How it works
- Pick your country to list the next 90 days of festivals and public holidays.
- Tick the days you close or change hours, and set closed or your hours for each.
- Copy the special-hours list, download the calendar file, and post each day’s draft with Reach or copy it.
- Add each date as special hours on your profile a few days ahead, and publish the post.
Method and limits
Every date comes from Google Calendar’s public holiday calendar for the country, the same one people add in Google Calendar, read again each day. The planner names the source under the list and says when Google has not yet published dates that far ahead.
Google marks each day as a public holiday, a regional holiday in the states it names, or an observance. In India, festivals such as Karva Chauth, Govardhan Puja and Chhath Puja are observances: there is no national closure, but many shops change their hours.
Special hours tell people on Google that you are closed or open late on that one day, so nobody makes a wasted trip. Without them, Google may show your regular hours or mark the hours as possibly different.
Read why Google changes your business details, and how to stop it
Privacy
The planner runs in your browser. Your choices and business name are not sent anywhere; Post with Reach keeps only the draft you picked, in this browser, for Reach’s post composer.
Worked example
An illustrative plan for a made-up sweet shop in Delhi:
Sun 8 November, Diwali (Deepavali): 08:00 to 22:00 Mon 9 November, Govardhan Puja: closed
Happy Diwali from Mithaas Sweets! On Sun 8 November we're open 08:00 to 22:00. Visit us or plan around it.
Post the draft with Reach, or open it in the post generator to write it in Hindi with your Diwali offer.
Questions
- Why add special hours for a festival?
- Special hours override your regular hours for one date, so people who find you on Google see that you are closed or open late on that day.
- Which countries are covered?
- About 230 countries and territories, from Google Calendar’s public holiday calendars. They include the festivals Google lists as observances, such as Karva Chauth and Chhath Puja in India. Google publishes most countries about five years ahead; where a country’s dates stop sooner, the planner says so.
- What if I stay open past midnight?
- Google asks for hours past midnight as two entries, one on each date. Set this day's hours to close at midnight here, then add the early hours on the next date in Google.
- Are festival dates the same in every state?
- No. Public holidays apply across the country, but many festivals are regional holidays or observances. The planner marks each day as a public holiday, a regional holiday with the states Google names, or an observance. Check your state’s own list before you close.
- When should I set holiday hours on Google?
- A few days ahead. Google may take time to review a change, and people plan visits before the festival.