Market holidays in May '26

With the on set of May 2026, the Indian financial markets will be continuing their momentum into the first quarter of the new financial year (FY 2026-27). After a hectic month of April, May has two major weekday holidays. Along with these are some long weekends and regional bank closures, which require market participants to strategically plan their fund transfers and settlement cycles to avoid any disruptions.The following is the complete list of trading holidays, weekend schedules, clearing and settlement breaks, and bank holidays in May 2026.Stock market holidays in May 2026 on weekdaysThe National Stock Exchange (NSE) and the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) will have two trading holidays in May 2026. The first market holiday will be on 1st May 2026, on the occasion of Maharashtra Day. Looking ahead, the next stock market holiday will be on 28th May to celebrate Bakri ID (Eid-ul-Adha). On both these days, trading in all the segments, such as equities, equity derivatives, and securities lending and borrowing, will be suspended throughout the day on NSE and BSE. Multi-Commodity Exchange (MCX) and National Commodity and Derivatives Exchange (NCDEX) will also have the same trading holidays, but they will observe partial holidays on these two dates. On 1st May and 28th May, the morning session (9:00 AM till 5:00 PM) will be closed, but the evening session (5:00 PM till 11:30/11:55 PM) will be open for regular trading. Stock market holidays in May 2026 on weekendsThe NSE, BSE, MCX, and NCDEX will be closed on all Saturdays and Sundays in May 2026. Other than the 2 weekday holidays, Indian stock markets will not be operational for 10 more days throughout May 2026, leading to 12 non-trading days in May 2026. Here is the list of weekend trading holidays in May 2026: DateDayMarket StatusRemarksMay 2, 2026SaturdayClosedStandard WeekendMay 3, 2026SundayClosedStandard WeekendMay 9, 2026SaturdayClosedStandard WeekendMay 10, 2026SundayClosedStandard WeekendMay 16, 2026SaturdayClosedStandard WeekendMay 17, 2026SundayClosedStandard WeekendMay 23, 2026SaturdayClosedStandard WeekendMay 24, 2026SundayClosedStandard WeekendMay 30, 2026SaturdayClosedStandard WeekendMay 31, 2026SundayClosedStandard Weekend Clearing and settlement holidays in May '26A clearing holiday is a day on which the stock markets may or may not open for trading, but the banks or clearing houses are closed, which directly impacts the funds settlement and the availability of payouts on shares sold. The two major trading holidays in May, which include 1st May and 28th May, are also clearing holidays, on which banking operations are suspended.1st May clearing holiday leads to a three-day weekend (Friday to Sunday). Therefore, any equity delivery trade that is executed on 30th April (Thursday) will settle on 4th May (Monday) as 1st May is a trading and clearing holiday, and 2nd and 3rd May are weekend holidays. Likewise, trades executed on 27th May (Wednesday) in the week of Bakri ID will have extended settlement dates as 28th May is both a trading and clearing holiday.Bank holidays in May 2026Bank holidays have a direct impact on the banking channels like NEFT, RTGS, and fund transfers related to margin funding and stock market settlements. Apart from the regular second and fourth Saturdays (9th May and 23rd May) and Sundays (3rd May,10th May,17th May,24th May, and 31st May), May will have several regional and national bank holidays. The following are the key regional bank holidays in May 2026 in different states of India: Date Holiday Affected State/UT1st MayBuddha Purnima Andaman and Nicobar1st MayBuddha Purnima Arunachal Pradesh1st MayMay DayAssam1st MayMay DayBihar1st MayBuddha Purnima Chandigarh1st MayBuddha Purnima Chhattisgarh1st MayBuddha Purnima Delhi1st MayMay DayGoa1st MayBuddha Purnima Himachal Pradesh1st MayBuddha Purnima Jammu and Kashmir1st MayBuddha Purnima Jharkhand1st MayMay DayKarnataka1st MayMay DayKerala1st MayBuddha Purnima Madhya Pradesh1st MayBuddha Purnima Maharashtra1st MayMay DayManipur1st MayBuddha Purnima Mizoram1st MayMay DayPuducherry1st MayBuddha Purnima Tamil Nadu1st MayMay DayTelangana1st MayMay DayTripura1st MayBuddha Purnima Uttar Pradesh1st MayBuddha Purnima Uttarakhand1st MayMay DayWest Bengal26th MayKazi Nazrul Islam Jayanti Tripura27th MayBakrid / Eid al Adha Andaman & Nicobar 27th MayBakrid / Eid al Adha Andhra Pradesh27th MayBakrid / Eid al Adha Assam27th MayBakrid / Eid al Adha Bihar27th MayBakrid / Eid al Adha