Bank Holidays October 2026: Seven Days Shut From October 19

Banks across India are headed into an unusually long break, with seven back-to-back bank holidays October 2026, running from October 19 to October 25. The Reserve Bank of India decides bank holidays based on cultures, traditions, festivals and special events, which is why closures vary from city to city rather than applying uniformly across the country. The bank holidays October 2026 stretch covers Dussehra, Durga Puja, Maha Navami and Maha Dashami, followed by the fourth Saturday and Sunday.

On October 19, banks will remain closed in Agartala, Aizawl, Bhubaneswar, Chennai, Guwahati, Hyderabad, Itanagar, Imphal, Kochi, Kohima, Kolkata, Patna, Ranchi and Thiruvananthapuram for Dussehra, Maha Navami, Ayudha Pooja and Durga Puja celebrations. Lenders including SBI, HDFC Bank, ICICI Bank, Axis Bank, IndusInd Bank, Yes Bank, Bank of Baroda, Punjab National Bank and Canara Bank will be affected in these cities.

On October 20, the Dussehra bank closure extends to a much longer list of cities, including Agartala, Ahmedabad, Aizawl, Belapur, Bengaluru, Bhopal, Bhubaneswar, Chandigarh, Chennai, Dehradun, Guwahati, Hyderabad, Itanagar, Jaipur, Jammu, Kanpur, Kochi, Kohima, Kolkata, Lucknow, Mumbai, Nagpur, New Delhi, Panaji, Patna, Raipur, Ranchi, Shillong, Shimla, Srinagar, Thiruvananthapuram and Vijayawada. The closures are for Dasara, Vijaya Dashmi, Maha Navami, Ayudhapooja and Durga Puja, as per the RBI holiday list.

October 21 brings closures for Vijaya Dasami, Durga Puja and Maha Dashami in Agartala, Bengaluru, Gangtok, Guwahati, Kochi, Kolkata, Shillong and Thiruvananthapuram. On October 22 and 23, Durga Puja continues for two days in Gangtok, keeping banks shut there. October 24 is the fourth Saturday of the month, a public holiday for all scheduled and non-scheduled banks across India, making it the seventh holiday of the week, while October 25 is a Sunday.

Bank Holidays October 2026: The Full Schedule

The bank holidays October 2026 sequence is driven by the festival calendar. From October 19 to 21, closures cluster around Dussehra and Durga Puja observances, with Agartala seeing a four-day stretch and cities such as Gangtok, Guwahati, Kochi, Kolkata and Thiruvananthapuram seeing three days in a row. The Durga Puja bank holiday then extends into October 22 and 23 in Gangtok before the weekend closures complete the seven-day run. Customers should check the bank holidays city-wise list for their location, since no city is closed on all seven days.

Why Bank Holidays October 2026 Vary by City

Unlike second and fourth Saturdays and all Sundays, when banks are closed nationwide, festival holidays under the RBI holiday list apply only in states and cities where the occasion is observed. That is why the Dussehra bank closure on October 20 covers major centres such as Mumbai and New Delhi but not every city, and why the Durga Puja bank holiday is concentrated in eastern and southern cities. The RBI publishes the bank holidays city-wise calendar in advance so customers and businesses can plan around regional differences.

Banking During the Bank Holidays October 2026 Stretch

Digital channels will remain the mainstay while branches are shut during the bank holidays October 2026 period. Internet banking, mobile banking apps, UPI and ATMs continue to function on holidays, though customers should complete branch-dependent work such as demand drafts, locker access and large cash deposits before October 19. Businesses with payroll or vendor payments due in the window are advised to schedule transfers early, since interbank settlement systems follow the RBI holiday list as well.