It’s been a few days since we entered the promising year of 2024! It is time to note your New Year resolutions, set your mind to reach exciting milestones and embrace habits that will transform you for good. While doing that, travel seekers should also pay attention to the most exciting aspect of the year – The long weekends 2024!
This is your perfect opportunity to make plans, explore new horizons, set out on refreshing adventures, and make cherishable memories with your loved ones. Our comprehensive guide to long weekends 2024 is your key to unlocking the best vacations and savouring every moment of these extended breaks with your friends and family!
Read on!
A Comprehensive List Of Long Weekends 2024
Here’s a list of all long weekends 2024 along with the specific dates on which you can take day-offs to extend your vacation. Also, we have listed a few places, events, and festivals that you can attend during this time.
January
January is the first eventful month of the year and luckily, there are two long weekends 2024 waiting right around the corner. Makar Sankranti is an important three-day festival in the country. Republic Day commemorates the day when the Indian constitution became effective. Both of these important events fall during the weekends.
January 13th – Saturday – Lohri festival
January 14th – Sunday
January 15th – Monday – Makar Sankranthi/ Uttarayan
January 16th – Tuesday – take the day off
January 26th – Friday – Republic Day
January 27th – Saturday
January 28th – Sunday
While on vacation, you can explore the Bikaner Camel Festival or watch the Republic Day Parade in New Delhi.
Bikaner Camel Festival
Bikaner Camel Festival is a celebration that is dedicated to the existence of camels and the local’s way of thanking the animals for their unwavering support in helping them make a living. You can enjoy seeing camel competitions, locals engaging in games, folk dance and songs, camel pageants, and tasting mouth-watering local food. The event happens between 11th January to 14th January, so you can book your tickets in advance for the Makar Sankranti weekend.
Alternatively, travellers can also explore the International Kite Festival in Gujarat from 8th January to 14th January during Uttarayan.
Also Read: BIKANER CAMEL FESTIVAL 2024: TALES OF CAMELS, COLOURS, AND COMPETITIONS
Republic Day Parade
Republic Day Parade is the best way to witness India’s glory! It happens every year on January 26th in Kartvya Path of New Delhi. The day includes flag hoisting by the President, parade march by regiments of the army, air force, and navy, display of defence weaponry, and states also show a glimpse of their culture. The event extends till the 28th of January and is a worthwhile patriotic experience.
February
The February month has no long weekends 2024 but you can take a few days off to celebrate the Losar festival in the Ladakh monasteries. This event marks the beginning of the Tibetan New Year and is also a celebration to welcome the harvest season. The main day of the Losar festival is on the 10th of February but the festivities last till the 25th of February.
You can get all the deets from this blog: LOSAR FESTIVAL 2024: KNOW ALL THE DETAILS ABOUT THE TIBETAN NEW YEAR AND HARVEST FESTIVAL
March
March has three long weekends. The Mahashivratri weekend comes in the first weekend of the month and during the last weekends, there are holidays for the Hindu festival Holi and the Christian special day – ‘Good Friday’. Both Holi and Good Friday are falling on the same week, so people who want to extend their vacation for two weekends can do so conveniently!
March 8th – Friday – Maha Shivratri
March 9th – Saturday
March 10th – Sunday
March 23rd – Saturday
March 24th – Sunday
March 25th – Monday – Holi
March 26th to 28th – Take three days off
March 29th – Friday – Good Friday
March 30th – Saturday
March 31st – Sunday – Easter
During the Mahashivratri long weekend, it will be a surreal experience to visit Varanasi.
Varanasi During Mahashivratri
The best place to observe the Mahashivratri Vrat is Varanasi where the powerful Kashi Vishwanath rests. Lakhs of devotees flock to the place during the festival and take part in offering prayers to the Lord. You can also witness the ethereal Ganga Aarti near the ghats and join the hymns and chants of Lord Shiva that begin in the early hours and last all night.
