Hari Raya and Lebaran 2027: dates, open houses and travel

The 2027 dates and how firm they are

Hari Raya Aidilfitri falls on the first day of Syawal, the month after Ramadan. Each country determines its religious calendar, so one country's announcement does not settle the date for its neighbours. For travel planning, Wednesday 10 March is Singapore's gazetted holiday; religious calendars elsewhere can differ.

In Indonesia, Muhammadiyah's calendar puts the first day of the fast on Monday 8 February 2027. The government sets its own start by a decision of the Minister of Religious Affairs. Muhammadiyah's calendar puts Idul Fitri on Tuesday 9 March, a day before the government's listed holiday.

Malaysia: open houses and the drive home

Malaysia's official 2027 list gives Hari Raya Aidilfitri on Wednesday 10 and Thursday 11 March, subject to the local moon-sighting decision. Selangor's Mufti Department explains that Malaysia determines Syawal by crescent visibility and announces Hari Raya after the observation on 29 Ramadan. Families and communities celebrate together, and open houses are part of the tradition, when homes welcome friends and family to share the festive food.

A holiday on the list tells you nothing about which shops or sights close, so check the places you plan to visit. Our Malaysia festivals and events calendar has the state holidays, and our Kuala Lumpur guide the sights that make the capital an easy base that week.

Singapore: Geylang Serai and Kampong Glam

Singapore's Ministry of Manpower lists Hari Raya Puasa on Wednesday 10 March 2027. The National Heritage Board describes a festival of mosque prayers and family feasts: visits go first to parents and elders, then to other relatives and friends, and younger family members ask forgiveness and kiss their elders' hands; children receive money in small green packets; families dress in baju kurung, often in matching colours; and the tables carry kuih, ketupat (rice cakes wrapped in coconut leaves) and rendang.

The month before is the time to visit. Geylang Serai is lit up a month before Hari Raya Puasa, and its annual bazaar is a huge draw for Muslims and non-Muslims alike. There are also festive bazaars in Kampong Glam. Singapore keeps running through the holiday, which makes it the easiest place on this list to see the celebrations with a full itinerary; our Singapore festivals and events calendar covers the year.

Brunei: the palace open house

In Brunei, Hari Raya is a family holiday, and Brunei Tourism warns that most shops and restaurants close for the first three days so families can spend the time together. Brunei announces its own date, so wait for the official notice before fixing your flights.

Hari Raya is also one of the few occasions when the Sultan's palace, Istana Nurul Iman, opens to the public. Brunei Tourism describes a long queue, then a chance to meet members of the royal family in person: men greet the male members, the Sultan among them, and women the female members, the Queen among them. Bring a smart, modest outfit that covers your arms, shoes that cover your toes and, for women, a hijab. The palace announces the year's open-house days, and the arrangements are its own.

Brunei's Visit Brunei Year 2027 programme includes a Taste of Ramadan in Brunei. With restaurants closed on the first days of Hari Raya, book a hotel with its own restaurant, or plan your meals for those days ahead. Our Bandar Seri Begawan guide covers the capital and our first trip to Brunei guide the basics.

Indonesia: Lebaran and the great journey home

The joint decree of three ministers on the 2027 national holidays lists Idul Fitri 1448 on Wednesday 10 and Thursday 11 March 2027, with collective leave (cuti bersama) on Tuesday 9, Friday 12 and Monday 15 March. The decree leaves the final date of Idul Fitri to the Minister of Religious Affairs. With Nyepi on Monday 8 March and the weekends, the listed days make an unbroken run from Saturday 6 to Monday 15 March.

Lebaran is when families travel home (mudik) and then back, and the holiday is normally stretched to about 7 to 10 days for that reason. For Lebaran 2026, KAI opened long-distance train ticket sales 45 days before departure. By 26 March 2026, it reported cumulative Lebaran ticket sales equal to 99.6% of its offered capacity. ASDP's Ferizy system normally takes reservations from 60 days to one hour before port entry; operational changes can alter that window. Collective leave applies to civil servants, while each private employer decides for its own staff, and the decree requires transport, banking, hospitals and other essential services to keep enough staff on duty.

In Yogyakarta, the palace holds Grebeg Syawal on the morning of 1 Syawal, after the Eid prayer, when royal soldiers carry towering mounds of rice, vegetables and cakes to the Masjid Gedhe Kauman to be blessed and shared. Our Ramadan and Lebaran guide gives the full travel calendar, the booking order and what changes for visitors during the fast.

Ramadan and the holiday as a visitor

During Ramadan Muslims fast from dawn to sunset. Non-Muslim visitors are not expected to fast; in Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia, eat and drink discreetly in the daytime. In Brunei it is the law: during Ramadan, eating, drinking and smoking in public in daytime is forbidden, also for non-Muslims, and the UK Foreign Office warns that it is against the law to be seen eating or drinking in public during fasting hours. In Indonesia, Ramadan restaurants often close or draw their curtains by day while fast-food and franchise restaurants keep normal hours, and the takjil stalls near markets and big mosques before the breaking of the fast are a highlight of the month. Dress modestly at mosques and when visiting homes.

If you are invited to an open house or a family visit, go: it is the heart of the festival. Greet your hosts with "Selamat Hari Raya" and dress smartly. In Brunei and Indonesia, expect quieter cities on the day itself as people stay with their families.

Choosing where to be

For the festival without the travel trouble, choose Singapore: a fixed public holiday on 10 March, the Geylang Serai bazaar in the weeks before, and a city that keeps running. For a once-in-a-lifetime experience, choose Brunei for the palace open house, and plan meals around the closed restaurants. In Malaysia the celebration happens mostly in homes, so it rewards travellers with local friends.

In Indonesia, choose one base for the holiday period. Collective leave ends on Monday 15 March. Wherever you go, book the room and the journeys either side of the holiday as early as you can, and keep a day free in case the date moves.