How Citizens of Kazakhstan Will Celebrate the New Year?

At the end of 2025 and the beginning of 2026, Kazakhstani citizens will have several public holidays. For those on a five-day workweek, there will be 9 days off in December and 12 days off in January. This information is reported by Tengri Life based on the holiday calendar.

December: Additional Day Off and Independence Day

The main public holiday in December is December 16, Independence Day. In 2025, this day falls on a Tuesday, giving citizens an extra day off in the middle of the week. For those on a six-day workweek, this day is also considered an official holiday.

The ministry also clarified that December 31 will remain a working day. Since this date is not included in the list of public holidays, declaring it a day off is “inappropriate.” Therefore, citizens are advised to plan their year-end preparations in advance.

January: Traditional Long New Year Holidays

January 2026 will delight Kazakhstani citizens with its usual long New Year holiday period. The number of days off depends on the work schedule.

For a five-day workweek:

• December 30–31 — working days
• January 1–2 — New Year holidays
• January 3–4 — days off
• January 5–6 — working days
• January 7 — Christmas holiday

For a six-day workweek:

• December 30–31 — working days
• January 1–2 — New Year holidays
• January 3 — working day
• January 4 — day off
• January 5–6 — working days
• January 7 — Christmas holiday

The Ministry of Labor and Social Protection emphasized that no adjustments to holiday schedules are planned for December 2025 and January 2026.