Louisiana state holidays 2026: Mardi Gras and the two parish lists

Louisiana state employees receive 14 paid holidays in 2026, including Mardi Gras on Tuesday, February 17 and Lundi Gras the day before. State offices close statewide for both. The complication is at the parish level: Louisiana Revised Statutes 1:55 carries two different Mardi Gras parish lists that do not match each other — one of 29 parishes for local governments, one of 25 for clerks of court. There is no single official answer to "which parishes take Mardi Gras," and this page sets out both.

The 2026 state employee schedule

Fourteen days for state employees in 2026, as published by the Division of Administration and cross-checked against the Public Service Commission's holiday schedule and departmental closure notices. Four of the fourteen rest on a gubernatorial proclamation rather than a fixed date in the statute — those are marked below.

Mardi Gras is not one statewide holiday — the statute carries two parish lists

Almost every calendar states that Mardi Gras is a legal holiday in Louisiana, full stop. The statute does not say that. It says it three different ways for three different sets of government, and two of the three lists do not match.

State offices: statewide, no geographic limit. RS 1:55(B)(1)(a) lists Mardi Gras Day among the days on which no state employee shall work, without any parish restriction. Every state office in Louisiana, from Baton Rouge to Shreveport, closes on February 17, 2026. This is the one part that is straightforward.

Local government: 29 parishes, and only when the local authority says so by ordinance. RS 1:55(A)(3) names Orleans, St. Bernard, Jefferson, Plaquemines, St. Charles, St. James, St. John the Baptist, East Baton Rouge, Lafayette, St. Tammany, Iberia, St. Martin, Ascension, Washington, Calcasieu, Jefferson Davis, St. Landry, Evangeline, Cameron, Assumption, St. Mary, Acadia, Vermilion, Iberville, Pointe Coupee, West Baton Rouge, Lafourche, East Feliciana and West Feliciana — then adds "and in all municipalities, Mardi Gras shall be a holiday when the governing authorities so declare by ordinance."

Clerks of court: a different list of 25 parishes, and it is mandatory. RS 1:55(E)(1)(a)(iii) opens with "Notwithstanding any other law to the contrary" and names East and West Feliciana, East Baton Rouge, Iberville, Pointe Coupee, West Baton Rouge, St. John the Baptist, St. Charles, Lafourche, St. Mary, Assumption, Terrebonne, St. Martin, Ascension, St. James, St. Tammany, St. Bernard, Jefferson Davis, Livingston, Acadia, Vermilion, Calcasieu, Orleans, Allen and Tangipahoa.

Twenty-one parishes appear on both lists. Eight appear only on the local-government list — Jefferson, Plaquemines, Lafayette, Iberia, Washington, St. Landry, Evangeline and Cameron. Four appear only on the clerks-of-court list — Terrebonne, Livingston, Allen and Tangipahoa. There is no consolidated official list, and no state document reconciles the two.

Practice goes further still. Bossier Parish's clerk of court publishes Mardi Gras as a 2026 holiday even though Bossier appears on neither list. Jefferson Parish's clerk does the same. The statute is a floor and a set of permissions, not a description of what actually happens in all 64 parishes, and any page that presents one list as "the Louisiana answer" is overstating what the law says.

How the Mardi Gras date is calculated

Mardi Gras is a movable feast tied to Easter, not a fixed date. It is the day before Ash Wednesday, which puts it 47 days before Easter Sunday. Easter 2026 falls on April 5, and 47 days earlier is Tuesday, February 17. Ash Wednesday is the following day, February 18.

Because the date comes from the Easter computus, it moves across a range of about five weeks. Mardi Gras fell on February 13 in 2024, March 4 in 2025, and falls on February 9 in 2027 and February 29 in 2028. A calendar that prints a fixed Mardi Gras date is wrong every year.

Louisiana adds a second day on the Monday before, Lundi Gras, which the Governor proclaims rather than the statute fixing it. In 2026 that is February 16.

One calculation trap is worth noting because it shows up in published calendars: some list Mardi Gras 2026 as March 4, which was the 2025 date, or trace it from the wrong Easter. The arithmetic is short — Easter minus 47 days — but it has to be run every year.

