July 4th Dates Table
| Year | Date | Federal day off |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Sat Jul 4 | Fri Jul 3 |
| 2027 | Sun Jul 4 | Mon Jul 5 |
| 2028 | Tue Jul 4 | same day |
| 2029 | Wed Jul 4 | same day |
| 2030 | Thu Jul 4 | same day |
| 2031 | Fri Jul 4 | same day |
| 2032 | Sun Jul 4 | Mon Jul 5 |
| 2033 | Mon Jul 4 | same day |
| 2034 | Tue Jul 4 | same day |
| 2035 | Wed Jul 4 | same day |
| 2036 | Fri Jul 4 | same day |
Independence Day is pinned to July 4 forever - one of the four original federal holidays (1870) and the only summer one - which makes its calendar behavior pure rotation: the weekday cycles, and when the 4th lands on a weekend the federal day off slides to the adjacent Friday or Monday. 2026 is a double-shift year: Saturday July 4, observed Friday July 3.
Bottom line: the table's third column is the planning column - the fireworks, the lake trip and the day off all follow the observed day, while the date itself is the anniversary. 2026 and 2027 are back-to-back shift years (Saturday then Sunday); 2028-2031 run four clean midweek years in a row.
The honest part: July 4 commemorates the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776 - though the actual vote for independence happened two days earlier, on July 2 (John Adams spent his life convinced the 2nd was the real anniversary). The document's date won, and both Adams and Jefferson died on it - July 4, 1826, the 50th anniversary.
How to use
- Read your year's row: the July 4 weekday and the federal day off - same day, preceding Friday, or following Monday.
- Use the counter for a live countdown to the next July 4.
- Plan travel by the observed column: the Friday-before years (2026) put the holiday peak on Thursday-Friday; the Monday-after years (2027) spread it across the weekend itself.
Frequently asked questions
When is July 4th 2026?
Saturday, July 4, 2026 - with the federal day off observed Friday, July 3. The timer above counts to it, and the table runs every year through 2036 with the observed shifts.
Why does the day off move but July 4 never does?
The date is the historical anniversary (the Declaration's adoption, 1776) and Congress has never moved it - unlike MLK Day or Presidents Day, which were built on Monday rules. The day-in-lieu convention handles weekends instead: a Saturday holiday is observed the Friday before, a Sunday holiday the Monday after. The date keeps its meaning; the calendar absorbs the weekend.
When is the next 4-day July 4th weekend?
2027: Sunday July 4 observed Monday July 5 means many workers get Saturday-through-Monday off in one block - the best stretch of the decade for a three-night trip. 2026's version (Friday observed) gives a two-day weekend plus the holiday Friday, which travelers treat as the same thing.
Why is July 4 one of the 'original four' federal holidays?
The 1870 act that first made federal holidays - New Year's Day, Independence Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas - was itself a post-Civil War standardization. Independence Day was the only one already celebrated in every state, with fireworks tradition dating to Philadelphia's first-anniversary salute in 1777 (thirteen guns, one per colony).