Malaysia when to go - The Malaysians love their national holidays

Malaysian National holidays and school holidays

Malaysia is a multi-cultural mix of religions and ethnicities. Chinese, Indians and Malaysians all have their own traditions and holidays, which is why Malaysia observe a huge number of national holidays. During these national holidays the Malaysians love to travel and many of the resorts and hotels become a lot busier (and more expensive). The islands of Pulau Tioman (east coast) and Pulau Pangkor, Penang and Langkawi (west coast) are particularly popular on holiday weekends and Taman Negara and the Cameron Highlands are busier than usual as well. It can be a fun experience spending your holiday together with the locals but if you want to avoid the crowds, then we recommend you try to plan your itinerary around the busiest dates.

Either way, we’ve outlined all the national holidays below and when is the best time to go to Malaysia based on your preferences. Remember that peak season rates apply in most hotels and that peak season usually starts one day prior to the national or school holiday. If a national holiday falls on a Sunday, the following Monday will be a holiday too. At Christmas and New Year some hotels have a (compulsory) included dinner, which are at your own cost.

National Holidays 2009
Holiday	Malaysia	Singapore
New Year	1 January	1 January
Chinese New Year	26 & 27 January	26 & 27 January
Maulidur Rasul (Prophet Muhammed's birthday)	9 March	-
Good Friday	-	10 April
Labour Day	1 May	1 May
Vesak Day (Birth of Buddha)	9 May	9 May
King Agong's Birthday	6 June	-
Merdeka Day (National Day)	31 August	9 August
** Hari Raya Puasa (End of Ramadan)	21 September	21 September
** Deepavali	17 October	17 October
** Hari Raya Qurban (Feast of Sacrifice)	27 & 28 November	-
Christmas Day	25 December	25 December

Malaysian State Holidays
Holiday	State	Date
New Year	W.P., W.Labuan, W.Putrajaya, Selangor, Penang, Melaka, Perak, Negri Sembilan, Pahang, Sabah Sarawak	1 January
Sultan of Kedah's birthday	Kedah	18 January
Federal Territory Day	Labuan, Putrajaya, Kuala Lumpur	1 February
Thaipusam	Johor, Negri Sembilan, Perak, Pahang, Penang, Selangor	8 February
Anniversary of Installation of Sultan of Terengganu	Terengganu	4 March
Sultan of Kelantan's birthday	Kelantan	30 & 31 March
Sultan of Johor's birthday	Johor	8 April
Declaration Day of Malacca as A Historical City	Malacca	15 April
Sultan of Perak's birthday	Perak	19 April
Hari Hol Pahang	Pahang	7 May
Raja Perlis' birthday	Perlis	17 May
Harvest Festival	Labuan, Sabah	30 & 31 May
Dayak Festival (Hari Gawai)	Sarawak	1 & 2 June
Holy Day of Almarhum Sultan of Johor	Johor	9 July
Yang di-Pertua Negeri Besar	Penang	11 July
Tuanku Yang di-Pertuan Besar Negeri Sembilan	Negri Sembilan	19 July
Sultan of Terengganu's birthday	Terengganu	20 July
Israk & Mikraj	Kedah, Negeri Sembilan, Perlis	20 July
First day of Ramadhan	Johor, Kedah, Malacca	22 August
Yang di-Pertua Negeri Sarawak Besar	Sarawak	13 September
Malaysia Day & Sabah State Governor birthday	Sabah	16 September
**Nuzul Al Quran	Kelantan, Pahang, Perlis, Perak, Penang, Selangor, Terengganu	7 September
Malacca State Governor's birthday	Malacca	11 October
Sultan of Pehang's birthday	Pahang	24 October
Hari Raya Haji (Hari Raya Qurban)	Kedah, Perlis	27 & 28 November
Sultan of Selangor's birthday	Selangor	11 December

** These dates follow the lunar calendar and are therefore subject to change.

Malaysian School holidays 2009
1st term break	:	14 - 22 March
2nd term break	:	30 May - 14 June
3rd term break	:	22 -30 August
End of year break	:	21 November - 3 January
* In states Kedah, Kelantan and Terengganu school holidays start one day earlier

Singapore School holidays 2009
Semester 1 Term 1 Break	:	14 - 22 March
Semester 1 Term 2 Break	:	30 May - 28 June
Semester 2 Term 3 Break	:	5 - 13 September
Semester 2 Term 4 Break	:	21 November - 31 December