Hongkongers can net themselves an 11-day holiday with the smart use of their annual leave around the 2025 Christmas break, or a 10-day one over next year’s Easter festivities.
The government announced on Friday that residents were entitled to 17 days marked as public holidays next year, including five extended weekends. The number is the same as last year.
The holiday calendar means residents working Mondays to Fridays can strategically use their annual leave to get longer holidays.
An ideal scenario would be an employee using leave to bridge next year’s Christmas holiday on December 25 and 26, which fall on a Thursday and Friday, with the New Year’s break on January 1, a Thursday.
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In this situation, the employee would only need to take leave from December 29 to 31 and January 2 to net an 11-day holiday.
Those looking to make the most of the 2025 Easter break, which runs from Friday, April 18 to Monday, April 21, could take April 14 to 17 off to create a 10-day holiday.
Another option falls on the Lunar New Year holiday running from January 29 to February 2, Wednesday to Tuesday. Employees can get a nine-day break if they use two days of leave on January 27 and 28.
The announcement also reveals several extended weekends for 2025, including the Ching Ming Festival on April 4, a Friday, and Buddha’s Birthday on May 5, a Monday.