You’re sitting there, tea in hand, ready to catch the opening bell at 9:15 AM. You fire up your terminal, but the numbers aren't moving. Nothing. You check your internet. It’s fine. Then it hits you—it’s a random Tuesday in mid-March and the market is actually closed.
Honestly, we’ve all been there.
Keeping track of Indian stock market holidays isn't just about knowing when you get a day off from the charts. It’s about not getting trapped in a liquidity squeeze or wondering why your settlement hasn’t hit your bank account. In 2026, the calendar is a bit of a maze. We have the usual suspects like Republic Day, but then there are "settlement holidays" that sneak up on you where trading is open, but the money part is stuck in limbo.
The 2026 Trading Calendar: When the Lights Go Out
In 2026, the NSE and BSE are scheduled to stay closed for about 15 or 16 specific weekdays. This doesn't include the standard Saturdays and Sundays. If a big festival like Mahashivratri or Independence Day falls on a weekend—which they do this year—you don't get an "extra" Monday off. The market is cold-blooded like that.
Here is how the main trading holidays for the Equity segment look for the rest of 2026:
The year kicked off with a surprise closure on January 15 (Thursday) for the Municipal Corporation Elections in Maharashtra. Then we had the standard Republic Day on January 26 (Monday).
Coming up in March, things get quiet. Holi falls on March 3 (Tuesday). Later that month, we lose March 26 (Thursday) for Shri Ram Navami and March 31 (Tuesday) for Shri Mahavir Jayanti. If you’re an options seller, these mid-week breaks are a nightmare for theta decay calculations.
April is relatively light with only Good Friday on April 3 and Ambedkar Jayanti on April 14 (Tuesday). Then we hit Maharashtra Day on May 1 (Friday), which gives everyone a nice long weekend. Bakri Id is May 28 (Thursday) and Muharram is June 26 (Friday).
The second half of the year is where the big festival clusters happen. You’ve got Ganesh Chaturthi on September 14 (Monday). October gives us Gandhi Jayanti (October 2, Friday) and Dussehra (October 20, Tuesday).
November is the big one. Diwali Balipratipada is November 10 (Tuesday). Shortly after, we have Guru Nanak Jayanti on November 24 (Tuesday). Finally, the year wraps up with Christmas on December 25, which conveniently falls on a Friday in 2026.
The Weird Case of Settlement Holidays
This is where most beginners get tripped up. A settlement holiday is not a trading holiday. Basically, you can buy and sell shares on the NSE or BSE, but the back-office guys at the banks and depositories (NSDL/CDSL) are at home.
In 2026, dates like February 19 (Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Jayanti), March 19 (Gudhi Padwa), and April 1 (Annual Bank Closing) are settlement holidays.
What does this mean for you? If you sell your stocks on a Tuesday that happens to be a settlement holiday, your money won't move to your wallet on the usual T+1 cycle. It gets pushed back. If you’re planning to use that cash for a Thursday expiry, you might find yourself short on margins. It's annoying, but that's the system.
Muhurat Trading: The One Hour That Matters
Even though November 8, 2026, is a Sunday, the market won't be completely dark. This is for Laxmi Pujan.
Indian stock market holidays usually mean zero activity, but Diwali is the exception. The exchanges hold a special Muhurat Trading session. It usually lasts for just one hour in the evening. It’s more about tradition and "shubh" (auspicious) beginnings than high-frequency scalping.
Usually, the session starts with a pre-open around 6:00 PM, but the exact timings are only released by the NSE a few weeks prior. Most people just buy a few shares of a "blue chip" company for their portfolio and call it a day.
MCX and Commodities: A Different Set of Rules
If you’re trading Gold, Silver, or Crude Oil on the MCX, the holiday list is a different beast. Commodities markets often work in two sessions: morning (9:00 AM to 5:00 PM) and evening (5:00 PM to 11:30/11:55 PM).
On many Indian stock market holidays, the MCX morning session is closed, but the evening session is open. Why? Because the Indian commodity market tracks global prices like the COMEX and NYMEX. If the US markets are trading, the MCX doesn't want to stay closed and miss the volatility.
For example, on Holi (March 3) or Ganesh Chaturthi (September 14), the morning session is usually shut, but you can get back to your terminal at 5:00 PM for the evening session. However, on "National Holidays" like Republic Day (Jan 26), Gandhi Jayanti (Oct 2), and Independence Day (Aug 15), both sessions are strictly closed.
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Why You Should Care About These Gaps
Think about "Weekend Risk."
When the market is closed for three days straight—say, from Friday to Sunday—a lot can happen globally. The US Fed might announce a rate hike, or some geopolitical drama could unfold in the Middle East. Since you can't exit your position on a holiday, you’re stuck watching the global markets move while your capital is locked.
If you’re carrying a heavy "overnight" position into a long weekend, you're essentially gambling on where the market will gap up or gap down on Monday morning. Professional traders usually trim their positions before a long string of Indian stock market holidays to avoid this exact scenario.
Liquidity also dries up. On the day before a major holiday, volumes often drop. Big institutional players (the FIIs and DIIs) often head out early. This can lead to weird, erratic price movements that don't follow technical patterns.
Actionable Steps for 2026 Trading
Don't just look at the list and forget it. You need to prep.
First, sync your Google Calendar. Most brokerage apps like Zerodha, Dhan, or Upstox have a "Market Calendar" feature. Use it. Mark the long weekends specifically—those are your danger zones for carrying options.
Second, watch your margins during settlement holidays. If you are expecting a payout to fund a new trade, add a one-day buffer to your plan. April 1 is notorious for this because of the bank closing; even if the market is open, your bank might not process the NEFT/RTGS transfer as quickly as you'd like.
Third, adjust your SIP (Systematic Investment Plan) dates. If your SIP is set for the 10th of the month and that day is a holiday, the purchase usually happens on the next working day. This might mean you get a slightly different NAV (Net Asset Value) than you expected.
Finally, keep an eye on the "special" Sunday session for the Union Budget. In 2026, there was talk of the market being open on February 1 (Sunday) because it's Budget Day. The exchanges hate being closed when the Finance Minister is speaking. Always check the official NSE circulars about a week before the Budget to see if they’ve declared a "special trading session."
Trading isn't just about the charts; it's about the calendar. If you know when the doors are locked, you won't get caught standing outside in the cold.
Next Steps:
- Audit your open positions at least 48 hours before any Friday or Monday holiday to reduce "gap risk."
- Check your broker's margin requirements for the week of April 1, as bank closures can delay fund transfers.
- Review the MCX session timings if you trade commodities, as the evening sessions often remain active even when equities are closed.