Public holidays · 2026
Columbus Day falls on Monday, October 12, 2026 in United States in 2026.
A public holiday across United States: most employees have the day off.
In 2026 it falls on a Monday, a working day.
The date changes from year to year.
Saturday and Sunday · A public holiday does not always close every business. Essential services, shops and some industries keep working, and pay rules differ by country and contract.
Columbus Day commemorates the arrival of Christopher Columbus in the Americas on 12 October 1492, as part of a voyage sponsored by Spain. For much of the twentieth century it was celebrated with parades and events, especially in Italian American communities, which saw Columbus, who came from Genoa, as a symbol of their contribution to American life. New York's Columbus Day Parade is one of the largest. Columbus's four voyages between 1492 and 1504 were sponsored by the Spanish crown. The day honours the voyage but not all its consequences, which is why the debate around it has intensified.
In recent decades the holiday has become the subject of debate, because Columbus's arrival began centuries of colonisation and suffering for Indigenous peoples. Many states and cities now observe Indigenous Peoples' Day on the same date, either instead of Columbus Day or alongside it. In 2021 President Joe Biden issued the first presidential proclamation of Indigenous Peoples' Day, while Columbus Day remains the federal legal name of the holiday. Italy, Spain and many countries in Latin America observe 12 October under other names, such as Día de la Hispanidad, but in the United States it is a Monday holiday.
Everywhere in United States.
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Questions
A public holiday across United States: most employees have the day off.
Monday, October 12, 2026.