bengal government. The banks that are closed on these days are Mahalaya (10 October, Saturday), Maha Saptami (18 October, Sunday), Ashtami (19th October), Nabami (20th October), Dasami (21st October), besides usual Sundays and 2nd/4th Saturdays. Whether the state’s “additional” holidays from 22nd to 24th of October are observed by the banks is a matter decided by each individual bank as its local RBI circular, so this is not uniform, so it is advisable to confirm with the specific bank, or refer to its official holiday list, rather than go by assumptions.

ATMs and UPI transactions remain operational at all levels, only the services at the branch counters and cheque clearing are disturbed. For your awareness the best advice is, if possible, get cash before Shashti (17th October), since cheque clearing, loan release, and related official work at branches will definitely have to be done before 17th October because after that and until 27th October you have a lot of dates off, during which the bank will be practically a closed shop.

Post Offices, Courts & Registration Offices

Post offices usually shut their doors when there is a government holiday as declared by the state government, and they will be closed for the same period. But, the court of the Kolkata High Court makes its own vacation schedule and as a rule its period of vacation is shorter than that of the schools – only about a week from Ashtami to Dashami – with courts working partially on days before and after. Offices for registering documents (like office of Registrar of Assurances, Stamp Collector) are specially named in the government notification as exempted from the vacation closure under List-II – such offices might be able to do business on some of the “extra” days, meaning that if you want a property registered you had better check with them directly rather than go by the general shutdown assumption.

Are Shops, Malls & Restaurants Open During Puja?

Malls: are open throughout the festival period and may even extend their opening hours. Puja is peak retail season after all.

Shops (in particular local ones): Many of them stop trading from Saptami to Dashami as store keepers and assistants engage in pandal hopping. In families who run shops, some of them even extend their break for longer. 

Restaurants: are open for business but the pressure of business leads bookings to happen very quickly, Mainly Ashtami and Navami nights. If you think of eating out during your festival visit you will be advised strongly to book the restaurant well in advance of the holiday.

How to Build a Long Break in 2026

The government block is currently running from October 15th to 26th, so no leave application is required. If you want to extend it:

Leave taken	Extends break to	Total days off
None	15–26 Oct	12 days
27 Oct (Tue)	15 Oct–1 Nov	18 days (bridges into Kali Puja week)
2–6 Nov (5 days)	15 Oct–12 Nov	29 days

You can extend it by taking either one or two casual leave days on either side of the current leave block. It makes sense considering how much has already been covered by declared holidays.

Public Transport on Holidays

Local trains, metro, and buses run reduced schedules on Ashtami through Dashami, with special late-night Metro services on some nights for pandal-hopping.

Frequently Asked Questions

1.How many days of leave will the Durga Puja occasion in West Bengal during 2026? 

Government staff would be given 12 continuous days-off on 15, 26 October. Then again, WBBSE-affiliated schools would operate around 25 weekdays, from 15 October to 12 November. 

2. On which dates do schools declare holiday for the Durga celebration 2026 in West Bengal?

Classes in colleges and schools run under WBBSE/WBCHSE curriculum will be on stop on 15 October and resume lessons on 12 November. CBSE & ICSE schools usually have a bit less time to break and set the dates because of this.

3. Will banks remain shut on Durga puja 2026? 

Surely, Mahalaya (10 Oct), Saptami (18 Oct – which falls on a Sunday), Ashtami (19th  Oct), Nabami (20th  Oct), and Dasami (21st  Oct) will all be days the banks shut. The banks still are free to choose to shut on 22-24 Oct which are the extra state holidays.

4. Is the day of Mahalaya a holiday in the calendar of West Bengal? 

Absolutely, 10 October 2026, via NI Act Section 25.

5. Do businesses and stores remain closed all Durga festival period in Kolkata? 

Shopping malls remain open for more hours. It is common though, that small outlets close between Saptami and Dashami.

6. Is Vijaya Dashami a holiday in the official calendar of the country?

Actually, 21 October 2026, through the National Integration (NI) Act.

7. When do West Bengal government offices reopen after Puja?

Tuesday, 27 October 2026.