Presidents Day is commonly celebrated as a tribute to all U.S. presidents and has officially served as a federal holiday since 1879 in honor of Founding Father George Washington. Washington led the Continental Army to victory in the American Revolutionary War, presided over the Constitutional Convention in 1787, and served as the nation’s first president from 1789 to 1797.
Presidents Day 2026: When is it?
Presidents’ Day, officially known at the federal level as Washington’s Birthday, is celebrated on the third Monday in February. It falls on February 16 this year.
Is it a federal holiday?
Yes, Presidents Day is a federal holiday. This means that most people will be off work on Monday 16th February and most schools will be closed for the holiday.
In addition, most financial institutions and government agencies, including government offices, courts, and the US Post Office, will be closed on Presidents Day. As a result, there will be no regular mail delivery and trading on the US stock markets.
How Presidents Day is celebrated
Presidents Day is celebrated across the country through a variety of activities. Many museums offer special exhibits, local governments may hold commemorative events, and Mount Vernon, home of the nation’s first president, hosts annual patriotic celebrations honoring George Washington. The holiday has also become a major shopping weekend, with many major retailers offering sales and promotions during the three-day break.
Presidents Day 2026: A look back in history
The holiday is officially recognized in most states, although it has different names depending on state law. In some cases, it honors only George Washington; in others, he resembles Washington and Abraham Lincoln, or some other combination of American presidents, such as Washington and Thomas Jefferson.
George Washington was born on February 22, 1732 (New Style), and George Washington’s birthday was celebrated on that date from 1879 to 1970. In 1968, the Uniform Monday Holiday Act moved the observance to the third Monday in February, beginning in 1971, to create a three-day weekend for federal employees. This Monday can fall between February 15th and 21st. Over time, the holiday became widely known as Presidents’ Day, although the use of the apostrophe varies, and came to serve as a time to honor all American presidents, to jointly recognize the birthdays of Washington and Lincoln, or to celebrate a single president.