When is the next US holiday and what will it celebrate?
The next holiday in the United States is Columbus Day, which is celebrated in the middle of October. Here’s more on what this day commemorates.
From New Year’s Day to Christmas Day, there are 11 official holidays in the United States. Seven holidays have already been celebrated in 2024, leaving four remaining.
The next holiday on the calendar is Columbus Day, which takes place this month, so American workers will soon have another long weekend.
Columbus Day, the next public holiday in the US: When is it celebrated?
Every year, Columbus Day is commemorated on the second Monday of October. This year, it is celebrated on Oct. 14.
Columbus Day marks Christopher Columbus’s arrival on the shores of the New World on October 12, 1492. This day was declared a federal holiday by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1937.
For many, the holiday is a way to both honor Columbus’s achievements and celebrate Italian-American heritage. However, Columbus Day has become a controversial holiday over the years.
Due to the violence with which the indigenous population was treated after Columbus’s arrival, many alternatives to the holiday have been proposed, including Indigenous Peoples’ Day, which is now commemorated in many states and cities in the United States.
Are banks and supermarkets open on Columbus Day?
By law, federal offices are closed during official holidays, so government employees get a paid day off next week. However, other establishments, such as schools, businesses, banks, and supermarkets, get to decide whether or not to close.
Typically, banks, post offices, stock exchanges, and schools are closed on this holiday, while pharmacies, restaurants, and supermarkets usually remain open.
Full calendar of federal holidays in the United States 2024
Of the 11 federal public holidays, some are observed on specific dates, while others change dates each year. Also, holidays may be observed a day earlier or later if they fall on a weekend. If a holiday falls on a Saturday, the preceding Friday will be treated as a holiday for pay and leave purposes. If a holiday falls on a Sunday, it will be observed on the following Monday.
This 2024, these holidays have already been celebrated:
- New Year's Day - January 1
- Martin Luther King, Jr.'s Birthday (third Monday of January) - January 15, 2024
- Washington's Birthday Presidents' Day (third Monday of February) - February 19
- Memorial Day (last Monday of May) - May 27
- Juneteenth Day - June 19
- Independence Day - July 4
- Labor Day (first Monday of September) - September 2
The rest of the holidays for 2024 are the following:
- Columbus Day (Second Monday of October) - October 14
- Veterans Day - November 11
- Thanksgiving Day (Fourth Thursday of November) - November 28
- Christmas Day - December 25