Bank Holiday in March 2026: Banks To Remain Closed in These Cities for Holika Dahan and Holi; Check Full List Here
In March 2026, Indian banks face 11 days of closures as per RBI guidelines. Holi leads the disruptions with staggered holidays on March 2, 3, and 4. Other major breaks include Gudi Padwa (Mar 19), Ramzan Eid (Mar 21), and Ram Navami (Mar 26). While branches close, UPI, ATMs, and mobile banking remain fully operational.
New Delhi, March 2: Banking operations across India will face significant interruptions this week and throughout March 2026, as the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) holiday calendar lists up to 11 days of closures depending on the region. The primary driver of these early-month disruptions is the festival of Holi, which will see banks closed on different dates across states, starting with Holika Dahan today, Monday, March 2.
While digital services like UPI, mobile banking, and ATMs will remain fully operational, physical branch services including cheque clearances and large cash deposits will be unavailable on these specific dates. Stock Market Holidays March 2026: Will NSE and BSE Remain Closed on Holi? Check Trading Holiday List.
The Holi Effect: Regional Holiday Variations
The RBI categorises bank holidays under the Negotiable Instruments Act, which means closures for Holi are decentralised and based on local state observances.
- March 2 (Monday): Banks are closed in Lucknow and Kanpur for Holika Dahan.
- March 3 (Tuesday): A major holiday for Holi (Second Day)/Dol Jatra/Dhulandi/Holika Dahan andAttukal Pongala. Banks will stay shut in cities such as Belapur, Bhopal, Dehradun, Guwahati, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Kanpur, Kolkata, Lucknow, Mumbai, Nagpur, Panaji, Patna, Ranchi, Thiruvananthapuram and Vijayawada.
- March 4 (Wednesday): Second-day celebrations and local festivals like Holi, Dhuleti and Yaosang will see closures in Agartala, Aizawl, Ahmedabad, Bhubaneswar, Chandigarh, Dehradun, Gangtok, Imphal, Itanagar, Jammu, Kanpur, Lucknow, New Delhi, Patna, Raipur, Ranchi, Shillong, and Shimla.
Other Major Bank Closures in March 2026
The latter half of the month features several religious and cultural festivals that will halt branch banking in specific clusters:
| Date | Occasion | Affected Cities |
| March 19 | Gudhi Padwa/Ugadi Festival/Telugu New Year's Day/Sajibu Nongmapanba (Cheiraoba)/1st Navratra | Belapur, Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad, Imphal, Jammu, Mumbai, Nagpur, Panaji, Srinagar and Vijayawada. |
| March 20/21 | Eid-ul-Fitr (Ramzan Eid) | Nationwide (Varies by Moon sighting; mostly March 21) |
| March 26/27 | Shri Ram Navami | Several parts of the countr |
| March 31 | Mahavir Jayanti | Several parts of the country |
Additionally, all banks will observe standard closures on the second Saturday, March 14 and fourth Saturday, March 28.
Availability of Digital Services
Customers are reminded that while branch doors may be shut, the following services will remain unaffected:
- ATM Withdrawals: Cash machines will be replenished, though high demand is expected during the Holi weekend.
- IMPS/NEFT/RTGS: Online transfers will continue to function normally for individual users.
- UPI Payments: Mobile apps like PhonePe, Google Pay, and Paytm will operate 24/7.
Planning for Financial Year-End
March is a critical month for Indian taxpayers and businesses as it marks the end of the 2025-26 financial year. With a cluster of holidays toward the final week, financial experts recommend completing high-value transactions, such as tax-saving investments or property-related payments, well before the final week of the month. The RBI has also noted that March 31 serves as a partial holiday in some regions for Mahavir Jayanti, further complicating the traditional "March ending" rush.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 02, 2026 09:17 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).