Columbus Day Dates Table
| Year | Columbus Day | Veterans Day | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Oct 12 | Nov 11 | 30 days |
| 2027 | Oct 11 | Nov 11 | 31 days |
| 2028 | Oct 9 | Nov 11 | 33 days |
| 2029 | Oct 8 | Nov 11 | 34 days |
| 2030 | Oct 14 | Nov 11 | 28 days |
| 2031 | Oct 13 | Nov 11 | 29 days |
| 2032 | Oct 11 | Nov 11 | 31 days |
| 2033 | Oct 10 | Nov 11 | 32 days |
| 2034 | Oct 9 | Nov 11 | 33 days |
| 2035 | Oct 8 | Nov 11 | 34 days |
| 2036 | Oct 13 | Nov 11 | 29 days |
Columbus Day is the federal calendar's most contested name: the second Monday of October (Uniform Monday Holiday Act, 1971), federal since 1937 - and shared, on the same date, by a growing majority of states and hundreds of cities that observe Indigenous Peoples Day instead. 2026 lands on October 12, and the table tracks the whole decade plus the Veterans Day gap that follows.
Bottom line: the holiday's observance map is a patchwork - banks and federal offices close under the Columbus name, more than a dozen states have renamed the day Indigenous Peoples Day, and several states skip the day off entirely. The table dates the federal version; what your state calls it is the second thing to check.
The honest part: this page computes dates, not the argument. The renaming wave (starting with Berkeley in 1992, South Dakota's Native American Day the same year) is the date's real modern history, and both names now share the Monday - the table lists the federal name because that is the statute's word, not a verdict on the debate.
How to use
- Read your year's row: the second-Monday date and the Veterans Day that follows it (about a month later, the next federal holiday).
- Use the counter for a live countdown to whichever Monday comes next.
- Check the spread: October 12 (2026) down to October 9 (2028) - the second-Monday rule keeps it inside October 8-14 always.
Frequently asked questions
When is Columbus Day 2026?
Monday, October 12, 2026 - the second Monday of October. The timer above counts the days to it. Federal offices and most banks close; whether your state gives the day off - and what it calls the day - varies more than any other federal holiday.
Why do some states call it Indigenous Peoples Day?
The rename wave started in 1992 (Berkeley, California, and South Dakota's Native American Day) as a counter-commemoration of the 500th Columbus anniversary, and it has spread steadily: more than a dozen states and hundreds of cities now observe Indigenous Peoples Day on the same second Monday. Federal statute still says Columbus Day, so both names legally describe the same Monday - the table keeps the federal label and notes the twin.
Is Columbus Day a paid day off everywhere?
No - it is the least-universally-observed federal holiday: federal offices and banks close, but state and private observance splits three ways (Columbus Day off, Indigenous Peoples Day off, or a normal workday). Roughly half the states give employees the day; private employers follow state patterns loosely. Check the state, not the federal calendar.
Why is it on the second Monday of October?
The Uniform Monday Holiday Act of 1968 moved it from the fixed date of October 12 (the anniversary of the 1492 landfall) to the second Monday, effective 1971 - the same machinery that produced MLK Day's and Presidents Day's Monday rules. The second Monday lands between October 8 and 14, so it no longer always falls on the 12th itself.
What federal holiday comes after Columbus Day?
Veterans Day, November 11 - about 30 days later, the table's gap column. The stretch between them is the longest federal-holiday gap in the autumn, which is why Columbus weekend is often the last three-day weekend before Thanksgiving.