Lundi Gras and Presidents' Day land on the same Monday

February 16, 2026 is the third Monday in February, which the statute lists in RS 1:55(A)(1) as "Washington's Birthday and Presidents' Day." It is also the Monday before Mardi Gras, which the Governor proclaims as Lundi Gras.

The state's official documents use the second name. The Division of Administration's 2026 calendar labels the day Lundi Gras. The Public Service Commission labels it "Lundi Gras — Governor Proclamation" and does not mention Presidents' Day anywhere on its schedule. The civil service circular records it as a proclaimed holiday.

Courts in several parishes use the first name. Clerks of court in West Baton Rouge, Jefferson, Bossier and Plaquemines, and the City Court of Houma, all list February 16, 2026 as Presidents' Day or Washington's Birthday.

So the same Monday is a federal holiday, a state holiday and a Carnival day, and Louisiana's own documents disagree about what to call it. Both names are correct; they refer to the same closed day.

Juneteenth: the statute says the third Saturday, the state observes June 19

Louisiana added Juneteenth in two steps, and the two steps use different dates. RS 1:58.2, enacted in 2003, designated "the third Saturday in June" as Juneteenth Day as a recognition. RS 1:55.1, enacted in 2021, made Juneteenth a day of public rest and a legal holiday — and kept the same wording: "The third Saturday in June, Juneteenth Day, shall be a day of public rest and a legal holiday."

The third Saturday in June 2026 is June 20. The state does not take it then. A civil service general circular for 2026 records Juneteenth as observed "in conjunction with the federal holiday" on Friday, June 19, 2026, and the state holiday calendar shows June 19.

So the statutory date and the operative date differ by a day in 2026, and the gap changes from year to year depending on which weekday June 19 falls on. Calendars that print June 19 without noting the statutory wording are giving the right answer for the wrong reason — and will be wrong in years when the two dates diverge by more.

Four days the statute calls legal holidays that close nothing

RS 1:55(A)(1) is the general declaration of "days of public rest and legal holidays," and it is longer than the list state offices actually take. Four entries appear there but not on the 2026 state employee calendar:

• January 8 — Battle of New Orleans. Commemorates the 1815 battle. In the statute; not a state office closure.
• August 30 — Huey P. Long Day. The birthday of the former governor and senator. In the statute; not a state office closure.
• November 1 — All Saints' Day. In the general list, and RS 1:55(E)(1)(a)(i) goes further and requires clerks of court to close that day. The state holiday calendar has no November 1 entry, and at least one parish clerk publishes "All Saints' Day — No Holiday." A holiday the statute assigns to courts and the state does not take.
• October 12 — Christopher Columbus Day. In the statute; not on the 2026 state calendar. Some parish clerks do close for it — Jefferson Parish's clerk lists Columbus Day — so whether it is taken depends on which office you ask.

Inauguration Day: every four years, and not in 2026

RS 1:55 lists Inauguration Day in the city of Baton Rouge among the days state employees do not work, qualified as occurring "once in every four years." Louisiana holds its gubernatorial inauguration the year after the gubernatorial election, and the most recent was in 2024. The next is 2028, so 2026 has no Inauguration Day holiday.

One official state page lists Inauguration Day against January 19, 2026 alongside Martin Luther King Jr. Day. January 19, 2026 is not an inauguration year, and the same page also shows February 16 twice — once as Lundi Gras and once as Mardi Gras. It is a clear illustration of why this site works from the statute rather than from agency calendars.

The weekend rule

RS 1:55(A)(4) states the rule for local governments: "Whenever December 25, January 1, or July 4 falls on a Sunday, the next day is a holiday. When December 25, January 1, or July 4 falls on a Saturday, the preceding Friday is a holiday when the governing authorities so declare by ordinance."

Three dates only — Christmas, New Year's Day and Independence Day. Mardi Gras, Good Friday, Thanksgiving, Veterans' Day and the rest are not covered, and in any case most of them cannot land on a weekend.

State employees have a separate provision. RS 1:55(B)(4) addresses the case where a holiday falls on an employee's regular day off, and provides that the holiday be taken on the closest regularly scheduled work day before or after. That is how a Saturday July 4 becomes a Friday July 3 for state offices.

