2021 Holidays
2021 had 11 US federal holidays, from New Year's Day on Friday, January 1, to Christmas Day on Saturday, December 25. Three fell on a weekend, so the day off moved to the nearest weekday: Juneteenth on Friday, June 18; Independence Day on Monday, July 5; and Christmas Day on Friday, December 24. New Year's Day 2022 is observed on Friday, December 31, 2021, so 2021 had 12 federal days off. Banks were closed on 9 weekdays and the stock markets on 9.
Updated · By the YearlyCalendar.org team
2021 federal holidays
Federal holidays are set by law (5 U.S.C. 6103). When one falls on a Saturday, federal employees get the Friday before off; when it falls on a Sunday, the Monday after.
| Holiday | Date | Day | Day off if moved |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Year's Day | Friday | — | |
| Martin Luther King Jr. Day | Monday | — | |
| Presidents' Day | Monday | — | |
| Memorial Day | Monday | — | |
| Juneteenth | Saturday | Friday, June 18, 2021 | |
| Independence Day | Sunday | Monday, July 5, 2021 | |
| Labor Day | Monday | — | |
| Columbus Day | Monday | — | |
| Veterans Day | Thursday | — | |
| Thanksgiving Day | Thursday | — | |
| Christmas Day | Saturday | Friday, December 24, 2021 |
Inauguration Day, Wednesday, January 20, was also a holiday for federal employees in the Washington, D.C., area.
2021 holiday calendar
Highlighted dates are the federal holidays and observed days off of 2021; print it as a one-page holiday calendar.
- Federal holiday or observed day off
- Weekend
2021 US Federal Holidays
| Su | Mo | Tu | We | Th | Fr | Sa |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | |||||
| 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 |
| 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 |
| 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 |
| 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 |
| 31 |
| Su | Mo | Tu | We | Th | Fr | Sa |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | |
| 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 |
| 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 |
| 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 |
| 28 |
| Su | Mo | Tu | We | Th | Fr | Sa |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | |
| 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 |
| 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 |
| 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 |
| 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 |
| Su | Mo | Tu | We | Th | Fr | Sa |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | ||||
| 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 |
| 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 |
| 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 |
| 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 |
| Su | Mo | Tu | We | Th | Fr | Sa |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ||||||
| 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 |
| 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 |
| 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 |
| 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 |
| 30 | 31 |
| Su | Mo | Tu | We | Th | Fr | Sa |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | ||
| 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 |
| 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 |
| 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 |
| 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 |
| Su | Mo | Tu | We | Th | Fr | Sa |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | ||||
| 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 |
| 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 |
| 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 |
| 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 |
| Su | Mo | Tu | We | Th | Fr | Sa |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 |
| 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 |
| 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 |
| 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 |
| 29 | 30 | 31 |
| Su | Mo | Tu | We | Th | Fr | Sa |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | |||
| 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 |
| 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 |
| 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 |
| 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 |
| Su | Mo | Tu | We | Th | Fr | Sa |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | |||||
| 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 |
| 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 |
| 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 |
| 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 |
| 31 |
| Su | Mo | Tu | We | Th | Fr | Sa |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | |
| 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 |
| 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 |
| 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 |
| 28 | 29 | 30 |
| Su | Mo | Tu | We | Th | Fr | Sa |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | |||
| 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 |
| 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 |
| 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 |
| 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 |
Bank holidays 2021
The Federal Reserve Banks were closed on 9 weekdays in 2021. They close on every federal holiday and on the Monday after a Sunday holiday, but unlike federal offices they stay open on the Friday before a Saturday holiday. Commercial banks and credit unions set their own hours, but generally follow this schedule because payments through the Federal Reserve (ACH direct deposits and wire transfers) do not settle on these days.
| Holiday | Date | Federal Reserve Banks |
|---|---|---|
| New Year's Day | Closed | |
| Martin Luther King Jr. Day | Closed | |
| Presidents' Day | Closed | |
| Memorial Day | Closed | |
| Juneteenth | Open Friday, June 18 | |
| Independence Day | Closed Monday, July 5 | |
| Labor Day | Closed | |
| Columbus Day | Closed | |
| Veterans Day | Closed | |
| Thanksgiving Day | Closed | |
| Christmas Day | Open Friday, December 24 | |
| New Year's Day 2022 | Open Friday, December 31 |
Stock market holidays 2021
The New York Stock Exchange and Nasdaq were closed on 9 weekdays in 2021. Under NYSE Rule 7.2, a holiday on a Saturday closes the markets the Friday before and one on a Sunday the Monday after; New Year's Day on a Saturday is not made up, because December 31 ends the accounting year.
