Rhode Island state holidays 2026: 12 paid days and the July 6 rule

Rhode Island state employees receive 12 paid holidays in 2026. The date almost every calendar gets wrong is Independence Day: Rhode Island General Laws § 25-1-1 moves a Saturday or Sunday holiday to the following Monday, so July 4, 2026 — a Saturday — is observed on Monday, July 6. The federal government observes the preceding Friday, July 3, and most calendars copy the federal date. Rhode Island also keeps Victory Day on the second Monday in August, a holiday no other state observes.

The 2026 paid schedule

Twelve days, confirmed by two separate state sources — the Executive Office of Health and Human Services closure list and the Secretary of State's holiday table. Both agree on every date, including the shifted Independence Day.

Independence Day 2026 is July 6 in Rhode Island, and July 3 everywhere else

This is the single most misreported date on the Rhode Island calendar, and the error is systematic rather than careless. Rhode Island law and federal law both handle weekend holidays — they just move them in opposite directions.

Rhode Island General Laws § 25-1-1 states the rule in the text of each holiday: "the fourth day of July or, in the event that day is a Saturday or Sunday, then state employees will celebrate the holiday on the following Monday." July 4, 2026 falls on a Saturday, so the following Monday — July 6 — is the state holiday.

Federal practice runs the other way. Under 5 U.S.C. § 6103(b), a Saturday holiday for federal employees is observed on the preceding Friday, which is July 3. So in 2026 the state closes Monday, July 6 and federal offices, banks, the Postal Service and the Federal Reserve close Friday, July 3.

The result is that a large share of holiday calendars show Rhode Island observing July 3. The state's own documents do not: the Executive Office of Health and Human Services lists "Independence Day – Monday, July 6" and the Secretary of State's table prints "Saturday, July 4 (Monday, July 6)". One widely used calendar even states the general rule backwards — that Rhode Island observes a Saturday holiday on the preceding Friday — which is the opposite of what § 25-1-1 says.

The split is visible inside Rhode Island itself. The U.S. District Court for the District of Rhode Island publishes Friday, July 3 as its 2026 observed date for Independence Day, while the state observes July 6. Two calendars, both official, three days apart.

Victory Day: the last state that observes it

Rhode Island marks the end of the Second World War with a paid state holiday on the second Monday in August. In 2026 that is Monday, August 10. It is the only state holiday of its kind left in the country.

The holiday entered Rhode Island law in 1948, three years after the surrender of Japan. It was originally fixed to August 14, the date of the surrender announcement, and was moved to the second Monday in August in 1966 as part of the broader shift toward Monday holidays. Arkansas once observed a comparable day but dropped it in the 1970s, leaving Rhode Island alone.

The name is settled in law, and more precisely than most accounts suggest. § 25-1-1.3 provides that no state or municipal department or agency "shall refer to the second Monday of August, 'Victory Day' by any other name in an advertisement paid for by the department or agency." The statute does not ban the older informal name in ordinary speech — it binds government advertising. That is a narrower rule than "the official name is Victory Day," which is how the provision is usually summarised.

Renaming has been attempted repeatedly. In 2024 a state representative proposed "Peace and Remembrance Day"; in 2026 a Senate bill took the same aim and would also have repealed § 25-1-1.3. The 2026 bill was held for further study on April 8 and died in June, so Victory Day stands.

On the day itself, state and municipal offices close and RIPTA runs a Sunday/holiday schedule. Federal offices, the Postal Service and banks stay open, since Victory Day is not a federal holiday. One local exception is worth noting: the U.S. District Court for the District of Rhode Island lists Victory Day among its 2026 closure dates, so even a federal courthouse in Rhode Island does not work that day.

Two holidays the statute still lists, and the state does not take

Rhode Island's holiday statute has not been tidied up, and the gap between what § 25-1-1 lists and what state offices actually observe is the kind of discrepancy most calendars resolve by picking one and staying quiet.

Washington's Birthday is in the statute: § 25-1-1 names "the third Monday of February (as Washington's Birthday)." It does not appear on either official 2026 closure list — not the Executive Office of Health and Human Services list, not the Secretary of State's table. February 16, 2026, a Monday, is a working day for Rhode Island state offices. Third-party summaries that draw on the state personnel office reach the same conclusion: state offices are open.

Rhode Island Independence Day is also in the statute: "the fourth day of May (as Rhode Island Independence Day)." It marks the state's renunciation of allegiance to the British Crown on May 4, 1776 — two months before the Declaration of Independence. It, too, is absent from both 2026 closure lists. The state's own 2025 press release for the day invited Rhode Islanders to fly the state flag and noted the State House would be open on Saturday, May 3; it said nothing about closing on May 4.

The legal picture is genuinely unsettled rather than simply wrong. A third source, the state's labour department, publishes a shorter list of holidays for overtime-pay purposes that includes neither day, and one commercial compilation that cites the state personnel office reports Rhode Island carrying "three additional holidays" beyond the common set — which would imply the opposite. Until the state personnel office publishes a definitive employee calendar, the two official closure lists and the two statutory entries do not reconcile, and this page says so rather than choosing.

Election Day is a state holiday in Rhode Island

Rhode Island is one of a minority of states that makes general election day a paid state holiday. § 25-1-1 includes "the Tuesday next after the first Monday in November in each year in which a general election of state officers is held (as election day)." 2026 is a general election year, so Tuesday, November 3, 2026 is a state holiday and state offices close.

