How Kazakhstanis will spend their May holidays

Tengrinews.kz – Kazakhstanis can look forward to several holidays and long weekends in May 2025. Here’s a breakdown of the upcoming public holidays and how they will impact work schedules.

State holidays in May 2025

Kazakhstan will celebrate three major state holidays:

• May 1 (Thursday): Kazakhstan's People Solidarity Holiday
• May 7 (Wednesday): Defenders' Day
• May 9 (Friday): Victory Day

Each of these will be an official holiday, meaning additional days off on top of the regular weekends.

How Kazakhstanis will rest on May 1, 2025

For those with a five-day workweek:

• May 1 (Thursday) – Day off
• May 2 (Friday) – Workday
• May 3 and 4 (Saturday and Sunday) – Weekends

For those with a six-day workweek:

• May 1 (Thursday) – Day off
• May 2 and 3 (Friday and Saturday) – Workdays
• May 4 (Sunday) – Day off

How Kazakhstanis will rest on May 7 and 9, 2025

In the second week of May, Kazakhstan will have two more holidays:

For those with a five-day workweek:

• May 7 (Wednesday) – Day off
• May 9 (Friday) – Day off
• May 10 and 11 (Saturday and Sunday) – Weekends

For those with a six-day workweek:

• May 7 (Wednesday) – Day off
• May 9 (Friday) – Day off
• May 10 (Saturday) – Workday
• May 11 (Sunday) – Day off

The Ministry of Labor and Social Protection has confirmed that there will be no changes to the holiday schedule, and the holiday on May 11 will not be moved to May 8, despite the gap between the holidays.

Total days off in May 2025

For those on a five-day workweek:

• 12 days off, including the public holidays.
• 19 working days.

For those on a six-day workweek:

• 8 days off.
• 23 working days.

Professional holidays in May

May also brings several professional holidays that, while not official days off, are celebrated in various sectors:

May 17 – Communications Workers’ Day
May 20 – Metrology Workers’ Day
May 21 – Culture and Arts Workers’ Day
May 25 (Last Sunday of May) – Chemical Industry Workers’ Day

In 2025, May promises several long weekends, giving Kazakhstanis plenty of time to relax, spend time with loved ones, or take short trips.