No ‘dry day’ in Delhi this Holi; liquor shops to remain open

New Delhi: Liquor shops across the national capital will remain open this Holi, with the Delhi government removing the festival from its list of notified ‘dry days’, a senior excise department official said on Tuesday, news agency PTI reported.

In an order issued in January this year, the excise department specified that only Republic Day, Maha Shivratri, Id-ul-Fitr, Ram Navami and Mahavir Jayanti would be observed as ‘dry days’ until the end of March.

"This Holi, there will be no dry day, and liquor shops will remain open. The closure of shops will be observed as per the order issued in January," the official said.

In previous years, Holi had typically been included in the list of dry days in the capital, leading to the closure of liquor outlets on the festival.

Delhi currently has around 750 liquor shops operating across the city. With Holi not featuring in this year’s restricted list, these outlets will function as usual, subject to standard timings and regulations.

The January order also clarified that license holders "shall not be entitled to any compensation on account of any changes effected in the above list". It further stated that restrictions on liquor sale on dry days do not apply to hotels serving liquor to their in-house guests.

The move marks a shift from recent practice and comes as Delhi prepares to celebrate Holi with colours, gatherings and festive events across the city.