What Are The Public Holidays in Bahrain in 2026?

List of Public Holidays in Bahrain (2026)

Bahrain’s public holidays combine fixed national days with Islamic religious observances that follow the lunar calendar. Below is an indicative list of the main public holidays expected in 2026, noting that Islamic dates are subject to official moon‑sighting and government announcements.

Do Employers Have to Provide Paid Leave on Public Holidays?

Yes, under Bahraini labour law, public holidays are generally treated as paid days off for employees, and you are expected to provide full pay when a public holiday falls on an employee’s normal working day. The statutory framework is set out in the Labour Law for the Private Sector, which designates official holidays and requires employers to pay employees their normal wage for these days.

If an employee is required to work on a public holiday, they are typically entitled to premium compensation, often at a higher hourly rate plus a substitute day off, or a higher premium rate without a substitute day, depending on the contract and any applicable collective agreement. Many employers in Bahrain follow the common practice of granting a compensatory day off when a holiday falls on a weekend, in line with government announcements for the public sector, although the exact approach in the private sector should be confirmed in your internal policies and employment contracts.

Part‑time and hourly employees are usually entitled to public holiday pay on a pro‑rata basis if the holiday falls on a day they would ordinarily work. Where work patterns vary, you should define in writing how you calculate average hours and holiday pay to avoid disputes. There are no regional differences in the public holiday calendar across Bahrain, so your company can apply a single national policy, while still allowing for additional company‑specific days off if you choose.

Legal Penalties for Not Providing Paid Holiday Leave

Failure to comply with Bahrain’s public holiday and paid leave rules can expose your company to labour inspections, employee complaints, and financial penalties. The Ministry of Labour and the relevant labour courts are responsible for enforcing the Labour Law, and employees can file complaints if they believe they have not received their correct holiday pay or compensatory rest.

Sanctions can include orders to pay back‑dated wages, overtime differentials, and compensation, as well as administrative fines for breaching statutory entitlements. Persistent non‑compliance can damage your company’s reputation and make it harder to hire and retain talent in Bahrain’s relatively small labour market.

Common employer mistakes include treating public holidays as unpaid leave, failing to pay premium rates when employees work on holidays, not granting substitute days when this is promised in contracts or policies, and applying inconsistent rules to part‑time or shift workers. To reduce risk, you should keep clear records of working hours, holiday schedules, and pay calculations, and ensure your Bahraini employment contracts and handbooks accurately reflect local law.

How Do Holidays Affect Overtime Thresholds?

In Bahrain, public holidays interact with overtime rules by triggering premium pay when employees work on days that should be paid rest days. The Labour Law sets normal working hours and requires higher pay for work performed beyond those limits or on weekly rest days and official holidays.

When an employee works on a public holiday, you should treat those hours as overtime and apply the applicable premium rate specified in the law or the employment contract, whichever is more favourable to the employee. In practice, many employers pay a higher multiple of the basic wage for holiday work and may also grant a substitute day off, especially for full‑time staff.

Holidays do not usually increase the weekly overtime threshold, but they can change how you calculate total payable hours. For example, if an employee’s normal weekly schedule is reduced because of a public holiday, any additional hours worked on that holiday are typically treated as overtime, not as ordinary hours. You should define in your policies how you handle overtime approvals, how you record hours worked on holidays, and how you compensate shift workers whose schedules cross midnight into a holiday.

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