The Columbus Day holiday: is it a day off, and when is it in 2027?

The short answer: the Columbus Day holiday is a federal holiday on the second Monday in October. In 2027 it falls on Monday, October 11.

• Closed: federal offices and Federal Reserve Banks
• Varies: your bank, state and city offices and public schools
• Many businesses stay open
• Some places mark Indigenous Peoples' Day the same day
• Next step: Plan it with the Holiday Season Bundle ($15.99).

The Columbus Day holiday is a federal holiday on the second Monday in October. In 2027 it falls on Monday, October 11, and Columbus Day 2026 was Monday, October 12. Whether it's a day off for you depends on your employer, school and state: federal offices and Federal Reserve Banks close, but many businesses stay open, and some places mark Indigenous Peoples' Day the same day. Here's what closes, the dates through 2030 and the story behind the holiday.

Who closes on Columbus Day?

So "is Columbus Day a holiday?" has two answers: yes on the federal calendar, and maybe on yours. Check your work and school calendars in September.

Columbus Day dates, 2026 to 2030

Because the rule is the second Monday, Columbus Day always lands between October 8 and October 14. In 2026 it fell on October 12, the actual anniversary of the 1492 landing. In 2027 it's the 11th.

Columbus Day 2026: Monday, October 12

Columbus Day 2026 was Monday, October 12, 2026. That was the second Monday of the month and, as noted above, the actual anniversary of Columbus's 1492 landing. For anyone with the day off, it made a three-day weekend from Saturday, October 10 through Monday, October 12.

Federal offices and Federal Reserve Banks were closed, while state offices, schools and private employers set their own schedules. Places that observe Indigenous Peoples' Day marked it on the same Monday. If you're planning ahead, the next Columbus Day is Monday, October 11, 2027.

Is Columbus Day a federal holiday?

Yes. Columbus Day is one of the eleven holidays on the Office of Personnel Management federal holiday list, and in 2027 it falls on Monday, October 11. Because it is always set on a Monday, it never needs an "observed" day the way fixed-date holidays like Juneteenth or Independence Day sometimes do. OPM explains that when a holiday lands on a Saturday, most federal employees get the Friday before off, and when it lands on a Sunday they get the Monday after.

What a federal holiday means in practice:

• Federal offices are closed and most federal employees have the day off.
• Federal Reserve Banks are closed, according to the Federal Reserve holiday schedule. Check your own bank's holiday hours too, and expect a transfer that would settle that day to wait for the next business day.
• State and local governments, schools and private employers set their own calendars. Many close, many stay open. Check your employer's holiday list and your school district calendar.
• Holiday pay depends on your employer's policy. Our guide to holiday pay explains how it usually works and how to calculate it.

The history of the Columbus Day holiday

The Britannica entry on Columbus Day traces the holiday through a few key moments:

• October 12, 1492: Christopher Columbus landed in the Americas. His voyage was financed by Ferdinand and Isabella, joint rulers of Aragon and Castile, but Columbus was a native of Genoa, Italy, and over the years Italian Americans took up the cause of honoring him.
• 1792: the 300th anniversary was celebrated in New York City by the Society of St. Tammany, also called the Columbian Order.
• 1892: President Benjamin Harrison proclaimed the 400th anniversary a national holiday, intended as a one-time celebration. Britannica notes this followed the 1891 mob killing of 11 Italian Americans in New Orleans, during a period of strong anti-Italian sentiment, and was meant in part to ease tensions with Italy.
• Late 1800s: the day was increasingly celebrated in cities with large Italian American communities.
• 1937: Columbus Day became an annual federal holiday by presidential proclamation.
• 1971: the holiday moved from October 12 to the second Monday in October.

Over time it came to be marked by parades, often with floats showing Columbus's ships, and by public ceremonies.

Indigenous Peoples' Day

By the 500th anniversary in 1992, Britannica says, the holiday had also become an occasion to discuss the European conquest of Native peoples. Some people objected to celebrating the event and proposed alternatives, among them Indigenous Peoples' Day, which is celebrated on the second Monday of October.

Today you'll see the same Monday listed in different ways: Columbus Day on the federal calendar, Indigenous Peoples' Day in some states, cities and schools, and sometimes both. For planning purposes, it's the same day off, if your employer gives one.