You May Also Like Reading: GHATS OF VARANASI: A VISUAL SYMPHONY OF RELIGIOUS HYMNS AND RHYTHMIC WATERS
April
There are no nationwide holidays or long weekends in April but travel enthusiasts can take a few days off to travel to Telangana, or Andhra Pradesh to see the festivities of Ugadi – the Telugu New Year celebrations. This is the best time to see rangolis and eat the infamous Ugadi chutney which is a combination of six tastes – sweet, sour, pungent, salty, bitter and spicy.
However, the people of the Telugu states and Maharashtra do have a long weekend-
April 6th – Saturday
April 7th – Sunday
April 8th – Monday – take a day off
April 9th – Tuesday – Ugadi and Gudi Padwa
May
The festival of Buddha Poornima falls in the month of May, giving us yet another exclusive long weekend in 2024 to plan a fruitful vacation. People who can take two days off from work can also take advantage of the Labour Day holiday.
April 27th and 28th – Saturday and Sunday respectively
April 29th – Monday – take a day off
April 30th – Tuesday – take a day off
May 1st – Wednesday – Labour Day
May 23rd – Thursday – Buddha Poornima
May 24th – Friday – take a day off
May 25th – Saturday
May 26th – Sunday
During Buddha Poornima, consider paying a visit to the Mahabodhi temple in Bodhgaya.
Mahabodhi Temple – Bodhgaya
The Mahabodhi Temple in Bodhgaya, Bihar has been the main pilgrimage site for a lot of Buddhists across the world for over two thousand years. It is said that this is the place where Buddha gained enlightenment and took up the path of peace and harmony. You will also find the descendant of the Bodhi tree under which Buddha meditated to gain enlightenment. Mahabodhi Temple is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site so the architecture enthusiasts will love visiting the place.
June
We will be getting one of the long weekends 2024 in June owing to the festival Bakrid. Eid-Al-Adha is one of the main Islamic festivals that represents the feast of sacrifice.
June 15th – Saturday
June 16th – Sunday
June 17th – Monday – Bakrid or Eid-Al-Adha
June 18th – Tuesday – take the day off
In the month of June, our best suggestion would be to visit Kasol in Himachal Pradesh.
Kasol
Kasol is a breath-taking valley which will help you relax and rejuvenate in the month of June. The weather is very pleasant and the valley looks more refreshing when the summer almost comes to an end. The trekking trails are dry and you will see a lot of tourists coming here to explore the Parvati valley, cafes, hiking and trekking routes that are much safer and prettier during this time of the year.
Unfortunately, there are no long weekends 2024 in the month of July so we will be directly skipping to the dates in August month.
August
We have two long weekends 2024 in August and both of them are conveniently long to plan an out-of-city vacation. Firstly, we have Independence Day during a mid-month weekend and Janmashtami falls on the last weekend of the month. Raksha Bandhan is conveniently extending the Independence Day weekend by another day but not all of the corporate employees get a day off for the same. You can take an optional leave of absence if needed.
August 15th – Thursday – Independence Day
August 16th – Friday – take a day off
August 17th – Saturday
August 18th – Sunday
August 19th – Monday – Rakhi / Raksha Bandhan. Take an off to extend your vacation time.
August 24th – Saturday
August 25th – Sunday
August 26th – Monday – Krishna Janmashtami
For the Independence Day weekend, you can choose to go anywhere in the country and spend some good time making memories. However, be very mindful about what you are carrying in the travel luggage seeing how the national security is going to be very stringent during the time. People planning to take a flight should read the baggage specifications clearly to pass through security surveillance without any anomalies.
In the Krishna Janmashtami weekend, we suggest you pack your bags to reach Mathura and Vrindavan!
Mathura and Vrindavan
Mathura is the place where Lord Krishna was born and no other place in India celebrates his birthday as vibrantly as this one. Seeing how Vrindavan is also close to Mathura, you can explore all the temples, and spiritual places, take part in bhajans, and dance to the hymns of God while basking in the glory of positivity. While you are here, do not miss out on visiting the Prem Mandir, Krishnajanmabhoomi temple, Nidhivan temple, and explore the Yamuna ghats.
