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Public holidays in United States

11 days in 2026 · 11 in 2027

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Next public holiday

Columbus Day

After it: Veterans Day, Wednesday 11 November

Monday, 12 October 2026

The United States has eleven federal holidays, set by 5 U.S.C. 6103: New Year's Day, the Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr., Washington's Birthday, Memorial Day, Juneteenth, Independence Day, Labor Day, Columbus Day, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day. They bind the federal government and the businesses it charters or regulates, and they apply in Washington, D.C. No national holiday requires every business to close. All other public holidays are made by the states, and most states let cities and counties add their own.

Six of the federal holidays are observed by most private employers with paid time off: New Year's Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas. The others are kept less widely outside government. Juneteenth, created in 2021, is the newest, and Christmas is the only religious holiday among them. Independence Day 2026, the 250th anniversary of the Declaration, falls on a Saturday, so federal employees have Friday 3 July off.

Days off in 2026
11Nationwide public holidays
On a weekday
11Monday to Friday
On a weekend
0Saturday or Sunday
Long weekends
8and 2 with one day of leave

2026

Public holidays in United States in 2026

  1. 1 January: New Year's DayThe first day of the Gregorian year, a federal holiday since 1870, greeted the night before with the countdown to midnight and the ball drop at Times Square in New York.Thursday
  2. 19 January: Martin Luther King, Jr. DayThe third Monday in January, created in 1983 in honour of the civil rights leader, born on 15 January 1929. Since the King Holiday and Service Act of 1994 it has also been a day of volunteer service.MondayDate moves
  3. 16 February: Presidents DayWashington's BirthdayThe third Monday in February, honouring George Washington, born on 22 February 1732. The Uniform Monday Holiday Act of 1968 moved it off his actual birthday, and many call it Presidents' Day, though the official name has never changed.MondayDate moves
  4. 25 May: Memorial DayThe last Monday in May, honouring members of the armed forces who died while serving. Many towns hold parades. It opens the summer, unofficially.MondayDate moves
  5. 19 June: Juneteenth National Independence Day19 June, a federal holiday since 17 June 2021 and the newest of the eleven. It marks the day in 1865 when emancipation was announced in Galveston, Texas, and the last enslaved people of the Confederacy were freed.FridayDate moves
  6. 3 July: Independence Day4 July, the day in 1776 on which the Declaration of Independence was adopted. It has been a paid federal holiday since 1938, and the fireworks come after dark.FridayDate moves
  7. 7 September: Labor DayThe first Monday in September since 1894, honouring the labour movement. Over half of Americans treat it as the unofficial end of summer.MondayDate moves
  8. 12 October: Columbus DayThe second Monday in October, a federal holiday since 1968, honouring Christopher Columbus's voyages to the Americas of 1492 to 1504. Many states and cities keep the same Monday as Indigenous Peoples' Day instead or as well.MondayDate moves
  9. 11 November: Veterans Day11 November, honouring everyone who has served in the armed forces. It began as Armistice Day, for the end of the First World War at 11:00 on 11 November 1918, and was renamed after the Second World War.Wednesday
  10. 26 November: Thanksgiving DayThe fourth Thursday in November, given its permanent date in 1941: a thanksgiving for the harvest, traditionally over a shared turkey dinner. Most retail chains close only on this day and on Christmas.ThursdayDate moves
  11. 25 December: Christmas Day25 December, the only religious holiday among the federal ones, when governments at every level close. Presidents have at times added Christmas Eve or 26 December by executive order.FridayDate moves

Long weekends

Long weekends in United States in 2026

Runs of three days or more off, with weekends counted, and the working days that join a holiday to a weekend when taken as leave.

  • 4daysThu 1 Jan to Sun 4 JanWith Fri 2 Jan taken as leave · New Year's Day
  • 3daysSat 17 Jan to Mon 19 JanMartin Luther King, Jr. Day
  • 3daysSat 14 Feb to Mon 16 FebPresidents Day
  • 3daysSat 23 May to Mon 25 MayMemorial Day
  • 3daysFri 19 Jun to Sun 21 JunJuneteenth National Independence Day
  • 3daysFri 3 Jul to Sun 5 JulIndependence Day
  • 3daysSat 5 Sept to Mon 7 SeptLabor Day
  • 3daysSat 10 Oct to Mon 12 OctColumbus Day
  • 4daysThu 26 Nov to Sun 29 NovWith Fri 27 Nov taken as leave · Thanksgiving Day
  • 3daysFri 25 Dec to Sun 27 DecChristmas Day

2027

Public holidays in United States in 2027

  1. 1 January: New Year's DayFriday
  2. 18 January: Martin Luther King, Jr. DayMondayDate moves
  3. 15 February: Presidents DayWashington's BirthdayMondayDate moves
  4. 31 May: Memorial DayMondayDate moves
  5. 18 June: Juneteenth National Independence DayFridayDate moves
  6. 5 July: Independence DayMondayDate moves
  7. 6 September: Labor DayMondayDate moves
  8. 11 October: Columbus DayMondayDate moves
  9. 11 November: Veterans DayThursday
  10. 25 November: Thanksgiving DayThursdayDate moves
  11. 24 December: Christmas DayFridayDate moves

Regional

Holidays kept in parts of United States

Public holidays in 2026 that are days off only in the regions listed, by their ISO 3166-2 codes.

