United States Federal Holidays 2028

Only two fixed-date federal holidays land on a weekend in 2028, and both fall on a Saturday. Veterans Day (Nov 11) is observed the Friday before, November 10. New Year’s Day (Jan 1) is also observed the Friday before — but that Friday is December 31, 2027, so it appears on the 2027 calendar, not this one. Juneteenth, Independence Day and Christmas all land on weekdays and need no adjustment at all.

That gives 2028 an unusually clean shape for planners: eleven statutory holidays, ten actual days off inside the calendar year, and eight three-day weekends. The trade-off is that the year opens without the usual New Year long weekend — January 1 and 2 are simply the weekend, and federal offices reopen on Monday January 3.

For most federal employees on a Monday–Friday schedule, a holiday falling on a Saturday is observed the Friday before, and a holiday falling on a Sunday is observed the Monday after — under 5 U.S.C. 6103(b) and Executive Order 11582. Only fixed-date holidays can shift; the “Monday” holidays such as Memorial Day, Labor Day and Columbus Day never need it, and neither does Thanksgiving, which is defined as the fourth Thursday of November.

The statutory date does not move — Veterans Day is still November 11, and ceremonies are held on that date. What moves is the paid day off. Employees on non-standard schedules can have a different in-lieu day determined by their agency, and state governments and private employers set their own rules.

Independence Day falls on Tuesday July 4, 2028. That is the classic bridge-day setup: one day of paid leave on Monday July 3 turns Saturday July 1 through Tuesday July 4 into a four-day weekend. Expect airfares and national-park crowds to behave accordingly, and book well ahead.

2028 is also a presidential election year. Election Day — Tuesday November 7 — is not a federal holiday, though a number of states make it a state holiday or require paid time off to vote. It falls three days before the Veterans Day observance, so early November is a busy stretch for public-sector scheduling.