Tennessee State Holidays
Discover upcoming public holiday dates for Tennessee and start planning to make the most of your time off.
The majority of the legal holidays celebrated in Tennessee are also recognized by the federal government as well as most of the state’s in the country. These include Independence Day, Labor Day and Veteran’s Day. If the holiday falls on a Saturday or Sunday, the holiday is celebrated on either Friday or Monday, depending on the day of the weekend where the holiday falls.
Tennessee recognizes Good Friday as a holiday. The state also celebrates Washington’s birthday on the third Monday in February. The last Monday in May is known as Decoration Day in some areas of the state rather than Memorial Day.
Decoration Day was designed to recognize Confederate soldiers who died during the American Civil War. Therefore, in Tennessee, it was combined with Memorial Day in order to recognize those who gave their lives in all wars, including those who fought for the Confederacy.
State employees are provided paid holidays when offices are closed. In addition, the law requires state employees be given up to three hours paid time off on election days in order to allow them to vote without reduction in pay. Employees whose work begins three hours after polls open or whose hours end three hours before polls close are not included in the law.
Private employers are not required to provide paid holidays to any staff. In addition, they are not required to pay overtime if an employee is required to work on a holiday. However, Tennessee employers often provide paid holidays to employees as a benefit. Some offer higher rates of pay or compensatory time when an employee must work on a holiday.