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 2019
| Date | Holiday | About |
|---|---|---|
| Tue, Jan 1 | New Year's Day | Start of the calendar year; the day off after New Year's Eve celebrations. |
| Mon, Jan 21 | MLK DayMartin Luther King Jr. Day | Honors civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. on the third Monday of January. |
| Mon, Feb 18 | 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 27 | Memorial Day | Remembers U.S. military personnel who died in service; the unofficial start of summer. |
| Thu, Jul 4 | Independence Day | Celebrates the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. |
| Mon, Sep 2 | Labor Day | Honors American workers on the first Monday of September; the unofficial end of summer. |
| Mon, Oct 14 | Columbus DayColumbus Day / Indigenous Peoples' Day | Second Monday of October. Many states and cities observe it as Indigenous Peoples' Day instead. |
| Mon, Nov 11 | Veterans Day | Honors everyone who served in the U.S. Armed Forces, on the anniversary of the 1918 armistice. |
| Thu, Nov 28 | Thanksgiving | Fourth Thursday of November. Many employers also give the Friday after, creating a four-day weekend. |
| Wed, 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 2019
- New Year's Day bridge day: take Mon, Dec 31 offDec 29 – Jan 1 · 4 days
- MLK Day Jan 19 – Jan 21 · 3 days
- Presidents' Day Feb 16 – Feb 18 · 3 days
- Memorial Day May 25 – May 27 · 3 days
- Independence Day bridge day: take Fri, Jul 5 offJul 4 – Jul 7 · 4 days
- Labor Day Aug 31 – Sep 2 · 3 days
- Columbus Day Oct 12 – Oct 14 · 3 days
- Veterans Day Nov 9 – Nov 11 · 3 days
- Thanksgiving bridge day: take Fri, Nov 29 offNov 28 – Dec 1 · 4 days
With 3 vacation days on the bridge days above you get 12 days off in total.
Plan 2019 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 2019 calendar.
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