Juneteenth became a market holiday in 2022, so the markets were open on Juneteenth in 2021.
| Holiday | Markets closed | Note |
|---|---|---|
| New Year's Day | — | |
| Martin Luther King Jr. Day | — | |
| Presidents' Day | — | |
| Good Friday | — | |
| Memorial Day | — | |
| Independence Day | Holiday on Sunday | |
| Labor Day | — | |
| Thanksgiving Day | — | |
| Christmas Day | Holiday on Saturday |
Early closes 2021
Stocks stopped trading at 1:00 PM Eastern Time (1:15 PM for eligible options) on these days:
- — Day after Thanksgiving
Banks vs. stock markets
Banks closed but stock markets stayed open on Columbus Day (Monday, October 11) and Veterans Day (Thursday, November 11). The markets closed on Good Friday (Friday, April 2), which is not a federal or bank holiday.
Long weekends 2021
2021 had 10 three-day weekends for federal employees (a holiday or observed day off on a Monday or Friday).
| Three-day weekend | Holiday |
|---|---|
| Fri Jan 1 – Sun 3 | New Year's Day |
| Sat Jan 16 – Mon 18 | Martin Luther King Jr. Day |
| Sat Feb 13 – Mon 15 | Presidents' Day |
| Sat May 29 – Mon 31 | Memorial Day |
| Fri Jun 18 – Sun 20 | Juneteenth (observed) |
| Sat Jul 3 – Mon 5 | Independence Day (observed) |
| Sat Sep 4 – Mon 6 | Labor Day |
| Sat Oct 9 – Mon 11 | Columbus Day |
| Fri Dec 24 – Sun 26 | Christmas Day (observed) |
| Fri Dec 31 – Sun Jan 2, 2022 | New Year's Day (observed) |
Bridge days
Holidays on a Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday can become a longer break with one or two days of leave:
| Holiday | Date | Take off | Time off |
|---|---|---|---|
| Veterans Day | Thursday, November 11 | Fri, Nov 12 | 4 days (Thu Nov 11 – Sun 14) |
| Thanksgiving Day | Thursday, November 25 | Fri, Nov 26 | 4 days (Thu Nov 25 – Sun 28) |
All 2021 holidays and observances by month
46 dates in 2021: federal holidays, observed days off, popular observances, Christian and Jewish holidays, Lunar New Year and daylight saving time. Jewish holidays begin at sundown the evening before.
January 2021
- – New Year's Day Federal
- – Martin Luther King Jr. Day Federal
- – Inauguration Day (presidential inauguration)
February 2021
- – Groundhog Day
- – Lunar New Year (Year of the Ox)
- – Valentine's Day
- – Presidents' Day Federal
- – Mardi Gras (Fat Tuesday)
- – Ash Wednesday
- – Purim (from sundown Feb 25)
March 2021
- – Daylight saving time begins (clocks go forward at 2:00 AM)
- – St. Patrick's Day
- – Palm Sunday
- – Passover (first day) (from sundown Mar 27)
April 2021
May 2021
- – Cinco de Mayo
- – Mother's Day
- – Tax Day
- – Shavuot (from sundown May 16)
- – Memorial Day Federal
June 2021
- – Flag Day
- – Juneteenth (observed day off)
- – Juneteenth Federal
- – Father's Day
July 2021
- – Independence Day Federal
- – Independence Day (observed day off)
August 2021
- No holidays
September 2021
- – Labor Day Federal
- – Rosh Hashanah (from sundown Sep 6)
- – Yom Kippur (from sundown Sep 15)
- – Sukkot (first day), from sundown Sep 20
October 2021
- – Columbus Day Federal
- – Halloween
November 2021
- – Election Day (state and local elections in some states)
- – Daylight saving time ends (clocks go back at 2:00 AM)
- – Veterans Day Federal
- – Thanksgiving Day Federal
- – Black Friday
- – Cyber Monday
- – Hanukkah (first day) (from sundown Nov 28)
December 2021
- – Christmas Eve
- – Christmas Day (observed day off)
- – Christmas Day Federal
- – New Year's Eve
- – New Year's Day (observed day off)
Frequently asked questions
When did Juneteenth become a federal holiday?
President Biden signed the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act on June 17, 2021. Because June 19, 2021 fell on a Saturday, the first federal day off was Friday, June 18, 2021.
Is Presidents' Day the official name?
No. In federal law (5 U.S.C. 6103) the holiday is Washington's Birthday; Presidents' Day is the popular name. It was observed on the third Monday of February, which always falls between February 15 and 21, so it never lands on Washington's actual birthday, February 22.
Is Columbus Day still a federal holiday?
Yes. Columbus Day, the second Monday of October, was one of the federal holidays in 2021. Many states and cities observe the day as Indigenous Peoples' Day instead, and whether state offices close varies by state.
Do private employers have to give federal holidays off?
No. Federal holidays govern federal government offices. The Fair Labor Standards Act does not require private employers to give time off or extra pay for holidays; holiday pay is set by company policy or agreement, and some states have their own rules.