Dry Days in Bangalore: The 2026 List and What to Expect in 2027
Updated: October 2026
TL;DR: Bangalore's dry days in 2026 were Republic Day (Monday 26 January), Independence Day (Saturday 15 August), and Gandhi Jayanti (Friday 2 October), the three nationwide dry days observed across India (CNBC TV18, 2026). Karnataka added festival dry days on top, including Good Friday (Friday 3 April) and Ganesh Chaturthi (Monday 14 September), both on the Karnataka Cabinet-approved 2026 public holiday calendar (Deccan Herald, November 2025). On a dry day the sale of alcohol stops while food service and every other business run as usual (Firstpost, April 2026). At BLR Brewing our kitchens across Bengaluru stay open on these dates for the full menu, the daily buffets, and corporate hosting. All six of the 2026 dates have now passed, so this guide also covers what to expect in 2027.
A dry day is a date when the sale and public serving of alcohol is legally prohibited under state excise law, while food service and every other business carry on as usual (Firstpost, April 2026). This is our annually refreshed BLR Brewing guide to every dry day in Bangalore for 2026, and to the part most lists skip, which is what you can still do on one. Because alcohol sits under state jurisdiction, Karnataka sets its own dry days, so Bangalore's list runs differently from Delhi's, and below we keep it tight before answering the question our guests ask us most: can you still dine with us.
What are the dry days in Bangalore in 2026?
The dry days in Bangalore for 2026 begin with three fixed nationwide dry days: Republic Day on Monday 26 January, Independence Day on Saturday 15 August, and Gandhi Jayanti on Friday 2 October (News18, 2026; CNBC TV18, 2026). Every Indian state observes these three, so their status in Bangalore is certain. Karnataka then adds its own festival dry days, which is why the city's list runs longer than the three national dates.
Good Friday and Ganesh Chaturthi both sit on the Karnataka Cabinet-approved 2026 public holiday calendar, which fixes Good Friday to Friday 3 April and Ganesh Chaturthi, listed as Varasiddhi Vinayaka Vratha, to Monday 14 September (Deccan Herald, November 2025). Firstpost names Bangalore among the cities that list Good Friday as a dry day, which firms its status here beyond the holiday date alone (Firstpost, April 2026). Krishna Janmashtami fell on Friday 4 September 2026, and national dry-day calendars listed it as a Karnataka dry day (CNBC TV18, 2026); it does not appear on the state public holiday calendar, so check with your outlet before planning around it in future years.
Beyond these festival dates, Bangalore's district administration declares extra dry days around elections, which we cover below; on each, our BLR Brewing kitchens keep cooking while the bar rests.
Is alcohol served on Independence Day in Bangalore?
No. Bangalore observes Independence Day, 15 August, as a full dry day every year, so no bar, pub, or restaurant in the city serves alcohol that day (Financial Express, 2025). The 24-hour ban covers every bar, pub, restaurant, wine store, and liquor shop, and the same excise rules block app-based alcohol delivery for the day (Firstpost, April 2026). Food service carries on as normal, since the ban targets alcohol alone. At BLR Brewing our kitchens run the full menu across our Bengaluru outlets on 15 August, and our zero-alcohol drinks list keeps pouring while the bar stays shut.
Can restaurants still serve food on dry days in Bangalore?
Yes. Restaurants can still serve food on dry days in Bangalore, because a dry day stops the sale and public serving of alcohol, not other business (Firstpost, April 2026). On the national and festival dry days, liquor shops, bars, pubs, and restaurants pause alcohol service while kitchens, dining rooms, and every other activity carry on. You can also drink alcohol you already bought and keep at home, since the law restricts sale, not private consumption (CNBC TV18, 2026).
Election dry days are the one exception, where the district order decides what stays open and treatment has varied in Bangalore. On every national and festival dry day, BLR Brewing serves our complete menu across Bengaluru, and the drinks list is the single thing on hold.
What can you still do at BLR Brewing on a dry day in Bangalore?
A dry day changes almost nothing about a visit to BLR Brewing except the drinks list. Our kitchens run the full menu across Bengaluru, from the Whitefield flagship with its dedicated Japanese kitchen plating ramen, sushi, and tempura to the tree-led one-acre Kanakapura Road garden and the tech-park brewpubs. Our Liquid Journey mocktail programme, each drink named after an Indian region from Coorg to Palakkad, pours right through a dry day, so the table still gets a full round while the taps rest.
- The full food menu. Every BLR Brewing kitchen across Bengaluru cooks its complete menu on a dry day, from the shared regional plates to the Whitefield flagship's Japanese kitchen. A dry date takes nothing off the table but the beer and cocktails.
- The daily corporate lunch buffet. We run a daily corporate lunch buffet at our tech-park outlets, Bellandur inside RMZ Ecoworld and Marathahalli inside Prestige Tech Park, and a dry day leaves it untouched. A dry date is one of the calmer, food-led days to book a weekday team lunch with us.
- Corporate and private hosting. We host corporate parties, team lunches, birthdays, and family gatherings on dry dates through our group and events enquiry. A hosted lunch or dinner runs as it would on any other day.
- Zero-alcohol drinks. Our Liquid Journey mocktails and the rest of the non-alcoholic list stay on, so a dry date at BLR Brewing is a full dining day rather than a quiet one.
