How Public Holidays Work in the United States
There are 11 federal holidays. When one falls on a Saturday, federal workers get the Friday before off; on a Sunday, the Monday after.
States add their own days (e.g. Cesar Chavez Day in California, Patriots' Day in Massachusetts), and private employers are not required to observe federal holidays.
Sources: Federal holidays, U.S. Office of Personnel Management, Public holidays in the United States (Wikipedia)
All United States Holidays in 2018
| Date | Holiday | About |
|---|---|---|
| Mon, Jan 1 | New Year's Day | Start of the calendar year; the day off after New Year's Eve celebrations. |
| Mon, Jan 15 | MLK DayMartin Luther King Jr. Day | Honors civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. on the third Monday of January. |
| Mon, Feb 19 | Presidents' DayWashington's Birthday | Officially Washington's Birthday; held on the third Monday of February, so it never falls on Feb 22 itself. |
| Mon, May 28 | Memorial Day | Remembers U.S. military personnel who died in service; the unofficial start of summer. |
| Wed, Jul 4 | Independence Day | Celebrates the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. |
| Mon, Sep 3 | Labor Day | Honors American workers on the first Monday of September; the unofficial end of summer. |
| Mon, Oct 8 | Columbus DayColumbus Day / Indigenous Peoples' Day | Second Monday of October. Many states and cities observe it as Indigenous Peoples' Day instead. |
| Sun, Nov 11day off Mon, Nov 12 | Veterans Day | Honors everyone who served in the U.S. Armed Forces, on the anniversary of the 1918 armistice. |
| Thu, Nov 22 | Thanksgiving | Fourth Thursday of November. Many employers also give the Friday after, creating a four-day weekend. |
| Tue, Dec 25 | Christmas Day | Christian holiday celebrating the birth of Jesus, and the most widely observed day off of the year. |
Click a date to see it on the monthly calendar.
Long Weekends in 2018
- New Year's Day Dec 30 – Jan 1 · 3 days
- MLK Day Jan 13 – Jan 15 · 3 days
- Presidents' Day Feb 17 – Feb 19 · 3 days
- Memorial Day May 26 – May 28 · 3 days
- Labor Day Sep 1 – Sep 3 · 3 days
- Columbus Day Oct 6 – Oct 8 · 3 days
- Veterans Day Nov 10 – Nov 12 · 3 days
- Thanksgiving bridge day: take Fri, Nov 23 offNov 22 – Nov 25 · 4 days
- Christmas Day bridge day: take Mon, Dec 24 offDec 22 – Dec 25 · 4 days
With 2 vacation days on the bridge days above you get 8 days off in total.
Plan 2018 Around These Holidays
Add your vacation and bridge days to a calendar, then export it as a printable PDF. For the full year at a glance see the 2018 calendar.
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