For businesses operating in or investing in Türkiye, understanding the 2025 public holiday schedule is key to managing operations, scheduling workforce needs, and navigating market dynamics. Türkiye’s standard workweek runs Monday to Friday, with Saturday and Sunday typically off—despite legislation marking Saturday as a half-day, most firms treat it as a full weekend day. In 2025, Türkiye observes 15.5 public holiday days (including half-days), leaving 250 workdays. The Islamic holidays, Ramazan Bayramı and Kurban Bayramı, follow the lunar calendar, shifting approximately 10 days earlier each year relative to the Gregorian calendar, which requires forward planning for long-term commitments.
Important Notice:
Due to the extended holiday announced in Turkey following Ramazan Bayramı (Eid al-Fitr), please be aware that banks will be closed during this period. The official holidays run from March 31 to April 2, 2025, and additional administrative bridge days have also been declared as non-working days for public sector and banks.
Holiday Schedule and Business Implications
| Holiday | Date in 2025 | Day | Business Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Year’s Day | 1 January | Wednesday | Midweek closure; expect reduced office and market activity. |
| Ramazan Bayramı (Eid al-Fitr) Eve | 29 March | Saturday | Half-day on a weekend; minimal operational disruption. |
| Ramazan Bayramı – Days 1-3 | 30 March – 1 April | Sunday – Tuesday | Three-day closure; anticipate supply chain delays and staff absences. |
| Bridge Days | 2 April – 4 April | Wednesday – Friday | Announced Administrative leave Public Sector and Banks closed |
| National Sovereignty and Children’s Day | 23 April | Wednesday | Midweek holiday; staffing may be lighter. |
| Labour and Solidarity Day | 1 May | Thursday | Closures likely, with potential labor events; prepare for a long weekend. |
| Commemoration of Atatürk, Youth and Sports Day | 19 May | Monday | Creates a long weekend; Monday operations may slow. |
| Kurban Bayramı (Eid al-Adha) Eve | 5 June | Thursday | Half-day; late-day business may be affected by early closures. |
| Kurban Bayramı – Days 1-4 | 6 June – 9 June | Friday – Monday | Four-day closure; expect significant downtime and logistics pauses. |
| Democracy and National Unity Day | 15 July | Tuesday | Midweek break; minor impact unless near key deadlines. |
| Victory Day | 30 August | Saturday | Falls on a weekend; limited business impact. |
| Republic Day Eve | 28 October | Tuesday | Half-day; afternoon productivity may dip. |
| Republic Day | 29 October | Wednesday | Full-day closure; plan around midweek disruptions. |
Strategic Considerations for Businesses
- Extended Closures: The multi-day holidays—Ramazan Bayramı (3 days) and Kurban Bayramı (4 days)—are peak times for staff leave and market slowdowns. Schedule critical deliveries and meetings outside these windows, especially as Kurban Bayramı’s four-day span from Friday to Monday could extend downtime.
- Half-Day Impacts: Half-days (e.g., 5 June, 28 October) often lead to early closures in offices and public institutions. Adjust deadlines or shift key activities to the morning.
- Long Weekends: Holidays like 1 May (Thursday) and 19 May (Monday) may prompt employees to extend weekends, potentially reducing workforce availability.
- Cultural Context: Ramazan Bayramı and Kurban Bayramı involve family gatherings and charity, driving consumer spending but halting most business operations. Use these periods for maintenance or planning rather than active engagement.
- Advance Planning: With lunar-based holidays shifting annually, review historical trends and confirm exact dates closer to 2025, as slight adjustments may occur.
- Ramadan in 2025 begins on 1 March and lasts through 29 March. During this Islamic holy month, many employees and business contacts in Türkiye will fast from dawn to dusk, potentially experiencing disrupted sleep or afternoon fatigue. For businesses, this may lead to a slight dip in productivity. When scheduling meetings or setting deadlines, consider shorter work hours, flexible timings, or morning-focused agendas to accommodate fasting staff and maintain efficiency.
- Administrative leave has been declared following the Ramadan Bayram holiday period. Although private-sector businesses may continue operations during this period, they also have the option to declare a full holiday by offsetting it against employees’ annual leave entitlements.
This calendar equips investors and branch managers with the foresight to optimize operations in Türkiye’s dynamic business landscape. Align your strategies with these dates to maintain efficiency and capitalize on local rhythms.