Maximise Your Annual Leave With Public Holidays For Long Weekends (2021)

Whether you’re planning to use the public holidays in 2021 to go on a long weekend staycation or simply chillax at home, we’ve got just the cheatsheet for you. Bookmark this, then quickly reserve your leave before your colleagues do so. 

Most Singaporeans probably already know that we only have three long weekends out of the 11 gazetted public holidays left to look forward to in 2021. But with a little strategic planning, you can turn the rest of them into long(er) weekends (with a total of 32 days off work!) using only nine days’ of annual leave. 

Last updated on 7 January 2021.

Here’s the list of 2021 gazetted public holidays according to Singapore’s Ministry of Manpower:

Here are our suggested days of leave to take:

And since New Year’s already gone and passed, we shall start with February. 

February

Chinese New Year 

11 February (Thursday): Take leave
12 February (Friday): Chinese New Year
13 February (Saturday): Chinese New Year
14 February (Sunday): Weekend

What you get: Four days off with one day of leave. 

What to do: Soak in CNY vibes by shopping at Chinatown, have a meal at the newly-revamped food street, and if you have the time, head down to Universal Studios Singapore. 

Po from Kung Fu Panda, Shrek, Fiona, Puss in Boots and the rest of your favourite characters will be dressed in CNY garb, so be prepared to take tonnes of selfies. Also, get to hear Mandarin greetings from Optimus Prime and the towering leader of the Decepticons, Megatron. 

April

Good Friday

1 April (Thursday): Take leave
2 April (Friday): Good Friday
3 April (Saturday): Weekend
4 April (Sunday): Weekend

What you get: Four days off with one day of leave. 

What to do: Yippie, it’s another long weekend in 2021! This period will usually be jam-packed with Easter activities, so click here closer to the date for events happening during this time. 

May

Labour Day

1 May (Saturday): Weekend

What you get: Well, you can’t get much out of this public holiday because it falls on a Saturday. However, you can always look forward to a day of off-in-lieu or an extra day’s pay. 

Hari Raya Puasa

13 May (Thursday): Hari Raya Puasa
14 May (Friday): Take leave
15 May (Saturday): Weekend
16 May (Sunday): Weekend

What you get: Four days off with one day of leave. 

What to do: For families or couples seeking respite from the city, how about going overseas, literally? Hop on a ferry and go on a day trip to either St John’s Island, Kusu Island or Pulau Ubin or all three islands over four days if you have the energy. If you have a bigger budget, you can opt for a cruise to nowhere. 

Vesak Day

26 May (Wednesday): Vesak Day
27 May (Thursday): Take leave
28 May (Friday): Take leave
29 May (Saturday): Weekend
30 May (Sunday): Weekend

What you get: Five days off with two days of leave. 

What to do: We don’t know if travel restrictions will be lifted then, but we think a five-day break is useful for a family bonding holiday. Our recommendation? Sentosa, because you’ll never run out of things to do in the State of Fun. They also have fantastic $100 deals that you can spend your SingapoRediscover vouchers on before they expire in June. 

July 

Hari Raya Haji

17 July (Saturday): Weekend
18 July (Sunday): Weekend
19 July (Monday): Take leave
20 July (Tuesday): Hari Raya Haji

What you get: Four days off with one day of leave. 

What to do: The Great Singapore Sale happens around this time, so it’s time to go shopping, be it online or in-store. Bookmark these pages for the latest promo codes and the best credit card deals to save money on your purchases. 

August

National Day

6 August (Friday): Take leave
7 August (Saturday): Weekend
8 August (Sunday): Weekend
9 August (Monday): National Day

What you get: Four days off with one day of leave. 

What to do: What better way to show off your patriotism and learn more about Singapore’s history than to go museum hopping, especially when entry to most museums are free?

Our top pick: Home, Truly: Growing Up With Singapore, 1950s to the Present, available at the National Museum of Singapore until August 31. This exhibition guarantees to bring nostalgia to the older folks, and it’s greatly educational for the younger ones. 

November

Deepavali

4 November (Thursday): Deepavali
5 November (Friday): Take leave
6 November (Saturday): Weekend
7 November (Sunday): Weekend

What you get: Four days off with one day of leave. 

What to do: Consider a staycation with your partner or a bunch of friends to celebrate surviving 2021. You deserve it. 

December

Christmas

24 December (Friday): Take leave
25 December (Saturday): Christmas Day
26 December (Sunday): Weekend

What you get: Three days off with one day of leave. 

What to do: Anything festive! Just take the eve or the Monday after (Dec 27) off, you’ll need it to prepare or recharge from all that drinking and partying you did over the weekend. 

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