Chhattisgarh27th MayBakrid / Eid al Adha Delhi27th MayBakrid / Eid al Adha Goa27th MayBakrid / Eid al Adha Gujarat27th MayBakrid / Eid al Adha Haryana27th MayBakrid / Eid al Adha Himachal Pradesh27th MayBakrid / Eid al Adha Jammu and Kashmir27th MayBakrid / Eid al Adha Jharkhand27th MayBakrid / Eid al Adha Karnataka27th MayBakrid / Eid al Adha Kerala27th MayBakrid / Eid al Adha Lakshadweep 27th MayBakrid / Eid al Adha Madhya Pradesh27th MayBakrid / Eid al Adha Maharashtra27th MayBakrid / Eid al Adha Manipur27th MayBakrid / Eid al Adha Meghalya27th MayBakrid / Eid al Adha Mizoram27th MayBakrid / Eid al Adha Nagaland27th MayBakrid / Eid al Adha Odisha27th MayBakrid / Eid al Adha Puducherry27th MayBakrid / Eid al Adha Punjab27th MayBakrid / Eid al Adha Rajasthan27th MayBakrid / Eid al Adha Tamil Nadu27th MayBakrid / Eid al Adha Telangana27th MayBakrid / Eid al Adha Tripura27th MayBakrid / Eid al Adha Uttar Pradesh27th MayBakrid / Eid al Adha Uttarakhand27th MayBakrid / Eid al Adha West Bengal Impact of the holiday on stock market activityThe combination of trading, bank, clearing, and settlement holidays in May 2026 can pose specific challenges for market participants, such as:Prolonged settlement cycles: Since 1st May (Maharashtra Day) is a clearing and settlement holiday, any equity delivery trades executed on 30th April will be settled on 4th May due to Maharashtra Day and weekend holidays on subsequent days. Likewise, the trades that are executed on 27th May will be settled on 29th May because of the Bakri ID holiday.Delayed fund transfers: During regional bank holidays, services such as NEFT and RTGS may experience delays. Although UPI is available 24/7, it only supports small fund transfers; bank holidays can cause delays in large fund transfers.SIP Timing: If the investor's Systematic Investment Plan (SIP) is scheduled for 1st May, the transaction will be initiated on the next working day, 4th May, 2026. Margin requirements: In case market participants are obliged to inject instant new funds to meet margin calls on open F&O positions, delays in fund transfers on holidays can result in margin shortfalls and auto square-offs by brokers.Mutual fund orders: The settlement of the purchase and redemption of mutual fund units is associated with banking business days. Orders placed on 1st May or 28th May will only execute on the next available business day, at that day's applicable NAV.What should market participants do?To avoid disruption during the holiday-interrupted weeks of May 2026, market participants can use the following strategies:Pre-fund the accounts before the long weekend: The 1st May holiday leads to a three-day long weekend (Friday-Sunday). Therefore, market participants should make sure they have sufficient margin balances in their trading accounts before the long weekend to avoid a margin shortfall.Plan cash withdrawals: When market participants sell shares to withdraw cash for personal use, they should account for the T+1 settlement cycle that extends over holidays. For example, if a stock is sold on 30th April, its funds will be available for withdrawal on 4th May.Use UPI for emergency top-ups: Market participants who want to add small capital into their trading accounts during bank holidays can use UPI transactions.Close or hedge open swing positions ahead of long weekends: Traders who are not comfortable with holding open positions over long weekends should plan their exits before the market closes for the holidays.Verify MCX session timings officially: Commodity traders must verify the official MCX circular both on 1st May and 28th May to understand whether the evening trading session will be open for regular trading or not, instead of relying on general guidelines.The bottom lineMay 2026 contains two trading holidays. While the first one is on 1st May, Maharashtra Day leads to a long weekend at the beginning of the month, and 2nd one on 28th May, the Bakri ID closure coincides with the BSE monthly expiry date at the end of the month. To investors and traders, these trading holidays, along with bank holidays, demand proactive management of liquidity and fund transfers.By pre-funding trading accounts, planning T+1 settlement delays over the long weekends, and tracking the official holiday calendar, market participants can easily navigate May 2026's calendar without disruption and stay focused on the market opportunities instead of logistical challenges.

Market holidays in May '26

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