Stock Market Holidays 2026 and 2027: NSE, BSE and MCX Calendar With Settlement and Expiry Impact

What are stock market holidays?

Stock market holidays look simple on a calendar, but they catch traders out every year. On Tuesday, 31 March 2026, markets were shut for Mahavir Jayanti, so the Nifty expiry moved to Monday, 30 March. On Thursday, 28 May 2026, Bakri Id closed the exchanges and the Sensex expiry moved to Wednesday, 27 May. Traders who assumed the usual expiry day had to scramble.

With 2026 almost over, this guide covers both years. You get the full 2026 list, the closures still ahead this year, and an early look at 2027, plus what each closure means for your settlement, expiry and withdrawals. The NSE and BSE circulars are the final word on every date.

Complete NSE and BSE Holiday List for 2026

NSE and BSE keep the equity and F&O segments closed on the weekdays below. Some broker pages show 15 holidays because they leave out the 15 January closure for the Maharashtra municipal corporation elections. Zerodha and Swastika both include it, so the weekday count is 16.

Date	Day	Holiday	Long weekend
15 Jan	Thursday	Municipal Corporation Elections, Maharashtra	No
26 Jan	Monday	Republic Day	Yes
3 Mar	Tuesday	Holi	No
26 Mar	Thursday	Shri Ram Navami	No
31 Mar	Tuesday	Shri Mahavir Jayanti	No
3 Apr	Friday	Good Friday	Yes
14 Apr	Tuesday	Dr. Baba Saheb Ambedkar Jayanti	No
1 May	Friday	Maharashtra Day	Yes
28 May	Thursday	Bakri Id	No
26 Jun	Friday	Muharram	Yes
14 Sep	Monday	Ganesh Chaturthi	Yes
2 Oct	Friday	Mahatma Gandhi Jayanti	Yes
20 Oct	Tuesday	Dussehra	No
10 Nov	Tuesday	Diwali Balipratipada	No
24 Nov	Tuesday	Prakash Gurpurb Sri Guru Nanak Dev	No
25 Dec	Friday	Christmas	Yes

Four 2026 holidays land on a weekend, so they cost you no trading days: Maha Shivaratri (Sunday, 15 February), Eid-Ul-Fitr (Saturday, 21 March), Independence Day (Saturday, 15 August) and Diwali Laxmi Pujan (Sunday, 8 November, the Muhurat session day).

Remaining Stock Market Holidays in 2026

As of 16 October 2026, five dates are left. Dussehra is the closest, only four days away.

Date	Day	Occasion	What to expect
20 Oct	Tuesday	Dussehra	Markets closed. Trading resumes Wednesday, 21 October
8 Nov	Sunday	Diwali Laxmi Pujan	Special Muhurat session
10 Nov	Tuesday	Diwali Balipratipada	Markets closed
24 Nov	Tuesday	Guru Nanak Jayanti	Markets closed
25 Dec	Friday	Christmas	Markets closed, three-day weekend

After Christmas, normal trading continues through 31 December, and the next closure is Republic Day on 26 January 2027.

Stock Market Holidays 2027: Expected NSE and BSE List

The exchanges have not released the official 2027 calendar yet. They normally publish it in December, and some dates for Eid, Bakri Id and Muharram depend on moon sighting. The list below is provisional, built from public holiday dates, and it can shift by a day.

Date	Day	Holiday	Note
26 Jan	Tuesday	Republic Day	Falls on a Nifty expiry day
10 Mar	Wednesday	Id-Ul-Fitr (Ramzan Eid)	Moon-dependent
22 Mar	Monday	Holi	Long weekend
26 Mar	Friday	Good Friday	Long weekend
14 Apr	Wednesday	Dr. Baba Saheb Ambedkar Jayanti	Back to back with Ram Navami
15 Apr	Thursday	Shri Ram Navami	Falls on a Sensex expiry day
19 Apr	Monday	Shri Mahavir Jayanti	Long weekend
17 May	Monday	Bakri Id	Long weekend, moon-dependent
15 Jun	Tuesday	Muharram	Some calendars show 16 June
29 Oct	Friday	Diwali Laxmi Pujan	Muhurat session expected in the evening

That is about 10 weekday closures, fewer than the 16 in 2026. The Balipratipada date is not settled across sources, so the exchanges may add one more closure around Diwali.

