Knowing your 2026 public holiday dates ahead of time is the difference between planning a long weekend around a holiday and only noticing it fell on a Friday after the fact. Here's a verified rundown of 2026 public holidays across the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia, plus how to turn them into your longest possible stretches of time off.
United States Federal Holidays 2026
- New Year's Day — Thursday, January 1
- Martin Luther King Jr. Day — Monday, January 19 (3-day weekend)
- Presidents' Day / Washington's Birthday — Monday, February 16 (3-day weekend)
- Memorial Day — Monday, May 25 (3-day weekend)
- Juneteenth National Independence Day — Friday, June 19 (3-day weekend)
- Independence Day — Saturday, July 4 (many employers will observe it Friday, July 3)
- Labor Day — Monday, September 7 (3-day weekend)
- Columbus Day — Monday, October 12 (3-day weekend)
- Veterans Day — Wednesday, November 11
- Thanksgiving Day — Thursday, November 26
- Christmas Day — Friday, December 25 (3-day weekend)
United Kingdom Bank Holidays 2026
- New Year's Day — Thursday, January 1
- Good Friday — Friday, April 3
- Easter Monday — Monday, April 6
- Early May Bank Holiday — Monday, May 4
- Spring Bank Holiday — Monday, May 25
- Summer Bank Holiday — Monday, August 31
- Christmas Day — Friday, December 25
- Boxing Day — Saturday, December 26 (typically observed the following Monday, December 28, when it falls on a weekend)
Canada Statutory Holidays 2026
- New Year's Day — Thursday, January 1
- Good Friday — Friday, April 3
- Victoria Day — Monday, May 25
- Canada Day — Wednesday, July 1
- Labour Day — Monday, September 7
- National Day for Truth and Reconciliation — Wednesday, September 30
- Thanksgiving (Canada) — Monday, October 12
- Remembrance Day — Wednesday, November 11
- Christmas Day — Friday, December 25
Note that not every province observes every holiday on this list identically — always check your specific province's statutory holiday calendar for exact regional observance.
Australia Public Holidays 2026 (National)
- New Year's Day — Thursday, January 1
- Australia Day — Monday, January 26
- Good Friday — Friday, April 3
- Easter Monday — Monday, April 6
- Anzac Day — Saturday, April 25 (some states add a substitute weekday off — check your state's calendar)
- Christmas Day — Friday, December 25
- Boxing Day — Saturday, December 26
Australian public holidays vary more by state and territory than the other countries here, so treat this national list as a baseline and confirm state-specific dates (like Labour Day or the Queen's/King's Birthday holiday) separately.
How to Maximize Your Days Off in 2026
Several 2026 holidays land next to a weekend, which makes strategic use of a handful of vacation days go a long way. In the US, for example, Christmas falling on a Friday already creates a three-day weekend — add a few extra PTO days around Labor Day or Memorial Day, and four planned vacation days can stretch into nine consecutive days off. The same logic applies in the UK, Canada, and Australia: look for holidays sitting next to a weekend, and a small number of strategically placed leave days multiplies into a much longer break.
Building Your 2026 Holiday Calendar
To turn any of this into an actual calendar you can reference or print:
- Open the CalendarBest builder.
- Navigate to 2026 using the calendar navigation.
- Pull in your country's official public holidays with one click.
- Customize your theme, add your own events on top of the holiday data, and export to a print-ready PDF.
Whether you're planning a single long weekend or mapping out your entire year of time off, having accurate holiday dates in front of you — rather than guessing or checking one at a time — makes the planning itself a lot faster.