---
key: add-a-holiday-calendar
title: Add a holiday calendar
audience: staff
section: settings/scheduling
routes: ["/settings/org/holiday-calendars"]
permissions: ["schedule.holidays.manage"]
features: ["schedule.core"]
since: 0.0.1
updated: 0.0.1
status: published
summary: Subscribe your branch to a country or regional holiday calendar so statutory holidays block the schedule automatically, and skip the holidays you stay open for.
keywords: [statutory holidays, public holidays, stat holiday, holiday calendar, bank holiday, closed for holiday, Canada Day, Christmas]
related: [set-up-schedule-policies, add-a-closure, add-time-off-for-a-team-member]
---

In the sidebar, open **Settings**, then choose **Holiday Calendars** under **Scheduling**. The page address is `/settings/org/holiday-calendars`.

## Before you start

- Calendars apply to the branch selected in the top bar. The **Scope** card at the top shows which branch, or **Organization** when no branch is selected.
- Your role needs the holiday calendar permission. Without it you can read the page but **Add calendar**, **Exclude** and the other controls are greyed out.
- A holiday calendar only blocks time. It does not delete visits already booked on those days.

## Steps

1. Under **Add regional calendar**, type in **Search country or region** and click the calendar you want, for example a national or provincial one.
2. Under **Categories**, tick the kinds of dates to include, such as **Public holidays** or **Regional holidays**. At least one stays ticked.
3. Under **Scheduling effect**, choose what those dates do. **Block scheduling** closes the day. **Allow with flag** and **Informational** show the date without closing it; **Require approval** does not close it yet either. **Premium pay** marks it for payroll review.
4. Check **Exact date preview**. It lists every date the calendar will add over the preview period, with its category and effect.
5. Press **Add calendar**. The calendar appears under **Active calendars**.
6. To stay open on one holiday, find the date under that calendar (the next few dates are listed) and press **Exclude**. Press **Restore** to block it again.

## What you see

- Each active calendar shows its categories, its effect and a status button that reads **Enabled** or **Paused**. Press it to pause the whole calendar without removing it.
- The trash icon removes the calendar from this branch.
- **Upcoming blocks** at the top counts the dates coming up.
- **Resolved availability preview** at the bottom lists the blocked days from calendars and closures together and explains why each one is blocked.

## If something looks different

- **Active calendars** reads "No active holiday calendars yet.": nothing is subscribed for this scope.
- **Exact date preview** reads "No dates in this preview range.": the calendar has no dates inside the preview period. Check the categories you ticked.
- You need a one-off shutdown rather than a recurring holiday: press **Open Closures** under **Company closures**, and see [[add-a-closure]].

[[route:/settings/org/holiday-calendars|Open Holiday Calendars]]