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How do I add public holidays to my Google Calendar?

I've hooked up with Google Calendar and am finding it a very pleasant alternative to a computer-based calendar management system. I've heard that I can add public holidays and am wondering if you can show me how to do that?

Dave's Answer:

Once you get the hang of the typical Google interface, adding holiday calendars should actually be pretty easy. Let me show you how...

Log in to your Google Calendar account and click on the small "manage calendars" link on the bottom left of your page. It looks like this:

Once you click on "manage calendars" you'll get the usual configuration area, at which point you'll want to click on the "Calendars", which looks like this:

At this point you want to click on "Add Calendar", which reveals:

As you might guess, you want to click on "Holiday Calendars", at which point you will promptly be overwhelmed with how many different national calendars are accessible. Scroll down to the United States (or whatever country you prefer) and here's the kind of thing you'll see:

Pick the calendar or calendars you'd like then click on the "Add Calendar" and it'll promptly switch to a "Remove" link:

That's all there is to it. You've just added a holidays calendar and can also see how you can delete it in the future if you decide you don't really need to know all the holidays for all the countries you zealously added!

Oh, if you want to play with external Google calendars you can include in your own calendar, check out this article at Google Blogoscoped

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Categorized: Computer and Internet Basics (Article 6794)
Tagged: google calendar, public google calendars, public holidays
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Comments

The "Holiday Calendars" tab is not there anymore. I had to look under "Browse Calendars".

Posted by: Greg Meadors at May 4, 2007 7:43 AM

Although the Google interface has changed a bit since this post, the information was still really helpful. I'm kicking myself for not knowing this before! I feel as if I've discovered a whole new world after stumbling upon Public Calendars, so thank you for writing this simple and easy-to-follow guide!

Posted by: Rachelskirts at December 11, 2007 10:06 AM

Hello and thanks for your help but I'm having a little trouble. Does this create a NEW calendar (US Holidays) or simply merge that new calendar's dates to my already existing calendar?

I'm asking because when I'm logged in to my Google Calendar account, I see the dates I've added there AND the US Holidays all right on the same calendar BUT when I log out and look at it on our website (public), only the dates I've input are showing and NONE of the holidays are there!

In the Calendar Settings page, both calendars have a checkmark in the "Show in List" column.

Basically, what I need is my dates AND the holidays to both show on the same calendar. Is this possible?

Thank you for your time and effort.

.....Sean

Posted by: seanmcgu at September 21, 2009 10:34 PM

Sean, I don't know of any way you can "import" events from a public calendar onto your own. Hmmm.... you can probably pick the events one-by-one and move them over, but in bulk? I don't think so.

Posted by: Dave Taylor at September 21, 2009 11:07 PM

Thanks. This helped!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Posted by: jose at March 15, 2010 11:07 AM

I have something to say, now that you mention it, but ...

I do have a lot to say, and questions of my own for that matter, but first I'd like to say thank you for all your efforts on this Web site by buying you a cup of coffee!

I do have a comment, now that you mention it!