Planning your 2026 getaways? Here’s how to stretch 14 days of annual leave into 50 days of long weekends.
This guide assumes you work Monday to Friday and have 14 days of leave.
January
New Year’s Day falls on Thursday, 1 January 2026.
Take leave on Friday, 2 January. You’ll get a four-day weekend.
Leave used: 1 day
Leave remaining: 13 days
Total long weekend days so far: 4 days
February
Chinese New Year falls on Tuesday, 17 February and Wednesday, 18 February.
Take leave on Monday, 16 February for a five-day weekend. Want more? Add Thursday, 19 February and Friday, 20 February too. That’s nine consecutive days off.
Leave used: 3 days
Leave remaining: 10 days
Total long weekend days so far: 13 days
March and April
Hari Raya Puasa falls on Saturday, 21 March. Most employers will give a day off in lieu.
Good Friday falls on Friday, 3 April. That’s already a three-day weekend.
No strategic leave opportunities here.
Leave used: 0 days
Leave remaining: 10 days
Total long weekend days so far: 19 days (including Hari Raya Puasa day off in lieu)
May
May brings three public holidays.
Labour Day falls on Friday, 1 May. You get a three-day weekend without taking any leave.
Hari Raya Haji falls on Wednesday, 27 May. Vesak Day falls on Sunday, 31 May, which makes Monday, 1 June a public holiday (if Sunday is your rest day).
Here’s the play: take leave on Thursday, 28 May and Friday, 29 May. You’ll get ten consecutive days off from 25 May to 1 June.
Note that Hari Raya Haji’s date may change.
Leave used: 4 days
Leave remaining: 6 days
Total long weekend days so far: 32 days
December
We’re skipping straight to December. Why?
June, July, September, and October have no public holidays. August and November do have holidays, but December offers better leave opportunities.
National Day falls on Sunday, 9 August. You get Monday, 10 August off (if Sunday is your rest day). Deepavali falls on Sunday, 8 November. You get Monday, 9 November off (if Sunday is your rest day).
Both give you three-day weekends without taking leave.
Christmas falls on Friday, 25 December 2026.
Take leave from Monday, 28 December to Thursday, 31 December. Add in New Year’s Day on Friday, 1 January 2027, plus the weekend. That’s ten days off.
Leave used: 4 days
Leave remaining: 2 days
Total long weekend days so far: 48 days
The Final Two Days
You have two days left. Attach them to any long weekend you want. That brings your total to 50 days of long weekends.
