India, Dec. 31 -- The calendar for 2026 quietly offers something many people look for months in advance - time. Not just holidays, but workable breaks that fall close enough to weekends - the ever-so-desirable long weekends - to make travel a bit more fun. Some come neatly packaged. Others need a day's leave and a bit of planning.

Taken together, the year provides several windows worth marking now rather than scrambling later. Below is a month-by-month look at the long weekends in 2026, based on widely observed holidays and how they fall on the calendar.

The year 2026 begins midweek. New Year's Day lands on a Thursday, January 1. Taking Friday, January 2 off turns it into a four-day break.

Other dates to note:

January 23 (Friday) - Va...