You can learn more about Janmashtami here: KRISHNA JANMASHTAMI 2022: REJOICE IN THE BIRTH OF LORD KRISHNA IN THESE PLACES
September
In the month of September, we have a long weekend during the first week owing to Ganesh Chaturthi and Onam celebrations in the south. The north Indians and a few south Indian states may not have a holiday for Onam so people from these places can take a leave of absence.
September 5th – Thursday – Onam / Optional day off
September 6th – Friday – Take a day off
September 7th – Saturday – Ganesh Chaturthi
September 8th – Sunday
You can visit Kerala to witness the charm of Onam celebrations and also see the various festivities that are centred around the backwaters.
Onam in Kerala
It is a visual treat to see the festival celebrations of Onam in Kerala. This is when you will see the infamous Kerala boat races happen on the pristine backwaters of Alleppey, Payippad, and Kallada among other places. These competitions are all about celebrating the harvest season and thanking the Gods for being generous with their offerings. Also, winning the boat races is a matter of pride for the competing teams.
Also Read: SAILING TOWARDS VICTORY IN 2023: WITNESS THE ENCHANTING KERALA BOAT RACE THIS SEASON
October
We start the month with Gandhi Jayanthi which opens doors to interesting travel opportunities. October is also the month of Devi Navaratri or Dussehra and the main three days of the festival fall during a weekend.
September 30th – Monday – Take a day off
October 1st – Tuesday – Take a day off
October 2nd – Wednesday – Gandhi Jayanthi
October 11th – Friday – Maha Navami
October 12th – Saturday – Dussehra or Vijaya Dasami
October 13th – Sunday
Pandals in Kolkata
The best places to visit during Dussehra are the pandal in Kolkata, the capital of West Bengal. Dussehra is the time when Kolkata brightens up in vibrant colours to celebrate the festival and thank the Goddess for ridding the world of evil. You will see several pandals with colourful and creative idols of the Goddess, having contemporary themes, and also addressing the momentary evils in society.
November
The major festivals Diwali for the Hindus and Guru Nanak Jayanthi for Sikhs, both fall in the month of November. While people prefer to celebrate Diwali with loved ones at home, we’d suggest you to take a trip to Golden Temple during the Guru Nanak Jayanthi weekend.
November 1st – Friday – Diwali
November 2nd – Saturday
November 3rd – Sunday
November 15th – Friday – Guru Nanak Jayanti
November 16th – Saturday
November 17th – Sunday
Golden Temple Amritsar
The Golden Temple in Amritsar lights up during the celebrations of Guru Nanak Jayanti. A lot of devotees visit the place to have the afternoon ‘langar’ and also take part in the ‘langar sewa’. It is the ideal place to listen to the preachings of Guru Nanak Ji and how they can transform our lives for the good.
December
December is all about joy and merriment! The Christmas festival brings yet another one of the long weekends 2024 for enjoyable vacation time!
December 25th – Wednesday – Christmas
December 26th – Thursday – take a day off
December 27th – Friday – take a day off
December 28th – Saturday
December 29th – Sunday
Shillong and Goa
The best places to visit for enchanting Christmas celebrations are Shillong and Goa. This is where you will see the churches adorned with lights and Christmas trees. You can explore the local Christmas markets, try the sweet treats from the bakeries, celebrate the occasion with locals and also grab a lot of souvenirs to take back home. The weather in Goa is exceptional during this time and you can party on the beaches while singing the Christmas carols.
If you plan to visit Goa during Christmas, then book your rooms in Treebo Hotels in Goa to find top-notch properties during the time when the tourist rush is a lot.
With this list of long weekends 2024, embark on a fun-filled journey to explore the off-beat places of our exceptionally beautiful country!
