Federal holidays 2026:
what is left, and when.
Three dates remain in 2026: Veterans Day on Wednesday November 11, Thanksgiving on Thursday November 26, and Christmas on Friday December 25. One holiday in the year already moved — Independence Day fell on a Saturday, so federal offices were closed on Friday July 3. Here is the whole list, with the dates that were actually observed.
Sources checked October 21, 2026 — the U.S. Office of Personnel Management 2026 schedule, and GOV.UK’s bank-holiday tables for England and Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland. The countdown uses your device clock and your local calendar dates; the .ics download contains the observed dates, because that is when the offices are shut. For 2027, see the 2027 calendar — three of those holidays fall on a weekend and move.
The remaining dates: Veterans Day, Wednesday November 11. Thanksgiving Day, Thursday November 26. Christmas Day, Friday December 25 — with Christmas Eve, Thursday December 24, a substitute day for federal staff who work Tuesday to Saturday. Federal offices, most banks and the post office close on all three. Most private workplaces stay open on Veterans Day, which is a shopping day rather than a closing day.
US federal holidays 2026
| Holiday | Date | Observed |
|---|---|---|
| New Year’s Day | Thursday, January 1 | Same day |
| Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr. | Monday, January 19 | Same day |
| Washington’s Birthday | Monday, February 16 | Same day |
| Memorial Day | Monday, May 25 | Same day |
| Juneteenth National Independence Day | Friday, June 19 | Same day |
| Independence Day | Saturday, July 4 | Friday, July 3 |
| Labor Day | Monday, September 7 | Same day |
| Columbus Day | Monday, October 12 | Same day |
| Veterans Day | Wednesday, November 11 | Same day |
| Thanksgiving Day | Thursday, November 26 | Same day |
| Christmas Day | Friday, December 25 | Same day |
OPM’s 2026 schedule is the source for the US table. Two details are worth keeping: the law calls the February holiday Washington’s Birthday even though most people say Presidents’ Day, and July 4 fell on a Saturday, so the federal holiday was observed on Friday July 3.
The Saturday and Sunday rule that produced the July 3 shift is the same one that moves three holidays in 2027 — including Christmas, which is observed on Friday December 24 that year.
What is left in 2026
Three federal holidays remain this year:
- Wednesday, November 11 — Veterans Day. Federal offices, the post office and most banks close. Most shops and restaurants stay open, which makes it one of the better days of the year for a sale that is not a shopping holiday. Our Veterans Day guide covers the closure rules and the files behind a card, a poster or a certificate.
- Thursday, November 26 — Thanksgiving Day. Federal offices and most banks close, schools are out, and the shopping week starts. Black Friday is Friday November 27 and Cyber Monday is Monday November 30.
- Friday, December 25 — Christmas Day. Federal offices, the post office and most banks close. Federal employees who work Tuesday to Saturday shifts observe Christmas on Thursday December 24 instead.
Everything else on the list has passed. If you are planning ahead, the 2027 dates are already fixed and published, including the three that move.
UK bank holidays 2026
The UK list is not one national calendar. England and Wales have eight bank holidays in 2026, Scotland has ten, and Northern Ireland has ten as well — with two extra days that Scotland and Northern Ireland have and England does not.
| Bank holiday | Date |
|---|---|
| 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 (substitute day) | Monday, December 28 |
| Bank holiday | Scotland | Northern Ireland |
|---|---|---|
| New Year’s Day | Thursday, January 1 | Thursday, January 1 |
| 2nd January | Friday, January 2 | — |
| St Patrick’s Day | — | Tuesday, March 17 |
| Good Friday | Friday, April 3 | Friday, April 3 |
| Easter Monday | — | Monday, April 6 |
| Early May bank holiday | Monday, May 4 | Monday, May 4 |
| Spring bank holiday | Monday, May 25 | Monday, May 25 |
| World Cup bank holiday | Monday, June 15 | — |
| Battle of the Boyne (Orangemen’s Day) | — | Monday, July 13 |
| Summer bank holiday | Monday, August 3 | Monday, August 31 |
| St Andrew’s Day | Monday, November 30 | — |
| Christmas Day | Friday, December 25 | Friday, December 25 |
| Boxing Day (substitute day) | Monday, December 28 | Monday, December 28 |
Two of those rows are the kind of detail a generic calendar gets wrong. Scotland’s June 15 is a one-off national bank holiday created for the men’s football World Cup, the first time Scotland had played in the tournament since 1998. Northern Ireland’s Battle of the Boyne falls on Sunday July 12, so the substitute day is Monday July 13. And Scotland’s summer bank holiday is August 3 while England’s is August 31 — check the date for your region rather than assuming.
GOV.UK’s bank-holiday page publishes each region separately. Easter Sunday 2026 was April 5, which fixes Good Friday at April 3 and Easter Monday at April 6.
Countdown to the next one
US federal holidays 2026: Veterans Day — Wednesday, November 11.
| Holiday | Date | Observed |
|---|
The countdown counts days from your device clock to the observed date. It does not know your employer’s schedule or your region’s extra days, and it does not update while the page is closed.
What actually closes
A federal holiday is a closure rule for federal offices, not for the country. In the US, the practical closures are federal agencies, post offices, most banks, and — in many districts — schools. Private businesses stay open unless they choose otherwise. Retailers often trade through Veterans Day and Columbus Day and close on Thanksgiving and Christmas.
In the UK, a bank holiday closes the banks, government offices and most schools. Employers do not have to give you the day off, and many businesses trade through it. Scottish banks often close on the same days as banks in England and Wales, even where the holiday itself is Scottish only.
Add the dates to your calendar
Download the 2026 US federal holidays (.ics). The file holds eleven one-time, all-day entries using the observed dates, so July 3 appears and July 4 does not. Import it into your calendar app, then set alerts there — the file itself carries no notifications.
Looking ahead instead? The 2027 file is the same thing for next year, and it already accounts for the three holidays that move — including Christmas on Friday December 24, 2027.
We did not test the import in every calendar application. If your app shows the entries with wrong times, that is usually an all-day event handling difference rather than a bad file.