Federal Holidays in the United States in 2024

Updated December 27, 2023.

Many of us look forward to certain special dates during the year to be with family or friends.

Holidays in the United States in 2024 are few and far between, and private companies are not required to pay double or give days off. Even so, it is convenient to know which dates are considered holidays by the government.

Federal Holidays in the United States in 2024

Holidays are part of every culture and represent symbolic commemorations of events that have been very important to a country's history.

They are also occasions for workers to have a break from their usual activities. The United States is among the countries with the fewest holidays and, at the federal level, this list is made up as follows for the year 2024:

As you can see, it is common for holidays that fall on a weekday to be moved to Monday or Friday, and those that fall on a Sunday to be moved to the following Monday.

You can check the list of official holidays at the federal level on the government's Office of Personnel Management (OPM) website, where the holidays for the coming years are also listed.

U.S. Holidays by month

The following is a brief description of the main holidays, including other important celebrations, in addition to the usual federal holidays.

The day indicated is the official day of celebration, although it is common for some holidays to be moved to Monday or Friday, in order to join them to the weekend and thus take better advantage of them.

January

In the calendar of the first month we find:

• January 1. New Years Day was instituted in 1885 and is the date to welcome the new year.
• January 17. Martin Luther King Jr. Day, an iconic figure in the civil rights movement. Although his birthday is January 15, it is celebrated on this date.

During this month, there are also commemorations for 'Civil Rights Day' (16/01) and the Jewish 'Holocaust' is remembered (27/01).

February

During the month of 'love' and 'Black History Month', there are not many federal breaks in the annual calendar. In fact, there is only one holiday:

• February 21. President's Day, which was established in 1879 and is dedicated to honor the birth of George Washington.

March and April

During these months there are no federal holidays in the United States on which workers can rest. However, there are several dates that have their particular celebrations:

• March 17. St. Patrick's Day, the patron saint of the Irish.
• March 22. The first day of Ramadan, a fundamental event for Muslims.
• April 5. Passover or Pesach in Jewish celebrates the Jewish exodus from Egypt.
• April 17. Patriots' Day, dedicated to the American Revolution, commemorating the 1775 battles of Concord and Lexington.
• Easter Sunday. On this date the first Sunday of Easter or Holy Week is commemorated, which varies each year according to the lunar calendar.

May

During the month dedicated to mothers, we have to get almost to its end to find a holiday:

• May 29. The famous Memorial Day has been instituted since 1971 to honor the memory of men and women who have lost their lives as part of the U.S. armed forces.

June

In June there is only one official holiday and other dates that have a special meaning for certain minorities in the USA:

• June 11. Kamehameha Day was proclaimed in honor of this great Hawaiian monarch.
• June 19. Officially established in 2021, Juneteenth commemorates the end of the Civil War (1865) and the day slaves were proclaimed 'free'.

July

Usually designated as the first vacation month in many countries, July in the American union only has one holiday date:

• July 4. U.S. Independence Day, which celebrates the signing of the Declaration of Independence from 1776.

August

The hottest month of the year in the Northern Hemisphere also does not contain a holiday, only some minor commemorations such as 'Bennington Battle Day' (16/08) and Hawaii Day.

September

During the month of the Constitution and grandparents, there is only one date that is celebrated at the federal level:

• First Monday. Labor Day honors the U.S. workforce, which forms the foundation of the most powerful economy on the planet. It has been celebrated on the first Monday of the month since 1894.

October

On these days of the calendar, Halloween and other state celebrations appear. The holiday date corresponds to:

• October 10. Since 1937, the United States commemorates Christopher Columbus Day, who has been catalogued as the first European explorer to 'find' the American continent.

Although this is the universally accepted version, since 1960 it is known that the Viking Leif Eriksson arrived in Canadian lands around 1,000 AD.

November

After January, the month of 'Black Friday' features 2 major holidays:

• November 11. Established in 1926, Veterans Day honors those who serve or have served in the U.S. Armed Forces.
• November 23. Initially created in 1941 to give thanks for the previous year's harvest, Thanksgiving has become the most significant family gathering of the year.

December

Traditionally, December tends to be the most festive time of the year. These dates include Pearl Harbor Remembrance (07/12), Christmas Eve, Kwanzaa (26/12) and New Year's Eve. However, the only holiday is Christmas Day (25/12).

Español: Días festivos en Estados Unidos en 2024