Diwali 2025: School Holiday on October 20 or October 21?

Oct 18, 2025, 15:45 IST

As Diwali 2025 draws near, school students throughout India are waiting for their school vacations to commemorate the Festival of Lights with relatives and friends. This year, Monday, October 20, is Diwali, and the day will be a holiday at most schools throughout the nation. But the doubt persists in some areas on whether schools will be closed on October 20 alone, or if the vacation will be carried forward to October 21 because of Govardhan Puja.

The pattern of variation in holiday schedules is primarily a result of differences in school calendars within different states and region-specific festivals. While the schools affiliated with CBSE and ICSE strictly follow a common national calendar, some state boards have opted to increase the duration of holidays, which may result in variations of actual dates when the schools will be closed. Let us proceed to closely examine the way school holidays will be celebrated in 2025 in different states.

General Holiday Pattern for Diwali 2025

The standard Diwali school holiday in India will be from October 18 to October 23, 2025, encompassing key festival days such as Dhanteras, Chhoti Diwali (Narak Chaturdashi), Diwali, Govardhan Puja, and Bhai Dooj. But the timing is not standardized nationwide, and schools in some areas might observe different dates because of local holidays or other festivals such as Chhath Puja.

At most, CBSE and ICSE schools will have a six-day holiday for Diwali, including all five main days of the festival. But based on local government regulations or administrative discretion, the holiday program may change, being extended or curtailed.

State-Wise School Holiday Dates for Diwali 2025

Numerous state governments have also released their own specific notifications for Diwali holidays. The following is a summary of school holidays in some prominent states of India:

Rajasthan
Holiday Dates: October 13 – October 23, 2025

Bihar
Holiday Dates: October 18 – October 29, 2025

Karnataka
Holiday Dates: October 8 – October 18, 2025

Uttar Pradesh
Holiday Dates: October 20 – October 23, 2025

Delhi-NCR
Holiday Dates: October 19 – October 23, 2025

West Bengal
Holiday Dates: October 20 – October 23, 2025

Andhra Pradesh
Holiday Dates: October 20, 2025

Diwali 2025: CBSE and ICSE School Holiday Trends

Following national traditions, the majority of CBSE and ICSE schools will follow a 6-day holiday calendar for Diwali from October 18 to October 23. This includes the major festival dates: