How to Add Holidays to Google Calendar (Any Country)

Holidays matter more than people think when you run a business. They're the days your clients in another country won't reply, the days your courier won't collect, and the days you shouldn't schedule a launch email. Google Calendar can show them all, for your country and anywhere else you work with, without you typing a single date.

Your own country's holidays are already there

Google adds holidays to your calendar automatically. If you don't see them, they've probably been hidden rather than removed. Look under Other calendars or My calendars on the left of Google Calendar on your computer and make sure the box next to the holiday calendar is ticked.

How to add holidays from another country (computer)

1. Open Google Calendar on your computer.
2. Click Settings (the gear icon) at the top right.
3. On the left, click Add calendar, then Browse calendars of interest.
4. Under Regional holidays, click Browse all.
5. Tick the box next to each country or region you want to add. Untick one to remove it.
6. Go back to your calendar. The new holidays appear as their own calendar on the left.

How to choose which holidays show

By default Google shows public holidays and other observances. For a cleaner calendar you can switch to public holidays only, or pick the holidays you care about:

1. Go to Settings, Add calendar, Browse calendars of interest.
2. Under Regional holidays, find the holiday calendar you've added.
3. Click the drop-down next to it.
4. Choose public holidays and other observances, public holidays only, or select the individual holidays you want to see.

How to add holidays on your phone

In the Google Calendar app, tap Menu, then Settings, then Holidays, and choose the national holidays you want. Anything you add on your phone shows on your computer too, because it's all stored in your Google Account.

What you want	Where to do it
Another country's public holidays	Settings, Add calendar, Browse calendars of interest, Browse all
Fewer observances, public holidays only	Drop-down next to the holiday calendar
Religious or cultural holidays	Browse calendars of interest
A specialist holiday list	Subscribe to a published holiday calendar by its web address
Holidays on your phone	Menu, Settings, Holidays

The catch: you can't edit a holiday

Google is clear that you can't change the details of individual holidays on your calendar. The dates come from a third-party company that specialises in holiday data and keeps it updated for every country where Google Calendar is used. So if a holiday is labelled in a way you don't like, or you'd like to add a note to it, you can't. What you can do is hide holidays you don't want, using the selection drop-down, or create your own all-day event on that date with your notes in it.

Adding a holiday calendar Google doesn't offer

If you need something Google's list doesn't cover, such as a school term calendar or a trade show calendar, ask whoever publishes it for its calendar link. Then, on the left of Google Calendar, click the plus next to Other calendars, choose From URL, paste the link and click Add calendar. It updates when the publisher updates it.

Why this helps a small business

• You don't book client calls on a day their office is closed.
• You time campaigns around holidays your audience celebrates, and avoid the ones where nobody's reading email.
• You warn customers in advance about delivery or support delays.
• You see at a glance when a team member abroad has a day off.

If you plan content around key dates, my guide to calendar marketing shows how to turn holidays and seasonal moments into a plan.

Give holidays a colour that stands out

Holidays sit on their own calendar, so you can give them a colour that stands out from your meetings. Point to the holiday calendar on the left, click the three dots and pick a colour. Every holiday changes at once, which is the easiest way to spot them when you look at the month ahead.

Holidays when you work across time zones

Holidays are all-day events, so they sit at the top of each day rather than in the time grid. If your clients are in a different time zone, a holiday that starts on their Monday may appear to overlap your Sunday evening, depending on the time difference. When you're planning around a holiday in another country, look at the date in their local calendar, not just yours, and avoid booking anything that runs into their morning.

It's also worth adding a second time zone to your calendar if you regularly work with one other country. Google Calendar lets you show more than one time zone down the side of your calendar, which makes it obvious when your afternoon is their evening.

Removing holidays you don't need

If you've added a country you no longer work with, go back to Settings, Add calendar, Browse calendars of interest, click Browse all under Regional holidays and untick it. To hide holidays temporarily without removing them, just untick the holiday calendar on the left of your main calendar view. It stays subscribed, and you can switch it back on whenever you're planning ahead.

My verdict

Your own country's holidays are already in Google Calendar, so start by checking they're not hidden. Then add the countries your clients and team are in, switch to public holidays only if your calendar feels crowded, and give holidays a bold colour. It takes five minutes on a computer and saves a lot of awkward unanswered emails. For more ways to protect your time, see my time management tools.

Frequently asked questions

How do I remove a country's holidays from Google Calendar?

Go to Settings, Add calendar, Browse calendars of interest, click Browse all under Regional holidays and untick the country.

Why aren't holidays showing in my Google Calendar?

They're added automatically, so the holiday calendar is probably unticked. Check the box next to it on the left of Google Calendar.

Can I add holidays from more than one country?

Yes. Go to Settings, Add calendar, Browse calendars of interest, then Browse all under Regional holidays and tick each country.

Can I edit a holiday in Google Calendar?

No. You can't change the details of individual holidays, but you can hide the ones you don't want.

How do I show only public holidays?

Use the drop-down next to your holiday calendar in Browse calendars of interest and choose public holidays only.

Can I add holidays on the Google Calendar app?

Yes. Tap Menu, Settings, Holidays and choose the national holidays you want.