Here’s how to take advantage of Singapore’s public holidays in 2023 for an extended vacation.
From what we’ve seen so far, there’re a couple of long weekends next year that’s perfect for a short trip to nearby locations like Desaru Coast and Bangkok, but some public holidays fall on a Wednesday or Thursday, which means only one thing — taking the rest of the week off for an extended trip elsewhere.
According to TripAdvisor’s latest statistics, fewer Singaporeans are going on staycations, and are heading abroad instead. The numbers also show that nearly three-quarters of Singaporean respondents (74 percent) are planning to travel more than four hours out of Singapore, and four in five residents (80 percent) will get to their destination by plane. In case you’re curious, here are the most popular international destinations for Singaporeans:
- Bangkok, Thailand
- Seoul, South Korea
- Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
- Paris, France
- London, United Kingdom
- Johor Bahru, Malaysia
- Seminyak, Indonesia
- Genting Highlands, Malaysia
- Lagoi, Indonesia
- Hanoi, Vietnam
We’ve compiled a list of Singapore public holidays in 2023 by month, plus tips on how to maximise your leave for long holidays next year.
January
New Year’s Day falls on a Sunday, which means you’ll have Monday off-in-lieu as well. Take Tuesday to Thursday (four days) off work and you’ve scored yourself nine-day holiday from 31 December to 8 January.
You’ll find yourself only having to take three days off for a nine-day break at the end of the month too. Chinese New Year falls on a Sunday, which means you won’t just have Monday off for the second day of festivities — day three is a public holiday too. Go on a trip to Australia, Korea, Hong Kong, or Japan from 21 to 29 January (nine days) while only taking three days leave.
April
The next public holiday after January is in April, so you better make it count. Good Friday falls on 7 April 2023, which means you can take a short weekend trip to somewhere nearby like Desaru Coast.
Another public holiday to look out for is Hari Raya Puasa (22 April 2023), which falls on a Saturday. According to the Ministry of Manpower website, if you are on a 5-day work week, Saturday would be considered your non-working day. For a public holiday that falls on a Saturday, you should get either a day off or salary in lieu. We suggest using this holiday on 24 April 2023 to coincide with your next holiday in May, which we’ll explain below.
May
Labour Day falls on 1 May 2023, and if you can use your Hari Raya Puasa off-in-lieu in April (as stated above), take four days off from 25-28 April, and you’ll be able to enjoy the springtime and the last burst of the cherry blossom season abroad from 22 April to 1 May (10 days).
June
Another long weekend awaits in June. Vesak Day (3 June 2023) is on a Saturday, so you can spend time shopping and eating in Bangkok or Penang from 2 to 4 June without using any of your annual leave.
Hari Raya Haji falls on a Thursday (29 June 2023), so use some of your paid time off for vacation. By using one day (30 June 2023) of leave, you’ve already scored yourself a four-day trip. If you’re dreaming for a longer trip, simply take four days leave (26-28 June and 30 June 2023) and a nine-day voyage is all yours.
August
Kit Chan’s Home can wait — we’re going on a break. National Day (9 August 2023) happens to be on a Wednesday, so it would be a terrible waste to work on Thursday and Friday while you’re still in rest mode. We recommend taking those two days off and heading for a short five-day cruise from 9 to 13 August.
November
Singaporeans love a cool-weather getaway, and there’s no better time to do so than in November. Deepavali falls on a Sunday (12 November 2023), which means the next day (Monday, 13 November) will be an observed public holiday. Take four days off that same week and you’ll be all set to head on a nine-day vacation from 11 to 19 November.
December
Personally, December’s our favourite month. Between Mariah Carey defrosting on the radio, the holiday mood, and trying to clear the rest of our annual leave, what’s not to love? Since Christmas Day falls on a Monday (25 December 2023), we’re taking the rest of the week off — four days, to be exact — so we can party into the New Year for nine days straight. Better yet, if your office has a habit of closing these last few days (without eating into your paid time off), simply take five days of leave from 18 to 22 December and you can have a 17-day-long holiday to frolic in the snow.
