October has always been a month full of various national, professional and international holidays, as everyone has long since returned from the summer vacation season, adapted to the workplace in September and is ready for new events. According to the official state calendar , in October 2026, 16 holidays and memorable dates will be celebrated in Ukraine .
The busiest day of the month will be October 1 (Thursday), which will feature four significant events at once. In particular, this day is the church holiday of the Protection of the Mother of God, or as the people once called it, “Cossack Protection,” and today the whole country will honor those who defend our freedom — the Day of Defenders of Ukraine will be celebrated , which is a logical continuation of the historical Cossack tradition of the key day of the Zaporizhzhia army (it was on this day that the Cossacks elected key atamans).
In this article, we have compiled a complete list of official public holidays for October 2026 and organized them into a convenient table by dates and days of the week.
Read also: Fisherman’s Lunar Calendar for October 2026 by day in detail
Breakdown of public holidays in October 2026 by category
The October calendar combines holidays from several categories:
- National patriotic holidays: The most important among them is the Day of Defenders of Ukraine (October 1).
- Professional holidays: In October, educators, lawyers, artists, food workers, and workers in other industries are traditionally congratulated.
- International and humanitarian events: Days of support for the elderly and the fight against important diseases.
- Memorable historical dates: Day of the Liberation of Ukraine from the Nazi Invaders (October 28).
Table of holidays in October 2026 by dates
Below is a complete and detailed schedule of all 16 holidays by day of the week and date:
| Date | Day of the week | Name of holiday/event | Category (marker) |
|---|---|---|---|
| October 1 | Thursday | Day of Defenders of Ukraine | State-patriotic |
| October 1 | Thursday | Veteran’s Day | Nationwide |
| October 1 | Thursday | Ukrainian Cossack Day | Patriotic |
| October 1 | Thursday | International Day of Older Persons | International |
| October 4 | Sunday | Territorial Defense Day of Ukraine | Military |
| October 4 | Sunday | Education Workers’ Day | Professional |
| October 8 | Thursday | Lawyer’s Day | Professional |
| October 10 | Saturday | Standardization and Metrology Workers’ Day | Professional |
| October 11 | Sunday | Day of State Sanitary and Epidemiological Service Workers | Professional |
| October 11 | Sunday | Artist’s Day | Professional |
| October 17 | Saturday | Pulp and Paper Industry Workers’ Day | Professional |
| October 18 | Sunday | Food Industry Workers Day | Professional |
| October 19 | Monday | Human Responsibility Day | Social and humanitarian |
| October 20 | Tuesday | All-Ukrainian Day of Combating Breast Cancer | Medical and social |
| October 27 | Tuesday | Ukrainian Writing and Language Day | Cultural and national |
| October 28 | Wednesday | Day of the Liberation of Ukraine from Fascist Invaders | Historical and memorable |
Note to the table: the list of holidays fully corresponds to the data of the official schedule of confirmed state events for October 2026.
Read also: Orthodox church calendar for October 2026 according to the old style
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