Massachusetts state holidays 2026: 12 paid days and two days that must stay open

Massachusetts state employees receive 12 paid holidays in 2026 under Massachusetts General Laws chapter 4, § 7, clause 18. Two more dates are legal holidays in Suffolk County only — Evacuation Day (March 17) and Bunker Hill Day (June 17) — but the same clause requires every state, municipal and quasi-public office in Suffolk County to be open and appropriately staffed on both. The other date that trips people up is Independence Day: July 4, 2026 is a Saturday, and Massachusetts law has no Saturday rollover, so state offices work the Friday and the courts do not close at all.

The 2026 paid schedule

Twelve paid legal holidays for state employees, listed in MGL chapter 4, § 7, clause 18 and published for 2026 by the state's human resources office. The clause also defines a separate category — commemoration days — which is covered further down.

Evacuation Day and Bunker Hill Day: legal holidays that the statute says must stay open

This is the most counterintuitive pair of dates in Massachusetts, and it is created by the statute itself rather than by any outside interpretation. Clause 18 reads:

“'Legal holiday' shall also include, with respect to Suffolk county only, Evacuation Day, on March seventeenth, and Bunker Hill Day, on June seventeenth … provided, however, that all state and municipal agencies, authorities, quasi-public entities or other offices located in Suffolk county shall be open for business and appropriately staffed on Evacuation Day … and Bunker Hill Day.”

So both are legal holidays, and both are days on which Suffolk County government is required to work. The same sentence also states that section 45 of chapter 149 — the provision that bars requiring employees to work in a mill or factory on a legal holiday — does not apply to these two days.

Suffolk County consists of Boston, Chelsea, Revere and Winthrop. In 2026, Evacuation Day falls on Tuesday, March 17 and Bunker Hill Day on Wednesday, June 17. Both are ordinary working days for state offices across Massachusetts, including those inside Suffolk County, and neither appears in the state's 2026 holiday schedule or in the Trial Court's holiday list.

The arrangement dates from 1941, when the Legislature made March 17 and June 17 legal holidays in Suffolk County only and Governor Leverett Saltonstall signed the bill with green ink. They were known for decades as the "hack holidays." In 2010, after Governor Deval Patrick proposed repealing them outright and the Senate voted to abolish them, the House did not follow, and the compromise reached was St. 2010, c. 131, § 5, effective July 1, 2010: the holidays stay on the books, the offices must open, and chapter 149's restriction drops away. That compromise is what makes the current clause read the way it does.

Employee leave is a separate matter from whether the office closes. Collective bargaining agreements can still provide a floating day around these dates, which is why the days retain a practical meaning inside state government even though the buildings are open. What no longer happens — and what many calendars still assert — is Suffolk County offices shutting for Evacuation Day or Bunker Hill Day.

Massachusetts law contains no other county-specific or town-specific legal holiday. These two are the only ones.

July 4, 2026 is a Saturday — and four official documents handle it four ways

Most states with a Saturday Independence Day produce one clear answer: the holiday is observed on the preceding Friday or the following Monday. Massachusetts does not, because its holiday statute never mentions Saturday. Clause 18 provides only for the Sunday case — "or the day following when any of said days occurs on Sunday." A Saturday holiday has no rollover rule at all.

What that means in practice depends on which official document you read, and the state publishes more than one.

The statute (MGL c. 4, § 7, cl. 18): no Saturday rule. July 4 is July 4.

The Secretary of the Commonwealth lists 2026 holidays and states that a legal holiday falling on a Saturday is observed on the Saturday.

The human resources office's annual holiday memorandum (issued December 30, 2024) addresses Saturday holidays in administrative terms: all offices must remain open to the public on the Friday immediately preceding a Saturday holiday, managers should grant leave on that Friday where possible, the following Monday serves as the alternative day off, and staff who do work are owed compensatory time.

The Trial Court states it plainly for 2026: because Independence Day falls on a Saturday this year, the court will not be closed for the holiday in 2026.

The practical summary for anyone trying to plan: state offices are open on Friday, July 3, and many employees take compensatory time rather than a shutdown. That is not the same as "observed on Friday, July 3," which is how a number of calendars present it — copying the federal pattern onto a state that does not use it.

Massachusetts's 2026 calendar contains no Sunday holiday, so the clause's one written rollover rule is not triggered this year.

Patriots' Day: two corrections about a holiday Massachusetts invented

Patriots' Day commemorates the opening battles of the American Revolution at Lexington and Concord on April 19, 1775, and Massachusetts is where it started. It is observed on the third Monday in April — April 20, 2026 — and Massachusetts and Maine are the only two states that make it a full paid state holiday.