Several 2027 festivals fall on weekends and should not reduce trading days: Maha Shivaratri (Saturday, 6 March), Maharashtra Day (Saturday, 1 May), Independence Day (Sunday, 15 August), Ganesh Chaturthi (Saturday, 4 September), Gandhi Jayanti (Saturday, 2 October), Dussehra (9 or 10 October), Guru Nanak Jayanti (Sunday, 14 November) and Christmas (Saturday, 25 December).

Two things stand out. March 2027 has Holi on Monday the 22nd and Good Friday on the 26th, so the month has two long weekends in a row. April 2027 has a two-day midweek break on the 14th and 15th, with Mahavir Jayanti following on Monday the 19th.

Trading Holiday vs Settlement Holiday

A trading holiday means the exchange is closed. A settlement holiday means the exchange may be open, but the clearing corporations do not settle trades or move funds that day.

The difference decides when your money lands. In 2026 Zerodha listed these settlement-only days: 19 February, 19 March, 1 April (annual bank closing) and 26 August (Id-E-Milad). Settlement-only days for 2027 will be published along with the official calendar.

Here is a real example. Muharram on 26 June 2026 was both a trading and a settlement holiday. Zerodha told clients that profits from intraday and F&O trades made on 25 June would not show in their balance on 26 June. Regular withdrawal requests placed on 26 June were processed on 27 June, while instant withdrawal stayed available.

Feature	Trading holiday	Settlement holiday
Can you place orders?	No	Yes, if the exchange is open
Are funds credited?	No	Delayed until the next settlement day
Typical example	Dussehra, 20 October 2026	Id-E-Milad, 26 August 2026

MCX and Commodity Holidays

MCX runs two sessions: a morning session and an evening session. Many holidays close only the morning, so commodity traders often get a shorter day, not a full break.

For the rest of 2026:

• 20 October, 10 November and 24 November: morning session closed, evening session open.
• 25 December: both sessions closed.

On Muharram earlier this year, commodity trading restarted from 5:00 PM. For 2027, MCX will publish session-wise timings after the exchange calendars, and it is likely to follow the same pattern of evening trading on festival weekdays. Session timings can change by circular, so check the MCX notice before placing a late trade.

Muhurat Trading in 2026 and 2027

Muhurat trading is a special one-hour session held on Diwali Laxmi Pujan. In 2026 it falls on Sunday, 8 November. For 2027, the provisional date is Friday, 29 October, when regular daytime trading is expected to stay closed and the special session runs in the evening.

Many investors treat it as an auspicious time to buy a small quantity of shares, often for the long term. The exchanges announce the exact start time by circular closer to Diwali. Regular trading rules apply, so orders, margins and settlement work as usual. Treat it as a ritual, not a guaranteed profit session. Prices can still swing.

How Holidays Affect Options and Futures Expiry

If an expiry day falls on a trading holiday, the contract expires on the previous trading day. This matters because Nifty weekly contracts expire on Tuesdays and Sensex weekly contracts expire on Thursdays.

Here is how it plays out for the rest of 2026:

Holiday	Day	Contract affected	Expiry moves to
20 Oct	Tuesday	Nifty weekly	Monday, 19 Oct
10 Nov	Tuesday	Nifty weekly	Monday, 9 Nov
24 Nov	Tuesday	Nifty weekly and monthly	Monday, 23 Nov

For 2027, if the Tuesday and Thursday schedule continues, the provisional list points to these shifts:

Holiday	Day	Contract affected	Expiry moves to
26 Jan	Tuesday	Nifty weekly and monthly	Monday, 25 Jan
15 Apr	Thursday	Sensex weekly	Tuesday, 13 Apr, because 14 April is also a holiday
15 Jun	Tuesday	Nifty weekly	Monday, 14 Jun

Monthly contracts follow the last Tuesday (Nifty) or last Thursday (Sensex) of the month, which is why 24 November 2026 and 26 January 2027 shift both weekly and monthly expiries.

What this means in practice:

• Theta decay arrives early. An option bought on Friday before a Tuesday holiday has fewer trading days to live than the calendar suggests.
• Expiry-day volume shifts to Monday. Liquidity and volatility follow the new date.
• Hedges need a new deadline. If you hold a hedge against a Tuesday expiry, close or roll it by Monday.

How Holidays Affect Different Types of Investors

Intraday traders

You cannot place or modify orders on a closure, so plan your week around it. Fewer trading days also mean fewer chances to recover a loss, so many intraday traders cut position size in short weeks.

Swing traders

A holiday adds overnight gap risk. If global markets move while India is shut, your stop-loss may trigger at a worse price when trading resumes. Review open trades before a long weekend, not after it.

