For all of you who have been cursing the year 2016 for placing important holidays over weekends, there is a very good news in store for you. The year 2017 is loaded with Holidays that a day before or after Sat-Sun thereby giving us all some long weekends spread across the year. Here is the 2017 India Holiday Calendar along with our suggestions to make the best use of the upcoming extended weekends:

January

• Thu, 26 Jan: Republic Day
• Fri, 27 Jan: Take leave
• Sat, 28 Jan
• Sun, 29 Jan
  Consider: Gulmarg or Auli for skiing; Jawai to spot leopards

February

• Fri, 24 Feb: Mahashivratri
• Sat, 25 Feb
• Sun, 26 Feb
  Consider: Agra for Taj Mahotsav (18?27 Feb); Andaman Islands for diving; Goa for Carnival (25?28 Feb)

March

• Sat, 11 Mar
• Sun, 12 Mar
• Mon, 13 Mar: Holi
  Consider: Mathura for Holi; Coorg to catch the white coffee flowers in bloom; Jaipur before summer kicks in

• Sat, 25 Mar
• Sun, 26 Mar
• Mon, 27 Mar: Take leave
• Tue, 28 Mar: Gudi Padva
  Consider: Rishikesh for white-water rafting

April

• Sat, 1 Apr
• Sun, 2 Apr
• Mon, 3 Apr: Take leave
• Tue, 4 Apr: Ram Navami
  Consider: Srinagar for tulips

• Thu, 13 Apr: Vaisakhi
• Fri, 14 Apr: Dr Ambedkar Jayanti, Good Friday
• Sat, 15 Apr
• Sun, 16 Apr: Easter
  Consider: Amritsar for Baisakhi (14 Apr) Mahabaleshwarfor the Mapro Strawberry Festival (Easter weekend)

• Sat, 29 Apr
• Sun, 30 Apr
• Mon, 1 May: May Day
  Consider: Shillong, Mashobra or Landour to beat the heat; Tadoba or Ranthambore to spot the big cat; Tawang for adventure

June

• Sat, 24 Jun
• Sun, 25 Jun
• Mon, 26 Jun: Ramzan Eid
  Consider: Hyderabad or Lucknow for Ramzan Eid; Munnar for the monsoon; Dharamshala for camping/trekking

August

• Sat, 12 Aug
• Sun, 13 Aug
• Mon, 14 Aug: Janmashtami or take leave
• Tue, 15 Aug: Independence Day
• Wed, 16 Aug: Take leave
• Thu, 17 Aug: Parsi New Year
• Fri, 18 Aug: Take leave
• Sat, 19 Aug
• Sun, 20 Aug
  Consider: Ladakh for adventure; Uttarakhand for trekking and Valley of Flowers

• Fri, 25 Aug: Ganesh Chaturthi
• Sat, 26 Aug
• Sun, 27 Aug
  Consider: Pune for Ganesh Chaturthi; Coonoor for cheese-making at Acres Wild; Agumbe, Karnataka for a monsoon drive; Bali for a beach break

September - October

• Sat, 30 Sep
• Sun, 1 Oct
• Mon, 2 Oct: Gandhi Jayanti
  Consider: Bhutan for the Thimphu Tshechu festival (30 Sep?2 Oct); Bandhavgarh for wildlife season; Ziro, Arunachal Pradesh for the pleasant weather

• Sat, 14 Oct
• Sun, 15 Oct
• Mon, 16 Oct: Dhanteras or take leave
• Tue, 17 Oct: Naraka Chaturdashi or take leave
• Wed, 18 Oct: Diwali
• Thu, 19 Oct: Balipratipada
• Fri, 20 Oct: Bhaiduj
• Sat, 21 Oct
• Sun, 22 Oct
  Consider: Gangtok for clear views of the Kanchenjunga; Rajasthan for Diwali; Birand Billing for paragliding

December

• Fri, 1 Dec: Eid-e-Milad
• Sat, 2 Dec
• Sun, 3 Dec
  Consider: Nagaland for Hornbill Festival; Periyar for wildlife; Bharatpur or Odisha for spotting migratory birds

• Sat, 23 Dec
• Sun, 24 Dec
• Mon, 25 Dec: Christmas
  Consider:Manali for the snow; Puducherry or Alappuzha for a winter break