Quick Read
- Presidents Day 2026 will be observed on Monday, February 16.
- Federal offices, post offices, banks, and the U.S. stock market will be closed.
- Many state and local government offices and public schools nationwide will also be closed.
- Private businesses, most retail stores, and restaurants are expected to remain open.
- Mail delivery will be suspended, but FedEx and UPS will generally operate with some adjustments.
WASHINGTON (Azat TV) – Presidents Day 2026 will be observed on Monday, February 16, as a federal holiday, leading to significant closures across the United States, including post offices, banks, and the stock market. The observance will prompt a three-day weekend for many federal employees and public school staff, while also affecting state and local government services, prompting residents to plan ahead for service adjustments.
The holiday, officially known as Washington’s Birthday, honors George Washington, America’s first president, whose birthday falls on February 22. However, under the 1968 Uniform Monday Holiday Act, the federal observance was moved to the third Monday of February, which for 2026 is February 16. This shift has contributed to its popular designation as Presidents Day, celebrating all U.S. presidents, though it originally began as a tribute solely to Washington.
Presidents Day 2026: Key Closures and Operations
As a federal holiday, Presidents Day 2026 will bring about a range of closures and modified schedules for various government and financial institutions. The U.S. Postal Service has confirmed that all post office locations will be closed, and mail delivery services will be suspended nationwide. Regular mail service is expected to resume on Tuesday, February 17. Similarly, nearly all major banks will be closed, and the U.S. stock market, including the Nasdaq and New York Stock Exchange, will halt trading for the day, as will U.S. bond markets.
Federal government offices, including the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), will be closed. IRS offices and phone lines will be unavailable, reopening for normal business hours on Tuesday, February 17. State and local government offices, such as Departments of Motor Vehicles (DMV) in Washington D.C., Maryland, and Virginia, will also be closed. Many public libraries and county offices in various regions, including Anne Arundel, Charles, Howard, Montgomery, and Prince George’s counties in Maryland, and Arlington, Alexandria, Fairfax, and Loudoun counties in Virginia, will observe the holiday with closures.
Navigating Services on Presidents Day
While many government and financial services will be paused, several private sector operations and some public services will continue with modified schedules. Major shipping carriers like FedEx and UPS will generally remain open for pickup and delivery services, though FedEx may have slight modifications, and UPS SurePost and Mail Innovations deliveries will experience a one-day delay due to the USPS closure. Most retail stores, grocery stores, and restaurants are expected to operate as usual.
Public transportation services will vary by region. In the D.C. area, Metrorail will operate on a weekend schedule, and Metrobus will run on a Saturday plus supplemental schedule. Other local bus systems, such as Montgomery County’s Ride On, will operate on a holiday schedule, while some, like OmniRide Express, will not operate at all. Parking enforcement will be suspended in D.C., Montgomery County, and Arlington, Virginia, providing free parking at meters and some garages.
Public schools across the U.S. will be closed, including all D.C.-area public schools and those in South Carolina, according to the South Carolina Department of Education. Trash and recycling collection schedules will also see adjustments in many jurisdictions, often sliding by one day for the rest of the week, though some areas like Anne Arundel County, Howard County, and Fairfax County will maintain normal collection schedules.
The Enduring Legacy of Presidents Day
The establishment of Presidents Day as a federal holiday traces back to 1879, when Congress designated February 22 as George Washington’s Birthday, making it the first federal holiday to honor an individual’s birth date. The holiday’s observance was later shifted to the third Monday in February in 1971, a move that positioned it between Washington’s and Abraham Lincoln’s birthdays (February 12). This temporal proximity contributed to the broader recognition of the day as Presidents Day, honoring not just Washington but the collective legacy of all U.S. presidents. The U.S. National Archives and Records Administration notes that Washington’s original birth date was February 11, 1731, but it was adjusted to February 22, 1732, with the adoption of the Gregorian calendar.
The varying impact of Presidents Day on public and private services highlights the complex nature of federal holidays, where a uniform designation can lead to a patchwork of operational changes that require citizens to proactively verify schedules for essential services.