To see the 2018 version of this article, click here.
As I remind everyone each year: if you haven’t already done so, it’s time to update your project schedules with non-working days for 2017. Below is a list of commonly observed national and religious holidays, and the dates they are commonly observed. Naturally, you’ll need to confirm which holidays apply to your project team.
And here are instructions for updating the working calendar in MS Project.
| Holiday | Weekday | Celebrated |
| New Year’s Day | Sunday | 1/1/2017 |
| Martin Luther King’s Birthday (US) | Monday | 1/16/2017 |
| Republic Day (India) | Thursday | 1/26/2017 |
| Chinese / Vietnamese New Year | Saturday | 1/28/2017 |
| President’s Day (US) | Monday | 2/20/2017 |
| Ash Wednesday | Wednesday | 3/1/2017 |
| Holi (India) | Monday | 3/13/2017 |
| Beginning of Passover | Tuesday | 4/11/2017 |
| Good Friday | Friday | 4/14/2017 |
| Easter Monday (UK) | Monday | 4/17/2017 |
| May Day (China: Labor Day) | Monday | 5/1/2017 |
| Early May Bank Holiday (UK) | Monday | 5/1/2017 |
| Victoria Day (Canada) | Monday | 5/22/2017 |
| First day of Ramadan | Saturday | 5/27/2017 |
| Spring Bank Holiday (UK) | Monday | 5/29/2017 |
| Memorial Day (US) | Monday | 5/29/2017 |
| Shauvot | Wednesday | 5/31/2017 |
| Eid al-Fitr | Monday | 6/26/2017 |
| Canada Day | Saturday | 7/1/2017 |
| Independence Day (US) | Tuesday | 7/4/2017 |
| Pioneer Day (Utah, US) | Monday | 7/24/2017 |
| Independence Day (India) | Tuesday | 8/15/2017 |
| Summer Bank Holiday (UK) | Monday | 8/28/2017 |
| Eid al-Adha / Festival of Sacrifice | Saturday | 9/2/2017 |
| Labor Day (US and Canada) | Monday | 9/4/2017 |
| Rosh Hashanah | Thursday | 9/21/2017 |
| Yom Kippur | Saturday | 9/30/2017 |
| Dussehra (India) | Saturday | 9/30/2017 |
| National Day (China) | Sunday | 10/1/2017 |
| Mahatma Gandhi’s Birthday (India) | Monday | 10/2/2017 |
| Sukkot | Thursday | 10/5/2017 |
| Columbus Day (US) | Monday | 10/9/2017 |
| Thanksgiving (Canada) | Monday | 10/9/2017 |
| Diwali (India) | Wednesday | 10/18/2017 |
| Veteran’s Day (US) / Remembrance Day (Canada) | Saturday | 11/11/2017 |
| Thanksgiving Day (US) | Thursday | 11/23/2017 |
| Day after Thanksgiving (US) | Friday | 11/24/2017 |
| First day of Chanukah | Wednesday | 12/13/2017 |
| Christmas Eve | Sunday | 12/24/2017 |
| Christmas Day | Monday | 12/25/2017 |
| Boxing Day (UK, Canada) | Tuesday | 12/26/2017 |
| Kwanzaa | Tuesday | 12/26/2017 |
| New Year’s Eve | Sunday | 12/31/2017 |
Thank you so much for this! I’ve overlooked a few holidays on my teams calendar. By the way, Holi (March 13) isn’t listed. That’s pretty big holiday in India.
Thanks again!
Hi Senita,
Thanks for the input – I’ve added Holi to the list, and I’ll be sure to include it in future years. If you think others should be included, let me know.
Pioneer day in Utah (US) is July 24. Apparently it’s a major state holiday, very few people work.
Thanks, Benjamin – also added to the list.
It’s my goal to take off for every one of these days next year. It’s important to have big aspirations.
It’s good to have goals, John. And as Alan Jackson and Jimmy Buffet pointed out, it’s always five o’clock somewhere. Salud!