How to Add Public Holidays to Google Calendar, Apple Calendar, and Outlook

Public holidays show up whether you've planned for them or not. Here's how to get them into Google Calendar, Apple Calendar, or Outlook — as a one-time import or a subscription that stays current by itself.

Import vs subscription: which one is right for you?

An .ics file (iCalendar format) is how calendar apps exchange events. Every major app — Google Calendar, Apple Calendar, Outlook — can import one. Open it and the events appear, but it's a snapshot: the events won't change if the underlying data is updated.

With a subscription, you give your calendar app a URL instead of a file. The app checks it on a schedule — usually once a day — and picks up any changes automatically. If a holiday date gets corrected, your calendar catches up without you doing anything. The Online Calendar publishes a rolling feed for each country that covers the current and following year.

For most people, subscribe is the better option. Import makes sense if your organization's calendar system doesn't support URL subscriptions, or if you need a permanent, auditable record.

Subscribe in Google Calendar

Google Calendar supports subscriptions on desktop only. Mobile doesn't have the option, but once you add it on desktop it syncs everywhere.

1. Open calendar.google.com.
2. In the left sidebar, find Other calendars and click +.
3. Choose From URL.
4. Paste the subscription URL from the country's holiday page.
5. Click Add calendar. The holidays appear as a separate calendar you can colour and rename.

Google refreshes subscribed calendars roughly every 24 hours, though the exact schedule isn't guaranteed.

Subscribe in Apple Calendar (macOS)

1. Open Calendar on your Mac.
2. From the menu bar, choose File → New Calendar Subscription…
3. Paste the subscription URL and click Subscribe.
4. In the options dialog, name the calendar (for example, "UK Public Holidays"), pick a colour, and set auto-refresh to Every day.
5. Click OK.

If iCloud Calendars is on, the subscription syncs to your iPhone and iPad automatically.

Subscribe in Outlook

Outlook on the web (outlook.com or Microsoft 365):

1. Open outlook.com and switch to Calendar view.
2. Click Add calendar in the left sidebar.
3. Select Subscribe from web.
4. Paste the subscription URL, give the calendar a name, and click Import.

Outlook desktop app (Windows):

1. Open Outlook and switch to the Calendar view.
2. In newer versions: right-click My Calendars in the sidebar, then choose Add Calendar → From internet…
3. Paste the subscription URL and click OK.

Outlook desktop refreshes subscriptions every hour or on restart — less reliable than Google or Apple's daily schedule.

Import a one-time .ics file

If you want a static file rather than a live subscription, download the .ics from the country's holiday page and follow the steps below.

Google Calendar: Click + next to "Other calendars" → Import → select your file → Import.

Apple Calendar: Double-click the downloaded file. Calendar opens a dialog asking which calendar to add the events to.

Outlook on the web: Calendar → Add calendar → Upload from file → select the file.

Outlook desktop: File → Open & Export → Import/Export → Import an iCalendar (.ics) file.

Find your country's holiday calendar

Public holiday data for 190 countries is available at theonlinecalendar.com/holidays. Each country page has a subscribe URL and a one-time download link for the current year.