  1. 3 April: Good FridayUS-CT · US-DE · US-HI · US-IN · US-KY · US-LA · US-NC · US-ND · US-NJ · US-TNNot a federal holiday. The stock markets close, public schools and most universities close either for the day or for spring break, and federally regulated banks and the postal service stay open.FridayDate moves
  2. 12 October: Indigenous Peoples' DayUS-AK · US-AL · US-CA · US-HI · US-IA · US-LA · US-ME · US-MI · US-MN · US-NC · US-NE · US-NM · US-OK · US-OR · US-SD · US-TX · US-VA · US-VT · US-WIMondayDate moves

Observances

Days marked in United States that are not days off

  1. 12 February: Lincoln's BirthdayUS-CA · US-CT · US-IL · US-IN · US-KY · US-MI · US-NY · US-MO · US-OH12 February, Abraham Lincoln's birthday, kept by a few states. It falls in the same week as Washington's Birthday, which is one reason the federal holiday is widely called Presidents' Day.Thursday
  2. 3 April: Good FridayUS-TXNot a federal holiday. The stock markets close, public schools and most universities close either for the day or for spring break, and federally regulated banks and the postal service stay open.FridayDate moves
  3. 8 May: Truman DayUS-MOFriday

When a federal holiday falls on a Saturday, most federal employees have the Friday before off; on a Sunday, the Monday after. The dates on this page are those days off. That moves three holidays in 2027: Juneteenth to Friday 18 June, Independence Day to Monday 5 July and Christmas to Friday 24 December.

Inauguration Day, 20 January every fourth year, is a holiday only for federal employees in and around Washington, D.C. The next is in 2029. It falls on a Saturday.

The state days listed here are those the holiday provider carries, and states keep many more, statehood days most of all. Missouri keeps Truman Day on 8 May, and Colorado made the first Monday in October Frances Xavier Cabrini Day in 2020, the first paid state holiday honouring a woman.

Many businesses also close on Christmas Eve or the day after Thanksgiving, though neither is a federal holiday. In some New England states large shops may not open on Thanksgiving at all.

Common questions

Questions about public holidays in United States

How many federal holidays does the United States have?

Eleven, listed in 5 U.S.C. 6103: New Year's Day, the Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr., Washington's Birthday, Memorial Day, Juneteenth, Independence Day, Labor Day, Columbus Day, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day. Juneteenth, added in 2021, is the newest. A twelfth day, Inauguration Day, is a holiday every fourth year only for federal employees in and around Washington, D.C.

Do private employers have to give federal holidays off?

No. Federal holidays bind the federal government and the businesses it charters or regulates, and no law requires all businesses to close on any holiday. Most private employers still give paid time off on six of the eleven: New Year's Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas. Juneteenth was a paid day off at 30% of private employers in its second year of federal observance.

What happens when a holiday falls on a weekend?

It moves for most federal employees: a Saturday holiday is observed on the Friday before, a Sunday one on the Monday after. Independence Day 2026 falls on Saturday 4 July, so the day off was Friday 3 July. In 2027 it is observed on Monday 5 July.

Is Presidents' Day an official holiday name?

No. The federal holiday on the third Monday in February is officially Washington's Birthday, for George Washington, born on 22 February 1732. Since the Uniform Monday Holiday Act of 1968 moved it to a Monday, it never falls on his actual birthday, and because Abraham Lincoln was born on 12 February, many call it Presidents' Day. The official name has never changed.

Is Good Friday a holiday in the United States?

Not a federal one. The stock markets close, and so do public schools and most universities, either for the day or for spring break, while federally regulated banks and the postal service stay open. Some states make it a state holiday of their own. In 2027 Good Friday falls on 26 March.

Why do some states celebrate Indigenous Peoples' Day?

The second Monday in October is Columbus Day in federal law, a holiday since 1968 honouring Christopher Columbus's voyages to the Americas from 1492 to 1504, which began large-scale European colonisation. Many states and cities mark the same Monday as Indigenous Peoples' Day instead or alongside it. In Colorado the first Monday in October is Frances Xavier Cabrini Day, which has caused some confusion.

Dates from Nager.Date, read 2026-09-30. The page counts from Wednesday, 30 September 2026, the day it was built.