As per an order issued by the Delhi government in January, the liquor shops in the national capitals will remain open on Holi 2026.
Holi with colours is to be celebrated in Delhi on Wednesday, March 4
Liquor shops in Delhi will remain open on Holi, March 4. As per an order issued by the Delhi government in January, the Holi festival is no longer in the list of ‘Dry Day’. For the January to March period, only Republic Day, Maha Shivratri, Id-ul-Fitr, Ram Navami, and Mahavir Jayanti will be observed as ‘Dry Days’ in Delhi.
For those unversed, Holi has mostly been a ‘Dry Day’ in Delhi for the last couple of decades. The only exception came in 2022 when a new liquor policy was introduced by the Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government, which reduced the total number of ‘Dry Days’ to just three.
For those unversed, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which was in Opposition at that time, slammed the sitting government for reducing the number of ‘Dry Days’. Delhi BJP chief Adesh Gupta said, ”There were 21 dry days to mark national holidays and to pay respect to the religious sentiments of people. I can not understand why Chief Minister Kejriwal is more inclined towards the liquor mafia. Every day, Delhi witnesses a liquor sale of over Rs 50 crore, and everybody knows how and why Arvind Kejriwal is supporting the liquor mafia.”
Full list of Dry Days in 2026 in India
Dry days in January: 6 days in January
14 January, Wednesday: Makar Sankranti
13-16 January, Tuesday-Friday: Maharashtra municipal elections (only in Maharashtra)
26 January, Monday: Republic Day
30 January, Friday: Martyrs’ Day
Dry days in February: 3 days in February
15 February, Sunday: Shivratri
19 February, Thursday: Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Jayanti (only in Maharashtra)
23 February, Monday: Swami Dayanand Saraswati Jayanti
Dry days in March: 4 days in March
4 March, Wednesday: Holi
21 March, Friday: Eid ul-Fitr
23 March, Monday: Shaheed Diwas (only in Maharashtra)
26 March, Friday: Ram Navami
31 March, Tuesday: Mahavir Jayanti
Dry days in April: 3 days in April
3 April, Friday: Good Friday
10 April, Friday: Mahavir Jayanti
14 April, Tuesday: Ambedkar Jayanti
Dry days in May: 2 days in May
1 May, Friday: Maharashtra Day (only in Maharashtra)
1 May, Friday: Buddha Purnima
27 May, Wednesday: Bakrid, Eid-al-Adha
Dry days in July: 2 days in July
25 July, Saturday: Ashadi Ekadashi
29 July, Wednesday: Guru Purnima
Dry days in August: 2 days in August
15 August, Saturday: Independence Day
25 August, Tuesday: Eid-e-Milad
Dry days in September: 3 days in September
4 September, Friday: Janmashthami
14 September, Monday: Ganesh Chaturthi (only in Maharashtra and Karnataka)
25 September, Friday: Anant Chaturdashi (only in Maharashtra)
Dry days in October: 3 days in October
2 October, Friday: Gandhi Jayanti
7 October, Wednesday: Maharishi Valmiki Jayanti
20 October, Tuesday: Dussehra
Dry days in November: 3 days in November
5 November, Thursday: Kartiki Ekadashi
8 November, Sunday: Diwali (only in Delhi NCR)
24 November, Tuesday: Guru Tegh Bahadur Shaheedi Diwas
24 November, Tuesday: Guru Nanak Jayanti
Dry days in December: 1 day in December
25 December, Friday: Christmas
