Turkey's Republic Day 2026 (29 October): Holiday Rules, What's Closed, Celebrations

Republic Day (Cumhuriyet Bayramı) on 29 October is Turkey's only national holiday by law. It marks the day in 1923 when the Grand National Assembly in Ankara proclaimed the Republic and elected Mustafa Kemal (later Atatürk) as its first president. In 2026 the 103rd anniversary falls on a Thursday: the official holiday starts on Wednesday, 28 October at 13:00 and runs through 29 October, one and a half days in total. As of 19 October 2026 no extra day off has been declared for Friday, 30 October. This page sets out the rules, what is closed, how the day is celebrated and what applies to visitors and to Turkish citizens living in Germany.

What does 29 October commemorate?

On the evening of 29 October 1923, at about 20:30, the Grand National Assembly (TBMM) amended the 1921 constitution, the Teşkilât-ı Esâsiye Kanunu, through Law No. 364, changing six of its articles and declaring the form of government to be a republic. The same session elected Mustafa Kemal Pasha president with the votes of all 158 members present, and İsmet Pasha (later İnönü) became prime minister. Two weeks earlier, on 13 October 1923, the assembly had made Ankara the capital. The Republic replaced the Ottoman state, whose sultanate had been abolished in November 1922.

How long is the 2026 holiday? Is 30 October a day off?

Law No. 2429 on National Holidays and General Holidays, in force since March 1981, defines the day: 29 October is the national holiday, the state holds official ceremonies at home and abroad only on that day, and the holiday begins on 28 October at 13:00. In 2026 that means Wednesday afternoon plus all of Thursday. Friday, 30 October is a normal working and school day: it is not a holiday in the Ministry of National Education's 2026–2027 school calendar, and no administrative leave for public servants had been announced as of 19 October. Such a decision would come by presidential announcement, so it is worth checking again in the last days before the holiday. Anyone who takes Friday off as annual leave gets a four-and-a-half-day break.

What is closed on 28 and 29 October?

Public offices close from 13:00 on 28 October and all day on 29 October: ministries, governorships, municipalities, courthouses, tax offices, land registries, social security (SGK) centres, PTT post offices and notaries. Schools and universities teach on Wednesday morning only. Banks close their branches, and Borsa Istanbul's official 2026 holiday table shows a normal equity session until 13:00 on 28 October, without the closing auction or fixing sessions, and no trading or settlement on 29 October; trades from Wednesday settle on Friday, 30 October. Hospitals keep emergency departments open around the clock, while outpatient clinics and family health centres close; only duty pharmacies (nöbetçi eczane) sell medicines.

Law No. 2429 also says private workplaces must close on 29 October, except those that by their nature have to keep running. Under the Labour Act No. 4857, whether employees work on a general holiday is set by collective or individual agreement, and an employee who does work on such a day is owed an extra full day's wage for it.

How is Republic Day celebrated in Ankara?

The state programme centres on Ankara and has followed a stable pattern. In 2025, the 102nd anniversary, it opened with a 21-gun salute; at 11:00 President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan laid a wreath at Anıtkabir, Atatürk's mausoleum, and signed its special book; at 12:30 he received congratulations at the Presidential Complex; at 14:00 about 4,000 personnel from 37 military and civilian units paraded from the parliament building to the first assembly building in Ulus, with a flyover by the SOLOTÜRK F-16 display team; a reception followed at 17:30 and a Republic Day concert closed the day, according to DHA. Anıtkabir itself is visited by thousands of people over the day.

What happens in Istanbul and other cities?

In Istanbul the official ceremony and march-past take place on Vatan Caddesi (Adnan Menderes Bulvarı) in Fatih. In 2025 the Istanbul Governorship closed the avenue and all its access roads from 05:45 until the end of the programme on both the rehearsal day, 19 October, and the ceremony day, 29 October, recommending Turgut Özal Millet Caddesi, Fevzipaşa Caddesi and Atatürk Bulvarı as alternatives. Governorships across the country hold their own ceremonies and receive congratulations, and buildings and streets are hung with flags. The 2026 programmes for Istanbul and Ankara had not been published as of 19 October; they usually appear a few days before the holiday.

Is public transport free on 29 October?

In recent years, yes, partly. On 29 October 2025, under a decision published in the Official Gazette, the state-run rail lines were free all day: Marmaray, the Gayrettepe–Istanbul Airport–Arnavutköy metro and the Sirkeci–Kazlıçeşme line in Istanbul, Başkentray in Ankara and İZBAN in İzmir. İETT buses in Istanbul were free only with a personalised İstanbulkart, which most tourists do not have, and lines such as the Princes' Islands ferries, the nostalgic tram, the Tünel funicular and the Sabiha Gökçen airport buses were excluded. A 2026 decision had not been published as of 19 October. Separately, from 29 October 2026 passengers entitled to free travel on TCDD trains can verify their status with their Turkish ID number online, in the app or at ticket offices.

What visitors to Turkey should know

Plan errands for before Wednesday lunchtime: on 28 October afternoon and on 29 October banks, post offices, notaries and most official offices are shut, and bank transfers are processed again on Friday. Roads around the ceremony venues close early in the morning of 29 October, and parades and crowds are concentrated in central Ankara and in Istanbul's Fatih district. Museums run by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and the national palaces publish their holiday opening hours shortly before; they are not set by law.

For Turkish citizens in Germany: what applies there?

29 October is not a public holiday in Germany, so it is an ordinary working and school day there; employees who want to travel to Turkey or join celebrations need annual leave. The Turkish embassy in Berlin lists 29 October 2026 (Tag der Republik) as a day its missions are closed, so consular appointments for passports, ID cards or civil registry matters should be planned around it; the embassy's list does not show 28 October as a holiday. Because several German states have autumn school holidays in late October, flights and roads between Germany and Turkey are busier than usual that week; school holiday dates differ by state and should be checked with the state's own ministry.

Key dates at a glance

13 October 1923: Ankara becomes the capital. 29 October 1923: the Republic is proclaimed and Mustafa Kemal is elected president. 19 March 1981: Law No. 2429 fixes 29 October as the national holiday, starting at 13:00 the day before. 29 October 2023: the Republic's centenary. Wednesday, 28 October 2026, 13:00: the 2026 holiday begins. Thursday, 29 October 2026: 103rd anniversary, full holiday. Friday, 30 October 2026: normal working day unless the government announces otherwise. 16–20 November 2026: the next school break in Turkey's calendar. 10 November: the annual commemoration of Atatürk's death in 1938, which is not a public holiday.