Know when it’s a holiday there before you schedule

Daylight-saving changes are not synchronized

Regions begin and end daylight saving time on different dates. For several weeks each year, a familiar city-to-city difference may be one hour larger or smaller than expected. Some places do not observe daylight saving time at all.

Check the local calendar

• Confirm the date shown in every participant’s city.
• Look for weekend differences when meetings cross midnight.
• Treat holiday notices as warnings rather than automatic exclusions.
• Recheck recurring meetings near seasonal clock changes.

What the holiday check can tell you

The planner checks the meeting date in each selected location and displays a separate status for every city. A public-holiday warning does not automatically remove the suggested time: some teams work through a holiday, while regional observance and individual schedules vary. The warning gives the organizer a reason to confirm attendance before sending the invitation.

National, regional and company calendars

• National holidays are the most consistent cross-country signal.
• Some holidays apply only to a state, province, territory or city.
• Substitute days may move an observance when a holiday falls on a weekend.
• Company shutdowns, school breaks and personal leave are outside a public calendar.

A practical holiday-aware workflow

Choose the actual date before judging the result. Read the status beside every location and investigate any warning with the local participant. If holiday information is unavailable, treat that as a prompt to confirm rather than as proof of a normal working day. For recurring meetings, inspect each occurrence separately because movable holidays and substitute days change from year to year.

India and other complex holiday calendars

Some countries combine nationwide holidays with state, religious, bank and substitute observances. India is a good example: Republic Day, Independence Day and Gandhi Jayanti are fixed nationwide dates, while many other important observances vary by year or location. Common Hours includes a built-in check for those three nationwide Indian holidays when the external calendar cannot supply India data. For every other unavailable date, the site says so rather than incorrectly calling it a working day.

How to handle a warning

A warning should begin a conversation, not make the decision by itself. Ask the participant whether the holiday applies to their location and employer, whether they expect to be working, and whether a substitute day is observed. If attendance is optional, state that clearly. If the meeting is important or customer-facing, move it when possible. Record the decision in the invitation so the same question does not reappear later.

Clock changes in 2026 for major business hubs

• Los Angeles — clocks change on 8 Mar and 1 Nov.
• New York — clocks change on 8 Mar and 1 Nov.
• Mexico City — no clock change at any point in 2026.
• São Paulo — no clock change at any point in 2026.
• Santiago — clocks change on 5 Apr and 6 Sep.
• London — clocks change on 29 Mar and 25 Oct.
• Berlin — clocks change on 29 Mar and 25 Oct.
• Cairo — clocks change on 24 Apr and 30 Oct.
• Johannesburg — no clock change at any point in 2026.
• Dubai — no clock change at any point in 2026.
• Mumbai — no clock change at any point in 2026.
• Singapore — no clock change at any point in 2026.
• Tokyo — no clock change at any point in 2026.
• Sydney — clocks change on 5 Apr and 4 Oct.
• Auckland — clocks change on 5 Apr and 27 Sep.

Places that do not change their clocks at all

Much of Asia, Africa and the Middle East keeps a single offset all year: India, Singapore, Japan, the United Arab Emirates, Nigeria and South Africa never move. Mexico abolished daylight saving nationwide in 2022, though border cities such as Tijuana still follow the United States schedule. Within the United States, Arizona does not change its clocks — except the Navajo Nation, which does. Queensland and Western Australia stay fixed while the rest of Australia moves. These mixed pairings cause the most confusion, because one side of the call shifts and the other simply does not.

Holidays that move from year to year

• Lunar New Year falls between late January and late February and closes offices across China, Singapore and much of South-East Asia for a week or more.
• Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha follow the lunar calendar and arrive roughly eleven days earlier each year.
• Holidays tied to Easter — Good Friday, Easter Monday, Ascension, Whit Monday — move with it.
• Many countries add a substitute day when a fixed-date holiday falls on a weekend.
• Some bridge a midweek holiday to the nearest weekend, closing offices for several days either side.

What a national holiday check cannot tell you

A country-level calendar is the right place to start and the wrong place to stop. It cannot know about regional holidays that apply in one state, province or canton but not the next; company shutdowns between Christmas and New Year; school holidays that quietly change when parents are available; or ordinary personal leave. Treat a flag as a prompt to ask rather than as an answer. Confirm with the person you are inviting, and remember that a clear public calendar is not the same thing as a free colleague.