Sabah Public Holidays

Although Sabah has an extensive list of public holidays, it's good to note that these will rarely have an impact on your fun as a tourist.

While post offices, government departments and banks will be closed on most public holidays, there will always be a number of shops, restaurants, bars and tours or activities available to you regardless of the day.

Public holidays are also a great time to spend a day with the local Sabahans who may invite you into their homes to experience true local Sabahan life.

2026 Sabah Public Holidays

Note: Don't miss the must visit islands of Sipadan and Mabul (Tawau airport).

Ask about the Sabah Public Holidays

More about Sabah Public Holidays

Sabah keeps an extensive calendar of public holidays, a happy consequence of Malaysia's mix of cultures and faiths, but here's the traveller's honest summary: they will rarely affect your trip. Banks, post offices and government departments close on most of them; restaurants, shops, boats, resorts and dive centres largely carry on because tourism doesn't take the day off.

What's actually worth planning around:

• Hari Raya (end of Ramadan) and Chinese New Year, the two big domestic-travel surges. Flights to Tawau fill, town hotels tighten and popular resorts book out; lock your dates earlier if your trip brushes either.
• Kaamatan (Harvest Festival, end of May): Sabah's own celebration and a good time to be here: festivities statewide and a cultural bonus rather than an obstacle.
• School holidays. Malaysian families travel and the KK islands and ferries feel it more than Semporna's dive circuit does.

Two practical notes: change money and handle any banking before a holiday cluster, and expect Semporna's seafront restaurants to be pleasantly busier rather than closed. Dive operations run to the sea's calendar, not the state's.

If your dates land near a major holiday, tell us when you enquire and we'll flag any real availability pinch and book the tight links first.

Plan your trip to Sipadan