Janmashtami 2025 on August 16: School Holiday Dates Vary Across States, Check Full List

Krishna Janmashtami, marking the birth of Lord Krishna, will be celebrated this year on Saturday, August 16, 2025. The festival, steeped in spiritual tradition and cultural fervour, will see grand celebrations in several parts of the country — especially in Mathura and Vrindavan, where temples, streets, and public spaces will come alive with devotional songs, dances, dramas, and elaborate rituals.

However, whether Janmashtami is observed as a school holiday depends entirely on state-level decisions. In India, public holidays are not uniformly enforced nationwide but are determined by individual state governments based on local customs and administrative priorities.

States Where Schools Will Remain Closed

In 2025, several states have declared Janmashtami an official holiday for schools, government offices, and banks. These include Gujarat, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Uttarakhand, Sikkim, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Meghalaya, and Himachal Pradesh.

Major cities such as Ahmedabad, Bhubaneswar, Chennai, Dehradun, Gangtok, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Lucknow, Kolkata, Patna, Raipur, Ranchi, Shillong, and Shimla will also observe the day with closures and large-scale celebrations.

States Where It’s a Working Day

In contrast, several states will treat Janmashtami as a regular working day, with schools and offices functioning as usual. These include Tripura, Mizoram, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Arunachal Pradesh, Kerala, Nagaland, Delhi, and Goa.

Cities such as Agartala, Aizawl, Mumbai, Nagpur, Bengaluru, Bhopal, Guwahati, Imphal, Itanagar, Kochi, Thiruvananthapuram, Kohima, New Delhi, and Panaji may still host cultural events, but participation will largely be voluntary.

Holiday Calendar Depends on State Announcements

The varied observance of Janmashtami underscores India’s diverse traditions and its federal system, where holiday declarations often hinge on cultural demographics and local sentiment. Students, parents, and employees are advised to check their state’s official notifications for final confirmation of closures.