Options and futures traders

Check the shifted expiry date first, then your margin. Positions held across a closure stay open, and you carry the risk until the next session. Avoid leaving highly leveraged option-selling positions unattended over a three-day break.

Long-term investors and SIP investors

A holiday rarely changes a long-term plan. A mutual fund SIP that falls on a non-business day is processed on the next business day, so the NAV you get may differ slightly.

Beginners

Remember three things: you cannot trade on a closure, open positions stay open, and settlement can be delayed even when the market is open. That covers most of what changes for you.

Impact on IPOs, Mutual Funds and Corporate Actions

IPO timelines count working days, so a holiday inside the cycle can push allotment or listing a day later. Check the registrar’s schedule instead of counting days yourself.

Mutual fund purchases and redemptions made on a holiday are processed on the next business day, at that day’s NAV. Record dates for dividends and other corporate actions also move when they fall on a closure, which can change who is eligible.

If you need cash for a payment on or just after a holiday, withdraw it before the settlement break. A sale made the day before a closure may not reach your bank until two working days later.

Stock Market Long Weekends in 2026 and 2027

One three-day weekend is left in 2026: 25 to 27 December (Christmas). It often brings thin year-end volumes, so spreads can widen and prices can move on small orders.

The provisional 2027 list points to five long weekends:

1. 20 to 22 March (Holi, Monday)
2. 26 to 28 March (Good Friday)
3. 17 to 19 April (Mahavir Jayanti, Monday)
4. 15 to 17 May (Bakri Id, Monday)
5. 29 to 31 October (Diwali Laxmi Pujan, Friday)

How Trading Holidays Are Decided and Changed

NSE and BSE publish the holiday list for the next calendar year in advance, usually in December. It covers public holidays, religious festivals and a few local events.

The list can change. The 15 January 2026 closure for the Maharashtra municipal corporation elections is a recent example, and some broker pages still show the shorter list. Always confirm a date on the NSE or BSE circular before you plan a trade or a withdrawal around it. For 2027, treat every date above as an expected date until the official circular arrives.

Global Holidays That Still Affect Indian Markets

Indian markets can be closed while global markets keep moving. GIFT Nifty trades in extended hours, so it can show direction before the Indian market reopens. US markets are shut for Thanksgiving on 26 November 2026, which can reduce overseas cues for Indian IT stocks. Good Friday on 26 March 2027 is one of the few days when India, the US, the UK and most of Europe are all closed together. Crude oil and currency moves continue through an Indian closure and show up in the next session.

Expert Tips for Planning Around Market Closures

1. Check the NSE or BSE circular on the first of every month for changes.
2. Look up the shifted expiry date before you open any weekly option position.
3. Keep a margin buffer in your account before a long weekend.
4. Withdraw funds before a settlement break if you need cash that week.
5. Set calendar alerts for each remaining closure, and add the 2027 dates once the official list is out.
6. Reduce leveraged positions before a three-day weekend.
7. Use stop-loss orders with care, because a gap can skip your price.
8. Keep your broker’s holiday notice handy, as it explains fund credits.

Common Mistakes Traders Make

• Mixing up trading and settlement holidays. Markets open does not mean funds available.
• Assuming expiry stays on its usual day. Always check the date in a holiday week.
• Treating a provisional list as final. Moon-sighting festivals can move by a day.
• Trusting outdated calendars. Some pages still show last year’s settlement dates.
• Ignoring commodity sessions. MCX evening trading can run on days equities are closed.
• Holding big positions over a long weekend. Gap risk is real and unhedged.

FAQs: Stock Market Holidays

Key Takeaways

• NSE and BSE have 16 weekday closures in 2026, and the remaining ones are 20 October, 10 November, 24 November and 25 December.
• Muhurat trading is on Sunday, 8 November 2026, with the time set by exchange circular.
• About 10 weekday closures are expected in 2027, starting with Republic Day on Tuesday, 26 January. The list is provisional until the exchanges publish it, usually in December.
• Nifty weekly expiry is Tuesday and Sensex weekly expiry is Thursday, and both shift to the previous trading day on a holiday.
• Settlement holidays delay fund credits even when the market is open.
• MCX often closes only the morning session, so commodity traders get a shorter day, not always a full break.
• Always confirm dates on the official NSE, BSE and MCX circulars.

Disclaimer: This article is for general information and education only. It is not investment, trading or tax advice. The 2027 dates are provisional and based on public holiday dates until the exchanges publish their official calendar. Holiday dates and exchange rules can change, so verify them on the official NSE, BSE and MCX circulars before you act. Investments in securities markets are subject to market risk.