The first correction concerns the date of origin. Patriots' Day was established in 1894 by Governor Frederic T. Greenhalge, replacing Fast Day, and was originally fixed to April 19. It was moved to the third Monday in April in 1969, during the broader wave of states shifting holidays to Mondays. Accounts that date the holiday to 1969 are describing the Monday shift, not the creation of the holiday.

The second correction concerns the day itself. Patriots' Day is also the date of the Boston Marathon, which has been run on the holiday since 1897. The 2026 race, the 130th, falls on April 20. The pairing is a Massachusetts fixture rather than a coincidence of the calendar, and it is why the date carries more public attention than its size as a holiday would suggest.

Elsewhere the picture is muddier than calendars imply. Maine observes it as a full holiday. Some states mark it with a proclamation rather than a closure, and Florida's "Patriot Day" is a September 11 observance with no connection to April.

Commemoration days: three names that close nothing

Clause 18 is followed by clause 18A, which creates a second and much less known category. Massachusetts commemoration days are: March 15, in honour of Peter Francisco; May 20, in honour of General Marquis de Lafayette; and May 29, in honour of the birthday of President John F. Kennedy. The clause requires the Governor to issue a proclamation for each.

None of the three is a holiday and nothing closes. They are worth knowing because they are easy to mistake for holidays when reading the statute, and because almost no calendar mentions them at all.

The weekend rule, in full

Clause 18 states its rollover rule once, at the end of the list of fixed-date holidays: New Year's Day, June 19, July 4, November 11 and Christmas Day, "or the day following when any of said days occurs on Sunday." That is the entire statutory rule.

Three consequences follow. First, the rule covers only the five fixed-date holidays; the others are pinned to a Monday, to Thanksgiving, or to April, and cannot land on a weekend. Second, it covers Sunday only — a Saturday holiday has no statutory rollover. Third, the administrative practice published by the human resources office treats the two cases differently: a Sunday holiday moves to the following Monday, while a Saturday holiday leaves offices open on the Friday and gives the alternative day off later.

The two Suffolk County days carry their own version of the rule — "or the day following when said days occur on Sunday" — which does not change the fact that offices must be open on the days themselves.

In 2026 the Sunday rule is not triggered at all, and the Saturday case arises once, for Independence Day.

Where official Massachusetts sources disagree

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

July 4, 2026 is handled four different ways by four official sources — the statute (no Saturday rule), the Secretary of the Commonwealth (observed on the Saturday), the human resources memorandum (offices open the preceding Friday, alternative day off the following Monday), and the Trial Court (not closed at all). This is not a matter of one document being out of date; they address different questions and produce different answers.

Municipal pages are still reproducing the pre-2020 statute. Several city and town websites in Massachusetts publish the text of clause 18 without "June nineteenth," which means the version they carry predates the 2020 addition of Juneteenth. Anyone reading those pages will conclude Massachusetts has eleven holidays rather than twelve.

The holiday count depends on which list you use. The Secretary of the Commonwealth publishes twelve state holidays and excludes the two Suffolk County days. The statute lists fourteen legal holidays — the same twelve plus Evacuation Day and Bunker Hill Day. Both are correct within their own scope, which is why summaries disagree on whether Massachusetts has twelve or fourteen.

The holiday statute is misattributed in circulation. The current holiday list comes from MGL chapter 4, § 7, clause 18. Some websites cite chapter 6, § 12 instead — a chapter that historically carried related provisions but does not govern the present list. The same sources sometimes report Lunar New Year as a Massachusetts legal holiday, which it is not.

Suffolk County's two days are routinely described as closures. The statute requires the opposite. Summaries that list Evacuation Day and Bunker Hill Day among days when state government is closed are contradicting the clause they are citing.

If you are not a state employee

The twelve days govern Massachusetts state government. Private employers are not required to provide paid holidays — that is a matter of policy or agreement — though Massachusetts blue laws regulate whether certain businesses may open on holidays and restrict holiday work in mills and factories under chapter 149, § 45. That section is explicitly switched off for Evacuation Day and Bunker Hill Day, which is a detail that matters to manufacturers inside Suffolk County.

Banks follow the Federal Reserve calendar, which uses the federal list and observes a Saturday Independence Day on the preceding Friday. Massachusetts's own holiday page notes that the federal holiday concept does not govern states or private employers.

Public schools close for the twelve statewide holidays and set the rest of their calendar locally. Patriots' Day is a school holiday in many districts; Evacuation Day and Bunker Hill Day are not part of the statewide school list. Districts outside Suffolk County have historically used the two days as local school holidays in some cases, but that varies by district and is not set by state law.

Cities and towns set their own schedules for local observances. Suffolk County's four municipalities are the exception, since clause 18 speaks directly to offices located there.

