Hawaii state holidays 2026: the 14 paid days

Hawaii state offices close for 14 paid holidays in 2026 — thirteen fixed in HRS § 8-1 and the fourteenth being General Election Day, Tuesday, November 3, which the state observes only in even-numbered years. The days unique to Hawaii are Prince Jonah Kūhiō Kalanianaʻole Day (March 26), Good Friday (April 3), King Kamehameha I Day — fixed by statute at June 11, a Thursday in 2026 — and Statehood Day (the third Friday in August, August 21). Independence Day moves to Friday, July 3 because July 4 is a Saturday, while Juneteenth and Columbus Day, though federal, are expressly not Hawaii state holidays.

Hawaii's 2026 state holidays: the full paid list

Hawaii state offices close for 14 paid holidays in 2026 — thirteen fixed in HRS § 8-1, plus General Election Day, which the state observes only in even-numbered years. Section 8-1 also makes any day proclaimed by the governor or the President a holiday, so a proclamation can add a day in a given year.

Dates below are the state's official schedule. Where a statutory date lands on a weekend, § 8-2 moves the observance, so the table shows the day the state actually closes.

The four days that make Hawaii's calendar different

Hawaii adds four paid days most states do not have: Prince Jonah Kūhiō Kalanianaʻole Day (March 26), Good Friday, King Kamehameha I Day (June 11) and Statehood Day (the third Friday in August). A fifth, General Election Day, joins them in even years only. The state also omits Juneteenth and Columbus Day, so its calendar is not simply longer than the federal one — it is different.

Kūhiō Day honours the prince who was Hawaii's Congressional delegate from 1903 to 1922 and drove the Hawaiian Homes Commission Act. Alone on the list, it is fixed to a calendar date — the twenty-sixth of March — so its weekday moves; in 2026 it is a Thursday.

Statehood Day marks Hawaii's admission as the fiftieth state in 1959; in 2026 it falls on the anniversary itself, August 21. No other state gives its own statehood a paid holiday.

King Kamehameha I Day: the date is June 11, and here is why

This is the entry most often reported wrong. HRS § 8-1 fixes King Kamehameha I Day at "the eleventh day in June" — a fixed date, not a movable Monday or Friday. In 2026, June 11 is a Thursday, so it is observed on Thursday, June 11, 2026, with no weekend adjustment.

The date has a history. The holiday was proclaimed by King Kamehameha V on December 22, 1871, and first celebrated on December 11, 1871 — his own birthday. It was then moved to June 11, partly for better summer weather, with the first June 11 observance in 1872. That Kingdom-era move is the only documented change to the date: the statutes have carried "the eleventh day in June" since 1896, and what changed in 1978 was the name, when the legislature renamed it "King Kamehameha I Day".

One practical trap: the holiday and the celebrations are not the same day. Section 8-5 gives the King Kamehameha Celebration Commission charge of the events, and in 2026 they spread across three days — Kohala ceremonies on June 11, the Honolulu lei-draping on June 12, and the Oʻahu floral parade on June 13. A listing that puts the holiday on June 13 has confused the parade with the statute.

Because the date is fixed, § 8-2 shifts it in other years: June 11 is a Friday in 2027 and a Sunday in 2028, when it would be observed on Monday, June 12.

Election Day is still a Hawaii state holiday

Yes — in even-numbered years. HRS § 8-1 sets apart "all election days, except primary and special election days, in the county wherein the election is held," so the general election day is a paid state holiday while primaries and special elections are not.

The date comes from the Constitution, not the statute. Article II, section 8 puts general elections on "the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November in all even-numbered years" — in 2026, Tuesday, November 3. The DHRD schedule cites exactly that clause.

Two details follow: it exists only in even years, so there is none on the 2027 calendar; and § 8-1 words it as a county-specific day while the state publishes a single statewide date.

Repeal has been attempted: House Bill 2402 (2020) would have replaced the clause with birthday leave, and a 2025 bill, SB 614, would add La Kuokoa only from 2050. For 2026, General Election Day is paid.

Good Friday is a paid state holiday in Hawaii

Unusually, Hawaii pays for Good Friday. HRS § 8-1 names "the Friday preceding Easter Sunday", so state offices close. In 2026, Easter Sunday is April 5, putting Good Friday on Friday, April 3, 2026. Only a small minority of states make it a paid holiday.

It has survived challenge: the statute's annotations record that the Good Friday provision "does not violate [the] First Amendment establishment clause" (932 F.2d 765), and a 2024 bill to replace it with World Peace Day did not pass.

Good Friday is not a federal holiday, so federal offices stay open on April 3.

What happens when a Hawaii holiday falls on a weekend

HRS § 8-2 governs weekends: a holiday falling on Sunday is observed the following Monday, and one falling on Saturday the preceding Friday. This covers every day on the § 8-1 list, the Hawaii-only days included.

In 2026 only Independence Day is affected — July 4 is a Saturday, so it is observed on Friday, July 3. Every other 2026 holiday already falls on a weekday.

The state's forward calendars confirm the same pattern: Independence Day falls on Monday, July 5 in 2027, and Christmas on Friday, December 24 in 2027.

Juneteenth and Columbus Day are federal, not Hawaii

Juneteenth, June 19. Hawaii recognised the day early, but recognition is not holiday status. HRS § 8-32 designates June 19 and then adds: "Juneteenth is not and shall not be construed to be a state holiday." State offices are open on Friday, June 19, 2026, while federal offices close.

Columbus Day. Hawaii has no paid holiday on the second Monday in October. Instead, § 8-1.5 names it "Discoverers' Day" in recognition of the Polynesian discoverers of the islands, and since 2023 § 8-37 adds Indigenous Peoples' Day on the same Monday — both expressly not state holidays. In 2026 that is Monday, October 12, and state offices are open.

