How to plan your public holiday trading hours
- Enter your normal weekly hours, and your business name if you want it on the sign.
- For each public holiday, choose closed, your normal hours, or different hours. Untick any you don’t want on your sign yet.
- Press Make my holiday hours, then copy what you need: the Google checklist, WhatsApp messages, website banner, door sign and calendar reminders.
Customers check opening hours on Google before they travel, and public holidays are when hours change most. Setting special hours on your Google Business Profile ahead of time, putting the same hours in your WhatsApp away message and on your door, and reminding yourself two weeks early stops customers arriving at a locked door.
Questions
What happens when a public holiday falls on a Sunday?
The Public Holidays Act says the Monday after becomes a public holiday too. In 2027 that happens twice: Human Rights Day is on Sunday 21 March, so Monday 22 March is a holiday, and Day of Goodwill is on Sunday 26 December, so Monday 27 December is a holiday. The planner lists both days.
Is 4 November 2026 a public holiday?
Yes. The President declared Wednesday 4 November 2026, the day of the local government elections, a public holiday throughout South Africa (Proclamation Notice 346 of 2026). When we checked on 4 October 2026, Google’s holiday list for South Africa didn’t include it, so you may need to add it to your special hours yourself.
Do I need to set special hours if I’m open as normal?
Google recommends confirming your hours for official holidays even when they don’t change, so customers can see your hours are accurate. Choose “Normal hours” for that day and add it to your special hours with those hours.
What if I’m closing for a week or longer?
Google’s special hours cover closures of up to six days in a row. For seven days or more, Google suggests marking the business as temporarily closed instead. Use the Temporary closure tab: it tells you which to do and writes the messages and sign for you.
Does anything I type get stored or sent?
No. The planner runs in your browser. Your hours and business name aren’t sent to Local Heights or anyone else, nothing is saved, and there’s no sign-in.
Where do the dates come from?
The Public Holidays Act 36 of 1994, the South African Government’s public holidays page, and the Presidency’s declaration for 4 November 2026, checked on 4 October 2026. The government page doesn’t list Monday 27 December 2027 yet, but the Act’s Sunday rule makes it a public holiday, so we include it. We update the list every year and whenever a new holiday is declared.
Sources: gov.za public holidays · Proclamation for 4 November 2026 · Google: set special hours. Local Heights is independent and not affiliated with Google or WhatsApp.