Our doors open at 12:00 noon every day at BLR Brewing, and a dry day keeps those hours. Across BLR Brewing we close at 11:30 PM on Monday and Tuesday, 1:00 AM Wednesday to Saturday, and 12:30 AM on Sunday, so each dry date's last service follows its weekday.
Krishna Janmashtami on Friday 4 September and Ganesh Chaturthi on Monday 14 September keep the same weekday hours at BLR Brewing, so plan your table around the food and the mocktails, which carry straight through.
How do election dry days change the rules in Bangalore?
Beyond the fixed festival dates, Bangalore's district administration declares extra dry days around elections and vote counting, issued under the Representation of the People Act, 1951, and announced close to each poll rather than a year ahead (Deccan Herald, 2024). In June 2024 the city saw five such dry days tied to Karnataka Council elections and Lok Sabha vote counting.
Election dry days are the one case where the district order, not a fixed rule, governs food service, and the treatment has varied in Bangalore. In 2024, bars and pubs stayed open serving food and limited non-alcoholic drinks while liquor shops closed (Deccan Herald, 2024). In 2023, during the assembly election, the Excise Department ordered liquor-serving restaurants to shut fully, with no food, takeaway, or delivery (The Hindu, 2023). On any election dry day BLR Brewing follows the specific district order for that date, so check your outlet's hours with us before you travel.
When will the 2027 dry days in Bangalore be announced?
The three nationwide dry days fall on the same dates every year: 26 January, 15 August and 2 October. In 2027 those are a Tuesday, a Sunday and a Saturday. Karnataka's festival dry days follow the state public holiday calendar, and the Cabinet approved the 2026 calendar in November 2025 (Deccan Herald, November 2025). We will add the 2027 festival dates to this guide once that calendar is published.
What are the dry days in Bangalore in 2026?
Bangalore's dry days in 2026 were the three nationwide dry days: Republic Day on Monday 26 January, Independence Day on Saturday 15 August, and Gandhi Jayanti on Friday 2 October (CNBC TV18, 2026). Karnataka added festival dry days on top, including Good Friday on Friday 3 April and Ganesh Chaturthi on Monday 14 September, both on the Karnataka Cabinet-approved 2026 public holiday calendar (Deccan Herald, November 2025). National dry-day calendars also listed Krishna Janmashtami on Friday 4 September as a Karnataka dry day, though it is not on the state public holiday calendar. On all of these dates, BLR Brewing keeps its kitchens open across Bengaluru, and the drinks list is the single pause.
Can restaurants still serve food on dry days in Bangalore?
Yes, restaurants can still serve food on dry days in Bangalore, because a dry day stops the sale and public serving of alcohol and nothing else (Firstpost, April 2026). On national and festival dry days, kitchens, dining rooms, buffets, and hosting run as usual while the bar pauses. Election dry days are the exception, where the district order decides and has sometimes barred food service, as it did in Bangalore in 2023 (The Hindu, 2023). At BLR Brewing we serve our full menu and our Liquid Journey mocktails across Bengaluru on every national and festival dry day, with the beer and cocktails on hold.
Is alcohol served on Independence Day in Bangalore?
No, no bar, pub, or restaurant in Bangalore serves alcohol on Independence Day, 15 August. Independence Day is a nationwide dry day, and in Bangalore the 24-hour ban covers every bar, pub, restaurant, wine store, and liquor shop in the city (Financial Express, 2025). Food service continues through the day, so kitchens keep cooking while the bar stays shut. At BLR Brewing our Bengaluru outlets serve the full menu on 15 August, with the mocktail list on and the beer taps off, so a team lunch or a family dinner runs as normal.
Can I get alcohol delivered on a dry day in Bangalore?
No, delivery apps stop serving alcohol on notified dry days in Bangalore, since online platforms follow the same excise rules as shops and bars, and they disable liquor orders until the dry day ends (Firstpost, April 2026). Food delivery is a different matter, because the ban targets alcohol alone, so you can still order food to your door on national and festival dry days. Election dry days are the one exception, where a specific district order can restrict restaurant service, including takeaway and delivery, as happened in Bangalore in 2023 (The Hindu, 2023). If you would rather eat in, BLR Brewing keeps our Bengaluru brewpubs open for the full menu on national and festival dry days.
Is BLR Brewing open on dry days in Bangalore?
Yes, BLR Brewing is open on national and festival dry days, and the beer and cocktail service is the single pause. Our doors open at 12:00 noon, the full kitchen runs, our daily corporate lunch buffet at Bellandur and Marathahalli goes ahead, and corporate and private hosting continues through our group and events enquiry. Closing time follows the weekday, from 11:30 PM on a Monday to 1:00 AM from Wednesday to Saturday. On election dry days we follow the specific district order for that date, so check your outlet's hours with us before you travel.
Can I drink alcohol at home on a dry day in Bangalore?
Yes, you can drink alcohol you already own at home on a dry day in Bangalore, because the law prohibits the sale of alcohol, not private consumption (CNBC TV18, 2026). What stops for the day is buying alcohol from any source, since shops, bars, restaurants, and delivery apps all pause alcohol sales for the notified dry day. The bottle already in your fridge is yours to drink, since the excise rules restrict the transaction, not the drinking. If you would rather eat out, BLR Brewing keeps our Bengaluru brewpubs open for the full menu and the Liquid Journey mocktails on national and festival dry days, so a dry date still works for a long lunch or dinner with us.
Related pages
Find your nearest BLR Brewing outlet
Plan a group booking around the calendar
Inside the Whitefield flagship
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