The 2026 holiday season runs from Halloween on Saturday, October 31, 2026 to New Year’s Day on Friday, January 1, 2027. Inside that stretch are four federal holidays: Veterans Day (November 11), Thanksgiving (November 26), Christmas (December 25) and New Year’s Day.
The weeks between Halloween and New Year’s are the busiest on the calendar, with federal holidays, religious festivals, shopping days and the winter solstice all packed into about two months. This holiday calendar for 2026 puts every key date in one table with its weekday and how many days away it is, then walks through the season month by month and flags which days actually close offices and banks.
Holiday calendar 2026: every key date
The “days away” column counts from today, Tuesday, October 6, 2026. Federal holidays are marked in bold.
| Date | Day | Holiday or event | Type | Days away |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| October 31 | Saturday | Halloween | Celebration | 25 |
| November 1 | Sunday | Daylight saving time ends; All Saints’ Day; Día de los Muertos begins | Clock change; religious | 26 |
| November 3 | Tuesday | Election Day (midterms) | Civic | 28 |
| November 8 | Sunday | Diwali | Religious | 33 |
| November 11 | Wednesday | Veterans Day | Federal | 36 |
| November 26 | Thursday | Thanksgiving | Federal | 51 |
| November 27 | Friday | Black Friday | Shopping | 52 |
| November 29 | Sunday | First Sunday of Advent | Religious | 54 |
| November 30 | Monday | Cyber Monday | Shopping | 55 |
| December 4 | Friday | Hanukkah begins at sundown | Religious | 59 |
| December 6 | Sunday | St. Nicholas Day | Religious | 61 |
| December 21 | Monday | Winter solstice, 3:50 p.m. EST | Astronomical | 76 |
| December 24 | Thursday | Christmas Eve | Celebration | 79 |
| December 25 | Friday | Christmas Day | Federal | 80 |
| December 26 | Saturday | Kwanzaa begins; Boxing Day | Cultural | 81 |
| December 31 | Thursday | New Year’s Eve | Celebration | 86 |
| January 1, 2027 | Friday | New Year’s Day | Federal | 87 |
The live countdowns for each date are on the 2026 holidays page, which also covers the rest of the year.
Which dates are federal holidays?
Only four days in the season are federal holidays under 5 U.S.C. 6103, the law that lists them, and all four fall on weekdays in 2026, so there are no observed-day shifts this year:
- Veterans Day, Wednesday, November 11. A midweek holiday. Federal offices and the Postal Service close, and so do banks that follow the Federal Reserve schedule; many private employers stay open. Our Veterans Day 2026 guide has the details.
- Thanksgiving, Thursday, November 26. The fourth Thursday in November. Many employers also give Friday off, making a four-day weekend, but the Friday is not a federal holiday.
- Christmas Day, Friday, December 25. A Friday holiday gives a three-day weekend from December 25 to 27.
- New Year’s Day, Friday, January 1, 2027. Another Friday, so another three-day weekend, from January 1 to 3.
Christmas Eve, New Year’s Eve, Black Friday, Halloween and Election Day are not federal holidays. Presidents have occasionally given federal workers Christmas Eve off by executive order; whether that happens in 2026 isn’t known yet, and our guide to whether Christmas Eve is a federal holiday explains the history. Some states and cities give Election Day or the day after Thanksgiving as a holiday for their own workers, so check your state or employer.
November 2026
November opens with a cluster: Halloween night on Saturday, the end of daylight saving time at 2:00 a.m. on Sunday, November 1, All Saints’ Day and the first day of Día de los Muertos the same Sunday, and the midterm elections two days later on Tuesday, November 3.
Diwali comes on Sunday, November 8, and Veterans Day on Wednesday, November 11. Then the month builds to Thanksgiving week. Thanksgiving is Thursday, November 26, Black Friday follows on the 27th and Cyber Monday on November 30. The Black Friday and Cyber Monday 2026 guide covers how those dates are set.
Because two federal holidays fall in the month, November 2026 has 19 working days out of 21 weekdays.
December 2026
December starts with Advent already under way: the first Sunday of Advent is November 29, and advent calendars begin on December 1. Hanukkah begins at sundown on Friday, December 4, and its eighth candle is lit on Friday, December 11. St. Nicholas Day is Sunday, December 6.
The winter solstice arrives at 3:50 p.m. EST (20:50 UTC) on Monday, December 21, the shortest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere. Christmas Eve is Thursday the 24th and Christmas Day Friday the 25th. Kwanzaa runs from Saturday, December 26 to Friday, January 1. In the UK, Boxing Day falls on a Saturday, so the bank holiday moves to Monday, December 28, according to GOV.UK.
December 2026 has 23 weekdays and 22 working days after the Christmas holiday. The December 2026 calendar shows the whole month on one page.
The week between Christmas and New Year’s
With both Christmas and New Year’s Day on Fridays, the gap between them is a single full workweek, Monday, December 28 to Thursday, December 31. If you take those four days off, you get ten days in a row away from work, from Friday, December 25 through Sunday, January 3, using four days of leave.
New Year’s Eve falls on Thursday, December 31, and New Year’s Day on Friday, January 1, 2027. For market hours and the federal status of the eve, see our New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day guide.
Planning tips for the season
- Book time off around the Fridays. Thanksgiving week and the Christmas to New Year’s week are where a few days of leave go furthest.
- Allow for closed days. Banks and post offices are closed on the four federal holidays, so mail and transfers that cross Thanksgiving or Christmas take a day longer. The business days calculator skips those dates for you.
- Mind the clock change. From Sunday, November 1 the sun sets about an hour earlier on the clock, which affects evening travel for the rest of the season.
- Check religious dates locally. Diwali’s festival days and the evening start of Hanukkah can vary slightly by location and community calendar.
Frequently asked questions
What holidays are in the 2026 holiday season?
The main dates are Halloween (October 31), Veterans Day (November 11), Thanksgiving (November 26), Hanukkah (from December 4), Christmas (December 25), Kwanzaa (from December 26), New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day 2027.
How many federal holidays are left in 2026?
From October 6, four remain in 2026: Columbus Day on October 12, Veterans Day on November 11, Thanksgiving on November 26 and Christmas on December 25. New Year’s Day 2027 follows on January 1.
What day of the week is Christmas 2026?
Christmas 2026 is on a Friday, December 25, so most people who get the day off have a three-day weekend.
Is the day after Thanksgiving a federal holiday?
No. Friday, November 27, 2026 is Black Friday, a regular federal workday, although many private employers and some state governments give it off.
When is the shortest day of 2026?
The winter solstice, Monday, December 21, 2026, at 3:50 p.m. EST, is the shortest day in the Northern Hemisphere.