Public Holidays in Azerbaijan
Statutory public holidays in Azerbaijan, with the dates that give people the day off, how the calendar is set, and what it means for travel, cities and culture.
Azerbaijan at a glance
Azerbaijan’s holiday calendar blends Soviet-era dates with national commemorations and Islamic festivals. Novruz, the spring equinox festival, is the largest celebration and runs for several days.
Because Novruz is fixed to the equinox while Islamic holidays follow the lunar calendar, the spacing of public holidays changes noticeably from year to year.
Azerbaijan public holidays 2025
The dates below come from Azerbaijan’s published calendar for 2025. Open the full year for the complete list.
| Holiday | Date | Year |
|---|---|---|
| New Year's Day | Jan 1Wed | 2025 |
| New Year's Holiday | Jan 2Thu | 2025 |
| New Year's Holiday | Jan 3Fri | 2025 |
| Martyrs’ Day | Jan 20Mon | 2025 |
| Municipal Elections | Jan 29Wed | 2025 |
| Ramadan Start | Mar 1Sat | 2025 |
| Women's Day | Mar 8Sat | 2025 |
| Day off for Women's Day | Mar 10Mon | 2025 |
| Nowruz | Mar 20Thu | 2025 |
| March Equinox | Mar 20Thu | 2025 |
| Nowruz/Spring Holiday | Mar 21Fri | 2025 |
| Nowruz/Spring Holiday | Mar 22Sat | 2025 |
Showing 12 of 39 dates recorded for 2025.
Major cities in Azerbaijan
The urban centres that anchor most trips to Azerbaijan.
Baku
A Caspian capital where the walled old city sits behind a seafront of parks and flame-shaped towers.
Ganja
A garden city west of the capital with a long history as a Silk Road trading centre.
Sheki
A quiet town of carved wooden balconies, mulberry trees and a hilltop khan's palace.
Sumgait
A Caspian industrial city north of Baku with a long seaside boulevard.
Lankaran
A subtropical lowland city near the Talysh mountains, known for tea and citrus.
Top attractions in Azerbaijan
The places that draw most visitors to Azerbaijan.
Icherisheher Old City
Baku's walled medieval core with the Maiden Tower and the Shirvanshahs' palace.
Gobustan
A rocky plateau covered in prehistoric petroglyphs and bubbling mud volcanoes.
Sheki Khan's Palace
An 18th-century palace of intricate stained glass set without a single nail.
Ateshgah Fire Temple
A pentagonal fire temple on the Absheron peninsula once used by Zoroastrian and Hindu pilgrims.
Yanar Dag
A hillside where a natural gas seep burns continuously, fuelling the country's Land of Fire identity.
Sheki Caravanserai
A restored stone inn that housed Silk Road merchants for centuries.
Festivals, food and getting around Azerbaijan
What the calendar looks like on the ground, and how to move through the country around it.
Festivals behind the holidays
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🎉
New Year's Day
Falls on Jan 1
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🎉
New Year's Holiday
Falls on Jan 2
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🎉
New Year's Holiday
Falls on Jan 3
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🎉
Martyrs’ Day
Falls on Jan 20
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🎉
Municipal Elections
Falls on Jan 29
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🎉
Ramadan Start
Falls on Mar 1
Food & drink
Getting around
Baku's metro is fast and cheap; trains and marshrutkas link Sheki, Ganja and the southern corridor.
Travelling around Azerbaijan’s holidays
What the dates mean once you are there.
Book around the peaks
Transport and hotels in Azerbaijan tighten around major holidays; reserve early for the busiest weeks.
Check opening hours
Museums, banks and government offices usually close on statutory holidays, and often on the nearest Monday.
Carry local currency
Small vendors and rural businesses frequently take cash only, especially on holidays when banks are shut.
Expect crowded transport
Long weekends produce the year's heaviest road, rail and air traffic. Build in extra travel time.
Confirm the official list
Azerbaijan's holiday dates are confirmed by government announcement; check the year page for the final arrangement.
Plan the long weekends
Pairing a holiday with adjacent weekends gives the longest breaks of the year — and the busiest.
Azerbaijan public holidays: common questions
How many public holidays does Azerbaijan have?
Azerbaijan has 39 dates recorded on its 2025 calendar, ranging from national statutory holidays to widely marked observances that are not days off work.
Where can I find the full 2025 list?
The complete 2025 calendar for Azerbaijan is on the year page, with every recorded date in order.
Are Azerbaijan's public holidays paid?
Statutory national holidays are generally paid leave for employees. Observances and commemorative days are usually not.
Do holidays move if they fall on a weekend?
Where a holiday falls on a weekend, Azerbaijan typically observes it on the nearest weekday. Check the year page for the confirmed arrangement.
Are there regional holidays in Azerbaijan?
Some holidays are observed only in certain regions or by certain communities. The year page lists what applies nationally.
Which years are covered for Azerbaijan?
Calendars are published for 2025.