Columbus Day 2025, 2026 and 2027
Columbus Day is a federal holiday observed on the second Monday in October, though only about half of US states follow suit with a state-level holiday. Some states and localities even “replace” Columbus Day with another holiday such as Indigenous People’s Day or Native Americans’ Day. This reflects the controversy surrounding the celebration of Columbus Day in recent decades.
| Year | Date | Day | Holiday | States |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 13 Oct | Mon | Columbus Day | AL, AZ, CT, DC, GA, ID, IL, IN, MA, MD, ME, MO, MT, NE, NJ, NM, NY, OH, PA, RI, UT, VA, WV; Federal workers |
| 2026 | 12 Oct | Mon | Columbus Day | AL, AZ, CT, DC, GA, ID, IL, IN, MA, MD, ME, MO, MT, NE, NJ, NM, NY, OH, PA, RI, UT, VA, WV; Federal workers |
| 2027 | 11 Oct | Mon | Columbus Day | AL, AZ, CT, DC, GA, ID, IL, IN, MA, MD, ME, MO, MT, NE, NJ, NM, NY, OH, PA, RI, UT, VA, WV; Federal workers |
| Please scroll down to end of page for previous years' dates. | ||||
Although many no longer celebrate Columbus Day, there are also many who do. Columbus Day is especially, though not exclusively, celebrated among the Italian-American community. Italian-Americans have been observing it from as early as the 1860s.
It was on the three-hundredth anniversary of Columbus’ discovery of the Americas, in the year 1792, that some private historical societies in the US first celebrated Columbus Day. On the four-hundredth anniversary, in 1892, a one-time observance of Columbus Day was declared, but this led to nothing permanent. During the 1930s, President FDR began, at Congress’ behest, issuing annual notices concerning Columbus Day. It did not take on the form of a true public holiday at that time, however.
It was only in 1968 that Columbus Day was made an official public holiday, and it took effect in 1971. At that time, the holiday was moved from the usual 12 October date to its current second Monday date. This was intended to provide workers with a much-appreciated three-day Columbus Day Weekend. Interestingly, the current date matches that of Canadian Thanksgiving.
Many Americans don’t even get Columbus Day off work, but if they do, they may attend a Columbus Day parade or just watch one on television. The oldest such parade is held each year in San Francisco, while the largest Columbus Day parade takes place in New York City. Italian-Americans may put on a Columbus Day party among family and friends. There will be a number of sports events, historical exhibits and programming, and protests too on most Columbus Days in the United States.
Previous Years
| Year | Date | Day | Holiday | States |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 14 Oct | Mon | Columbus Day | AL, AZ, CT, DC, GA, ID, IL, IN, MA, MD, ME, MO, MT, NE, NJ, NM, NY, OH, PA, RI, UT, VA, WV; Federal workers |
| 2023 | 9 Oct | Mon | Columbus Day | AL, AZ, CT, DC, GA, ID, IL, IN, MA, MD, ME, MO, MT, NE, NJ, NM, NY, OH, PA, RI, UT, VA, WV; Federal workers |