Presidents' Day is today: Here's what's open and closed
(Photo by Yuki IWAMURA / AFP) (Photo by YUKI IWAMURA/AFP via Getty Images)
NEW YORK - Presidents' Day is being observed across the U.S. today, Monday, Feb. 16, 2026.
What we know:
In observance of the federal holiday, there is no regular mail delivery. Banks and stock exchanges are also closed.
Presidents' Day marks the last federal holiday until Memorial Day in May.
While many businesses remain open, some are closed to recognize the holiday.
When is Presidents' Day?
The backstory:
Presidents' Day falls on the third Monday in February each year. In 2026, it lands on Feb. 16.
Former President George Washington’s birthday on Feb. 22 became the first federal holiday honoring an individual’s birthdate. In 1885, Congress designated it as a holiday for all federal workers.
Nearly a century later, in 1971, the Uniform Monday Holiday Law moved the observance to the third Monday in February — between Washington’s birthday and Abraham Lincoln’s on Feb. 12. The change helped popularize the name Presidents' Day, according to the National Archives.
Today, the holiday honors all U.S. presidents, past and present, though some still refer to it as Washington’s Birthday.
Are the Post Office, UPS and FedEx open?
FILE IMAGE - A postal worker delivers mail on March 31, 2020, in Wyomissing, Pennsylvania. (Bill Uhrich - MediaNews Group/Reading Eagle via Getty Images)
The U.S. Postal Service observes Presidents' Day as a federal holiday, so there is no regular mail delivery. Post office retail locations are also closed.
UPS stores and services are open. FedEx operates on a modified schedule for certain U.S. and international package and express freight services. Other services remain open.
Are banks open?
The Federal Reserve is closed for Presidents' Day, and most banks are also closed.
ATMs and online banking services remain available.
Is the stock market open?
(Photo by JOHANNES EISELE/AFP via Getty Images)
No. The New York Stock Exchange and Nasdaq both observe Washington’s Birthday and are closed today.
Are schools open?
Some public schools are closed in observance of Presidents' Day.
Are courthouses open?
Most state and local courthouses are closed for the holiday.
The Source: This story is based on information from the U.S. government, U.S. Postal Service, UPS, FedEx, various banks, the NYSE and Nasdaq. Background information was provided by the National Archives.