In 2026 exactly one date triggers the rule: July 4, which falls on a Saturday, is observed on Friday, July 3. New Year's Day is a Thursday and Christmas is a Friday, so neither moves.

Where official Louisiana sources disagree

Louisiana's holiday data has several genuine inconsistencies between official documents, worth naming rather than smoothing over.

The Mardi Gras parish lists inside a single statute do not match. RS 1:55(A)(3) names 29 parishes; RS 1:55(E)(1)(a)(iii) names 25. Eight parishes appear only on the first, four only on the second. There is no official consolidated list, and practice extends beyond both — Bossier Parish's clerk publishes Mardi Gras as a holiday despite appearing on neither list.

Juneteenth falls on two different dates. RS 1:58.2 and RS 1:55.1 both fix it as the third Saturday in June, which is June 20, 2026. The civil service circular and the state holiday calendar observe Friday, June 19, 2026, aligned to the federal date. The statute has not been amended to match.

February 16, 2026 carries two names in state documents. The Division of Administration and the Public Service Commission call it Lundi Gras. Several parish clerks of court call the same Monday Presidents' Day or Washington's Birthday, which is what the statute calls it.

One state agency's 2026 calendar contains errors. The Board of Certified Court Reporters' holiday schedule lists February 16 twice — once as Lundi Gras and once as Mardi Gras, though Mardi Gras is February 17 — and attaches Inauguration Day to January 19, 2026, which is not an inauguration year.

The statutory holiday list and the closure list are not the same list. RS 1:55(A)(1) includes Battle of New Orleans Day, Huey P. Long Day, All Saints' Day and Columbus Day. None appears on the state's 2026 employee calendar. Meanwhile the statute requires clerks of court to close on All Saints' Day, which one parish clerk's own schedule contradicts.

Whether Acadian Day is observed in 2026 is unresolved. The Public Service Commission's schedule notes the Governor may include the day after Thanksgiving, and some parish clerks have already published November 27 as a holiday, but the state calendar does not carry it. It can be added by proclamation later in the year.

If you are not a state employee

The fourteen days govern Louisiana state government. Private employers are not required to provide paid holidays, and Louisiana has no state law requiring them to. What you get is set by your employer.

Louisiana uses parishes rather than counties — it is the only state with that structure — and that is why the Mardi Gras question is a parish-by-parish one rather than a single statewide answer. Local government offices close on Mardi Gras in the parishes named in RS 1:55(A)(3) where the local authority has passed an ordinance, and stay open elsewhere.

Banks are layered. Some parishes treat Saturday as a bank holiday; Sabine and Vernon have Saturday and Wednesday-afternoon half-holidays. In practice most branches follow the Federal Reserve calendar, which does not include Mardi Gras, Good Friday, Lundi Gras or Election Day.

Public schools are set locally, and many districts in south Louisiana close for all or most of the week around Mardi Gras. The statute also lets the Acadia and Lafayette school systems treat Mardi Gras and the Crowley International Rice Festival as student holidays. There is no statewide school closure rule for Mardi Gras.

Frequently asked questions

How many state holidays does Louisiana have in 2026?

Fourteen for state employees, as published by the Division of Administration: New Year's Day, Day After New Year's, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Lundi Gras, Mardi Gras, Good Friday, Memorial Day, Juneteenth, Independence Day, Labor Day, Election Day, Veterans' Day, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day.

When is Mardi Gras 2026?

Tuesday, February 17, 2026. Mardi Gras is 47 days before Easter Sunday; Easter 2026 falls on April 5, which puts Mardi Gras on February 17 and Ash Wednesday on February 18.

Is Mardi Gras a statewide holiday in Louisiana?

For state offices, yes — RS 1:55(B)(1)(a) closes state government statewide with no geographic limit. For parish and municipal government it is more complicated: RS 1:55(A)(3) names 29 parishes and requires local authorities to declare it by ordinance, and a separate section names 25 parishes where clerks of court must close. The two lists differ.

Which parishes observe Mardi Gras?