Frequently asked questions

How many paid state holidays does Massachusetts have in 2026?

Twelve statewide paid holidays for state employees: New Year's Day, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Presidents' Day, Patriots' Day, Memorial Day, Juneteenth, Independence Day, Labor Day, Columbus Day, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day. The statute also designates two more legal holidays that apply in Suffolk County only.

How many legal holidays does Massachusetts law list?

Fourteen. Clause 18 of MGL chapter 4, § 7 lists the twelve statewide holidays plus Evacuation Day on March 17 and Bunker Hill Day on June 17, both restricted to Suffolk County. The Secretary of the Commonwealth publishes twelve, which is why summaries disagree on the total.

Are Evacuation Day and Bunker Hill Day days off in Massachusetts?

Not for government offices. The same clause that makes them legal holidays in Suffolk County requires all state, municipal, quasi-public and other offices located there to be open for business and appropriately staffed on both days. State offices across Massachusetts, including in Suffolk County, work on March 17 and June 17, 2026. Employee leave around those dates depends on collective bargaining agreements.

When did that rule change?

Effective July 1, 2010, through St. 2010, c. 131, § 5. Governor Deval Patrick proposed repealing the two holidays outright and the Senate voted to abolish them, but the House did not follow. The compromise kept both as legal holidays while requiring offices to open and removing the chapter 149 holiday-work restriction that had applied to them.

Which communities are in Suffolk County?

Boston, Chelsea, Revere and Winthrop. The two Suffolk County days apply to offices located there.

When is Independence Day observed in Massachusetts in 2026?

July 4 itself, a Saturday. Massachusetts law provides a rollover only for holidays falling on a Sunday, so there is no statutory Friday or Monday observance. The human resources office instructs that offices remain open on Friday, July 3 and that the following Monday serves as an alternative day off for staff who take it; the Trial Court states it will not close for the holiday at all in 2026.

When is Patriots' Day 2026 and when did it start?

Monday, April 20, 2026 — the third Monday in April. Patriots' Day was established in 1894 by Governor Frederic T. Greenhalge, originally on April 19, and moved to the third Monday in 1969. It is the same date as the Boston Marathon, which is run on the holiday; the 2026 race is the 130th.

Do any other states observe Patriots' Day?

Maine observes it as a full state holiday. Some other states mark it by proclamation rather than a closure. Florida's "Patriot Day" is a September 11 observance and is unrelated to the April date.

What are Massachusetts commemoration days?

Clause 18A of MGL chapter 4, § 7 designates March 15 for Peter Francisco, May 20 for General Marquis de Lafayette, and May 29 for the birthday of President John F. Kennedy. The Governor issues a proclamation for each. None is a holiday and nothing closes.

Is Juneteenth a Massachusetts state holiday?

Yes. June 19 was added to the clause 18 holiday list in 2020 and is on the 2026 paid schedule, falling on a Friday. Municipal and other pages that reproduce the holiday statute without June 19 are carrying a pre-2020 copy.

Official sources

• Massachusetts General Laws chapter 4, § 7, clause 18 — Legal holidays — the statute this page is built on — the twelve statewide holidays, the Suffolk County proviso requiring offices to be open on Evacuation Day and Bunker Hill Day, the Sunday-only rollover rule, and the commemoration days in clause 18A
• Secretary of the Commonwealth — Massachusetts holiday information — the official twelve-holiday list with 2026 to 2028 dates, the Saturday and Sunday observance statements, and the note that the federal holiday concept does not govern states or private employers
• Massachusetts Human Resources Division — Legal Holidays at the Commonwealth, 2026 (memorandum) — the annual human resources memorandum listing the paid legal holidays for state employees and setting out the administrative treatment of Saturday and Sunday holidays. This copy is a mailing-list mirror; the originating mass.gov version was not located
• Massachusetts Trial Court — legal holidays — the court holiday list, which omits the Suffolk County days and states that the court will not close for Independence Day in 2026 because it falls on a Saturday
• Massachusetts Comptroller — City of Revere: regulations requiring staffing on Suffolk County holidays — confirms the July 1, 2010 effective date and cites St. 2010, c. 131, § 5 as the source of the open-and-staffed requirement
• Massachusetts FY2011 budget — Outside Section 5 — the 2010 amendment in full, showing the clause before and after — the clearest available record of what changed and when
• Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education — school calendar notice — the statewide school holiday list, including Patriots' Day on April 20, 2026, and the Saturday observance statement
• Boston Athletic Association — Boston Marathon — confirms the 130th Boston Marathon is run on Patriots' Day, April 20, 2026
• U.S. Office of Personnel Management — Federal Holidays — the federal list and the preceding-Friday rule Massachusetts does not follow

Last verified against official sources on October 6, 2026.