Día de la Raza and other countries

The landing is also commemorated in Spain and Italy. In many Spanish-speaking countries in the Americas, October 12 is observed as Día de la Raza, "Day of the Race" or "Day of the People." Britannica says many observers celebrate the Indigenous peoples of Latin America and the cultures that developed as their heritage blended with that of the Spanish explorers. In some countries, religious ceremonies are an important part of the day.

Planning around the Columbus Day holiday

Columbus Day is the only federal holiday between Labor Day and Veterans Day, so it's a natural break in a long stretch of fall:

The next date people ask about is October 31. Our guide answers is Halloween a bank holiday? and what stays open that day. For the whole month, print the free October 2027 calendar.

If school is closed and you're working, sort out child care a few weeks ahead. If you are off, it's a good weekend for a fall outing, a local festival or a museum visit before the holiday rush.

Bills and paydays around Columbus Day

A Monday holiday can shift money by a day. If a payday, automatic transfer or bill due date lands on the holiday, a direct deposit may arrive a day early or a day late, depending on your employer and bank, and a payment you schedule for the holiday may not process until the next business day. A few habits keep the long weekend from causing a late fee:

1. Mark the holiday on your bill calendar as soon as you set up the month.
2. Schedule payments for the business day before if the due date is the holiday itself.
3. Check pending transfers the next morning so nothing is stuck.
4. Leave a small buffer in checking the week of the holiday.

Start holiday planning on Columbus Day weekend

The Columbus Day holiday comes about ten weeks before Christmas, which makes it one of the best weekends of the year to get ahead:

1. Set a holiday budget. Decide on one total for gifts, food, travel and decorations.
2. Make the gift list. Write down every person and a price for each.
3. Spread the cost. Divide the total by the paychecks left before December and set that aside each payday.
4. Pick the big dates. Thanksgiving is Thursday, November 25, 2027; book travel and plan who's hosting.
5. Plan the menus early. Choose the Thanksgiving and holiday menus so you can watch for sales.

The Holiday Season Bundle ($15.99) bundles six tools for the season: the Christmas Budget & Gift Planner, a Sinking Funds Tracker, the Meal Planner & Grocery List, the 100 Envelope challenge, a Bill Tracker Printable and the Cleaning Schedule. If you only need the gift list, the Christmas Budget & Gift Planner ($4.99) tracks every gift against your budget on its own. Our Thanksgiving checklist breaks the next month into weekly steps.

How much to set aside, starting Columbus Day weekend

Counting from the Columbus Day holiday, there are about ten weeks until Christmas 2027 and six until Thanksgiving. Here's what a weekly set-aside looks like for a few holiday budgets:

If you're paid every two weeks, double the weekly number and move it on payday. The point isn't the exact figure; it's deciding the total now, while there's still time to spread it out, instead of in December.

Teaching kids about the Columbus Day holiday

Kids often hear different names for the same Monday at school. A simple way to explain it:

• The facts: Columbus landed in the Americas on October 12, 1492, and the United States made the anniversary a federal holiday in 1937.
• The people already here: Native peoples already lived in the Americas, and Britannica notes the holiday became an occasion to discuss the European conquest of Native peoples, which is why some places now mark Indigenous Peoples' Day.
• The debate: by the 500th anniversary in 1992, people were discussing what the arrival meant for Native peoples, and many communities chose to honor them on the same day.

Older kids can look up the history of their own state or town and find out how it marks the day.

A fall reset for the long weekend

If you'd rather stay home, use the three days for a fall reset:

• Swap the closets. Pack away summer clothes and pull out coats, boots and gloves.
• Do outdoor jobs before the weather turns: rake, clean gutters and put away the hose.
• Change the furnace filter and test smoke and carbon monoxide alarms.
• Review the bills. Look over the last three months of statements with the Bill Tracker Spreadsheet ($4.99) and see what's due before the holidays.

The Columbus Day holiday at a glance

• 2027 date: Monday, October 11.
• Rule: the second Monday in October (since 1971).
• Federal holiday since: 1937.
• Closed: federal offices and Federal Reserve Banks; others vary.
• Same day: Indigenous Peoples' Day in some places.
• Next year: Monday, October 9, 2028.

For every federal holiday in one place, see our holiday calendar and the free 2027 calendar.