There is no single official list. RS 1:55(A)(3) names 29 parishes for local government — including Orleans, Jefferson, Plaquemines, Lafayette, Iberia, Washington, St. Landry, Evangeline and Cameron — subject to a local ordinance. RS 1:55(E)(1)(a)(iii) names 25 parishes where clerks of court must close, including Terrebonne, Livingston, Allen and Tangipahoa, which are not on the other list. Twenty-one parishes appear on both. Some parishes outside both lists still observe it.

What is Lundi Gras?

The Monday before Mardi Gras, proclaimed by the Governor rather than fixed in the statute. In 2026 it falls on February 16, which is also the third Monday in February — the date the statute lists as Washington's Birthday and Presidents' Day. State documents use the name Lundi Gras for that day; several parish courts call it Presidents' Day.

When is Juneteenth in Louisiana?

The state observes Friday, June 19, 2026, aligned with the federal holiday, according to the civil service circular and the state holiday calendar. The statute itself — RS 1:58.2 and RS 1:55.1 — designates the third Saturday in June, which is June 20, 2026. The two do not match, and the statute has not been amended.

Is Inauguration Day a Louisiana holiday in 2026?

No. RS 1:55 lists Inauguration Day in the city of Baton Rouge as occurring once every four years. The most recent Louisiana gubernatorial inauguration was in 2024; the next is 2028. One state agency's 2026 calendar incorrectly lists Inauguration Day against January 19, 2026.

Is Good Friday a state holiday in Louisiana?

Yes. Good Friday is on the state employee holiday list and falls on Friday, April 3, 2026. Louisiana is one of a small number of states that closes state offices for Good Friday.

Is Election Day a state holiday in Louisiana?

In general election years. RS 1:55(B)(1)(a) includes General Election Day every two years among the days state employees do not work. In 2026 that is Tuesday, November 3, 2026.

Is All Saints' Day a Louisiana holiday?

The statute lists November 1 as a legal holiday and requires clerks of court to close that day under RS 1:55(E)(1)(a)(i), but the 2026 state employee calendar does not include it and at least one parish clerk publishes it as no holiday. It is a statutory holiday that state offices do not take.

Official sources

• Louisiana Revised Statutes 1:55 — Days of public rest, legal holidays, and half-holidays — the statute this page is built on — the general holiday list, the 29-parish Mardi Gras provision in subsection A(3), the 25-parish clerks-of-court list in subsection E(1)(a)(iii), and the weekend rule. The state server refused automated retrieval; the text was read from indexed and mirrored copies and should be re-checked by opening the link
• Louisiana Revised Statutes 1:58.2 and 1:55.1 — Juneteenth Day — the two provisions that designate Juneteenth, both of which use the third Saturday in June rather than June 19
• Louisiana Division of Administration — State holiday calendar — the official 2026 state employee schedule. The page is behind a bot filter and was read from indexed copies; verify before relying on a specific date
• Louisiana Public Service Commission — 2026 holiday schedule — a second official 2026 schedule that cross-checks the Division of Administration dates and marks which days rest on a proclamation
• Louisiana State Civil Service — General Circular 2026-010 (Mardi Gras and Lundi Gras) — records Mardi Gras as a legal holiday on February 17, 2026 and Lundi Gras as a proclaimed holiday on February 16
• Louisiana State Civil Service — General Circular 2026-023 (Juneteenth) — records Juneteenth as observed June 19, 2026 in conjunction with the federal holiday, the operative date that differs from the statutory third Saturday in June
• Louisiana Department of Natural Resources — 2026 office closure notice — departmental confirmation of the 2026 closure dates, including February 16, February 17, April 3, July 3 and September 7
• Louisiana Board of Certified Court Reporters — holiday schedule — an official state calendar whose 2026 entries contain two errors — February 16 listed as both Lundi Gras and Mardi Gras, and Inauguration Day attached to January 19, 2026
• West Baton Rouge Parish Clerk of Court — office hours and holidays — a parish-level 2026 calendar showing All Saints' Day as no holiday and listing June 19 as Juneteenth subject to a proclamation
• U.S. Office of Personnel Management — Federal Holidays — the federal list Louisiana's dates are compared against

Last verified against official sources on October 6, 2026.