Every American holiday,
explained.
Exact 2026 dates for all 11 US federal holidays — and the true stories behind the days America takes off, from Lincoln's Thanksgiving proclamation to the newest holiday on the calendar.
2026 Federal Holidays Board
The United States recognizes 11 federal holidays. These are the exact 2026 dates, in order — including the Friday observance for Independence Day, which falls on a Saturday this year.
New Year's Day
Honors the first day of the new calendar year — a fresh start, marked with resolutions, parades, and bowl games.
Martin Luther King Jr. Day
Honors the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., the civil rights leader born on January 15, 1929. Observed on the third Monday of January and widely kept as a national day of service.
Presidents' Day
Legally Washington's Birthday, honoring George Washington, the first US president, born February 22, 1732. Popularly a day to honor all presidents.
See the full 2026 list →Memorial Day
Honors US military personnel who died in service to their country. Marked by cemetery ceremonies, flags at half-staff until noon, and a national moment of remembrance at 3 p.m.
Juneteenth
Honors June 19, 1865, when the last enslaved people in Galveston, Texas, learned they were free — the day emancipation finally reached every corner of the Confederacy.
Read the Juneteenth story →Independence Day
Honors the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776 — America's birthday, celebrated with fireworks, parades, and cookouts.
Federal observance: Friday, July 3Labor Day
Honors American workers and the labor movement that won the eight-hour day and the weekend. Also the unofficial end of summer.
Read the Labor Day story →Columbus Day
Commemorates Christopher Columbus's landfall in the Americas on October 12, 1492. Many states and cities observe the day as Indigenous Peoples' Day instead of, or alongside, Columbus Day.
Veterans Day
Honors everyone who has served in the US armed forces. The date marks the armistice that ended World War I's fighting at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918.
Thanksgiving
A national day of gratitude for the year's harvest and blessings, centered on a shared feast — always the fourth Thursday of November.
Why it's always a Thursday →Christmas Day
Honors the birth of Jesus Christ and, for millions of Americans of every background, a season of family, generosity, and light in midwinter.
Why December 25? →2027 at a Glance
Planning further ahead? Here are the 2027 federal holiday dates, with federal observance days noted where a holiday lands on a weekend.
| Holiday | 2027 Date | Day | Federal Observance |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Year's Day | January 1 | Friday | — |
| Martin Luther King Jr. Day | January 18 | Monday | — |
| Presidents' Day (Washington's Birthday) | February 15 | Monday | — |
| Memorial Day | May 31 | Monday | — |
| Juneteenth | June 19 | Saturday | Friday, June 18 |
| Independence Day | July 4 | Sunday | Monday, July 5 |
| Labor Day | September 6 | Monday | — |
| Columbus Day | October 11 | Monday | — |
| Veterans Day | November 11 | Thursday | — |
| Thanksgiving | November 25 | Thursday | — |
| Christmas Day | December 25 | Saturday | Friday, December 24 |
Holiday Stories & Guides
Dates are only half the story. These guides explain where each holiday came from, how its date is set, and how America actually marks the day.
2026 DatesFederal Holidays 2026: The Complete List with Dates
All 11 federal holidays with their exact 2026 dates and weekdays, the observed-date rules when a holiday falls on a weekend, and which days off most workers actually get.
Seasonal · HistoryWhen Is Thanksgiving 2026? The Date, the History, and Why It's Always a Thursday
Thanksgiving 2026 falls on Thursday, November 26. Here's the fourth-Thursday rule, Lincoln's 1863 proclamation, and the year FDR moved the holiday and half the country refused to follow.
Seasonal · HistoryWhy Is Christmas on December 25? The History Behind the Date
The Gospels never give a date. So how did December 25 win? The early church's choice, the Saturnalia and Sol Invictus debate, and the 1870 law that made it a US federal holiday.
Holiday HistoriesWhat Is Juneteenth? America's Newest Federal Holiday, Explained
On June 19, 1865, freedom finally reached Galveston, Texas. The story of General Order No. 3, the 156-year road to federal recognition in 2021, and how the day is celebrated.
Holiday HistoriesWhy Do We Celebrate Labor Day? The Story Behind the September Holiday
Ten thousand workers marched in New York in 1882. Within twelve years their parade was a federal holiday — in September, not May. Here's why, and how it became summer's farewell.
About & Contact
About HolidayFacts
HolidayFacts is a small, independent reference site with one job: getting America's holidays right. Every date on this page is checked against the official federal calendar, and every history is written from the historical record — proclamations, laws, and the people who were actually there.
We're the sister site of DateKit, our free date-calculator toolkit. If DateKit counts the days, HolidayFacts explains them. New guides are added through the year, ahead of each holiday season.
Contact
Spotted a date we should double-check, or a holiday story you'd like us to cover? We read everything.
Email us at [email protected] — please mention “HolidayFacts” in the subject line so it lands with the right desk.
For corrections, it helps to include the holiday and the date in question. Verified corrections are folded into the next update of the page.