Commemoration of the Victory over Gaddafi
Thursday, March 19, 2026
Each 19 March is a public holiday in Libya called Commemoration of the Victory over Gaddafi. This holiday commemorates the overthrow of the 40-year long Gaddafi regime after NATO air strikes helped defeat Gaddafi’s forces in 2011, during Libya’s ongoing, bloody civil war. In 2027, Commemoration of the Victory over Gaddafi falls on Friday 19 March. The holiday will be on Sunday 19 March in 2028. Gaddafi took control of Libya in a coup in 1969 and ruled as a socialist dictator with strong Arab and Islamic sentiments until 2011. During the “Arab Spring”, early in 2011, a rebellion against the Gaddafi regime erupted in Libya. When attempts were made to defeat the rebellion, the UN condemned them. Later, NATO decided to intervene on the side of the rebels, and when French air power arrived in Libya on 19 March, 2011, it was the turning point of the war. This turning point became the date of Commemoration of the Victory over Gaddafi Day. Interestingly, the first and last days of the civil war also became public holidays in Libya, meaning there are now three anti-Gaddafi holidays on the Libyan calendar.
History
Each 19 March is a public holiday in Libya called Commemoration of the Victory over Gaddafi. This holiday commemorates the overthrow of the 40-year long Gaddafi regime after NATO air strikes helped defeat Gaddafi’s forces in 2011, during Libya’s ongoing, bloody civil war. In 2027, Commemoration of the Victory over Gaddafi falls on Friday 19 March. When attempts were made to defeat the rebellion, the UN condemned them. Later, NATO decided to intervene on the side of the rebels, and when French ai
How It's Celebrated
Each 19 March is a public holiday in Libya called Commemoration of the Victory over Gaddafi. This holiday commemorates the overthrow of the 40-year long Gaddafi regime after NATO air strikes helped defeat Gaddafi’s forces in 2011, during Libya’s ongoing, bloody civil war. The holiday will be on Sund