Hawaii and the federal government therefore diverge in both directions — the state adds four Hawaii-only days plus election day, and omits Juneteenth and Columbus Day.

Days of recognition that close nothing

HRS Chapter 8 also names commemorative days, each of which says in terms that it is not a state holiday, so nothing closes. The ones most often mistaken for closures:

• Lei Day — May 1 (§ 8-13)
• Discoverers' Day — the second Monday in October (§ 8-1.5)
• Indigenous Peoples' Day — the second Monday in October (§ 8-37)
• Queen Liliʻuokalani Day — September 2 (§ 8-5.5)
• La Hoihoi Ea — July 31 (§ 8-34)
• La Kuokoa, Hawaiian Independence Day — November 28 (§ 8-36)
• Buddha Day — April 8 (§ 8-4)
• Arbor Day — the first Friday in November (§ 8-7)
• Patriot Day — September 11 (§ 8-3.5)

Where the official sources do not line up

Two authorities govern the calendar and do not overlap perfectly. HRS § 8-1 supplies the thirteen fixed days; the Hawaii Constitution supplies the election-day date. The DHRD schedule merges them and, for Election Day, cites the Constitution rather than the statute — the only entry whose date comes from outside § 8-1.

The state's own paperwork has a small error. The January 2026 upload of DHRD's "Holidays to be observed in 2026 and 2027" mislabels the 2026 table's date column as "Day Observed in 2027"; a June 2026 upload corrects the heading. The dates are identical and match § 8-1 and § 8-2, so the data is not in doubt — but the file you open can look wrong.

Third-party holiday sites cause more confusion than the state does: several list Juneteenth and Columbus Day as Hawaii holidays, and some print both July 3 and July 4 as separate entries.

If you are not a state employee

The 14 days govern state offices. Private employers need not close on any of them or pay a premium for working them; whether you get Kūhiō Day or Good Friday off is a matter of your employer's policy.

Banks follow the Federal Reserve, not the state list. In 2026 a Hawaii branch typically closes on Juneteenth and Columbus Day — days state offices open — and opens on Kūhiō Day, Good Friday, Kamehameha Day and Statehood Day, when state offices are shut.

For a court filing or an agency deadline, confirm against the state's current schedule; county offices and the courts can keep slightly different calendars.

Frequently asked questions

How many state holidays does Hawaii have in 2026?

Fourteen paid holidays: thirteen fixed days under HRS § 8-1, plus General Election Day on Tuesday, November 3, which the state observes only in even-numbered years.

When is King Kamehameha I Day in 2026?

Thursday, June 11, 2026. HRS § 8-1 fixes the day at "the eleventh day in June", so it is not moved to a Monday or Friday. The state's celebrations run June 11–13, with the Oʻahu parade on Saturday, June 13 — that is the parade, not the holiday.

Is Election Day a Hawaii state holiday?

Yes, in even-numbered years. HRS § 8-1 makes "all election days, except primary and special election days" holidays, and the Hawaii Constitution sets the date as the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November. In 2026 that is Tuesday, November 3.

Is Good Friday a paid state holiday in Hawaii?

Yes. Good Friday is named in HRS § 8-1 and state offices close. In 2026 it falls on Friday, April 3. It is not a federal holiday.

Does Hawaii observe Juneteenth?

Not as a state holiday. HRS § 8-32 designates June 19 as Juneteenth but states it "shall not be construed to be a state holiday", so state offices are open on Friday, June 19, 2026.

Does Hawaii observe Columbus Day?

No. Hawaii has Discoverers' Day on the second Monday in October, and Indigenous Peoples' Day on the same Monday, but both are expressly not state holidays. State offices are open on Monday, October 12, 2026.

How does Hawaii handle a holiday that falls on a weekend?

Under HRS § 8-2 a Sunday holiday is observed on the following Monday and a Saturday holiday on the preceding Friday. In 2026 only Independence Day is affected: July 4 is a Saturday, so it is observed on Friday, July 3.

Is Prince Jonah Kūhiō Kalanianaʻole Day always on March 26?

Yes. HRS § 8-1 fixes it at "the twenty-sixth day in March", so the weekday changes yearly. In 2026 it falls on a Thursday.

Is Statehood Day always the third Friday in August?

Yes. It is the third Friday in August, which in 2026 is August 21 — the anniversary of Hawaii's admission as the fiftieth state in 1959.

Official sources

• Hawaii Department of Human Resources Development — State Observed Holidays — the state's official holiday calendar page, linking the current-year PDFs
• Hawaii DHRD — State Holidays 2026–2027 (PDF) — the 2026 schedule this page is built on; the January 2026 upload of the same file mislabels the 2026 column
• HRS § 8-1 — Holidays designated — the statutory list of holidays, including the June 11 Kamehameha Day date and the election-day clause
• HRS § 8-2 — Observance of holidays falling on Sundays and Saturdays — the Saturday-to-Friday and Sunday-to-Monday rule behind July 3, 2026
• HRS § 8-1.5 — Discoverers' Day — the second Monday in October, expressly not a state holiday
• HRS § 8-32 — Juneteenth — "shall not be construed to be a state holiday"
• HRS Chapter 8 — Holidays and Periods of Recognition and Observance (index) — the full list of named recognition days used in the commemorative section
• Hawaii State Constitution, Article II, Section 8 — general elections on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November in even-numbered years
• Hawaii State Foundation on Culture and the Arts — King Kamehameha Celebration Commission — the 2026 celebration dates and the June 11 origin of the holiday
• U.S. Office of Personnel Management — Federal Holidays — the federal list Hawaii is compared against

Last verified against official sources on September 30, 2026.