The holiday does not exist in odd-numbered years, which is why Rhode Island's total sometimes appears as 11 rather than 12 in calendars published in non-election years. Election Day has no weekend rollover clause in the statute, and it cannot land on a weekend by definition.

Rhode Island also has a statutory category that sits outside the holiday list entirely. Chapter 25-2 of the General Laws, titled Days of Special Observance, carries more than fifty observances — Narragansett Indian Day, Saint Jean-Baptiste Day, Gaspee Days, Rhode Island Seabees Day among them. They carry a name and often a proclamation and close nothing.

The weekend rule, and how it differs from the federal one

Rhode Island § 25-1-1 attaches its rollover language to each affected holiday individually rather than stating one general rule. Five holidays carry it: New Year's Day, Juneteenth, Independence Day, Veterans' Day and Christmas Day. In each case the wording is the same — if the day falls on a Saturday or Sunday, state employees celebrate on the following Monday.

That is the structural difference from the federal system. Federal law moves a Saturday holiday back to Friday; Rhode Island moves it forward to Monday. The two rules coincide when a holiday falls on a Sunday and diverge when it falls on a Saturday, which is exactly what happens in 2026.

The remaining Rhode Island holidays are pinned to a weekday or, in the case of Thanksgiving, defined relative to one, so they never need the rule. Rhode Island Independence Day and Election Day have no rollover clause at all. Some calendars apply a rollover rule to Rhode Island Independence Day anyway and conclude it would move to the preceding Friday or the following Monday — the statute provides for neither.

In 2026 exactly one holiday moves: Independence Day, from Saturday July 4 to Monday July 6.

Where official Rhode Island sources disagree

Rhode Island's holiday data carries several disagreements between official documents, worth stating plainly.

Independence Day 2026 is July 6 at the state level and July 3 at the federal level. The state's statute, the Executive Office of Health and Human Services closure list and the Secretary of State's table agree on July 6. The U.S. District Court for the District of Rhode Island publishes July 3. The difference is a rule difference, not a typographical one.

Washington's Birthday and Rhode Island Independence Day appear in the statute but not on either state closure list. § 25-1-1 names both dates. Neither the EOHHS list nor the Secretary of State's table includes them, and a commercial compilation citing the state personnel office reports state offices open on the third Monday in February. Whether the statute is simply unconsolidated or the lists are incomplete has not been resolved in public.

The overtime-pay holiday list is a different, shorter list again. The Department of Labor and Training publishes legal holidays for the purpose of the 1.5× pay requirement in § 25-3-3, and it omits Martin Luther King Jr.'s Birthday, Washington's Birthday, Rhode Island Independence Day and Election Day. That is not an error — it is a different statutory purpose — but calendars that treat it as the holiday list will understate the closures.

Rhode Island school law uses fixed historical dates, not the modern Monday rule. § 16-20-1 defines school holidays as February 22 for Washington's Birthday, May 30 for Memorial Day and October 12 for Columbus Day, while § 25-1-1 uses the third Monday in February, the last Monday in May and the second Monday in October. Two state statutes, two algorithms, same holidays.

One summary of the Victory Day name rule overstates it. § 25-1-1.3 restricts the use of other names in advertising paid for by a government department or agency. It does not rename the day for the public, which is how the provision is often described.

If you are not a state employee

The twelve days bind Rhode Island state government. Private employers are not required to provide paid holidays, but Rhode Island is stricter than most states about what happens if you do work one: § 25-3-3 requires at least one and a half times the normal rate for work performed on Sundays and holidays, and states that refusing to work those days is not grounds for discharge. There are carve-outs, including manufacturers running seven-day continuous operations.

Banks follow the Federal Reserve calendar, so branches are most likely to close Friday, July 3 for Independence Day and to stay open on Monday, August 10 for Victory Day, which is not a federal banking holiday. Rhode Island law separately lets banks close on any Saturday by board resolution filed with the banking regulator.

Public schools set their own calendars. Victory Day falls in August, before most districts return, and school holidays under § 16-20-1 run on the older fixed dates rather than the state's Monday-based list.

Cities and towns follow the state schedule for the shared holidays. Rhode Island's five counties have no county government, so there is no county-level holiday list to reconcile.

Frequently asked questions

How many paid state holidays does Rhode Island have in 2026?

Twelve, as published by the Executive Office of Health and Human Services and the Secretary of State: New Year's Day, Martin Luther King Jr.'s Birthday, Memorial Day, Juneteenth, Independence Day, Victory Day, Labor Day, Columbus Day, Election Day, Veterans' Day, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day.

When is Independence Day observed in Rhode Island in 2026?

Monday, July 6, 2026. July 4 falls on a Saturday, and Rhode Island General Laws § 25-1-1 moves a Saturday or Sunday holiday to the following Monday. The federal government observes the preceding Friday, July 3, which is why most calendars show the wrong date for Rhode Island.

Why does Rhode Island observe Independence Day on a different day from the federal government?

The two systems move weekend holidays in opposite directions. Federal law under 5 U.S.C. § 6103(b) moves a Saturday holiday back to the preceding Friday. Rhode Island law moves it forward to the following Monday. When July 4 falls on a Saturday, as in 2026, the two dates are three days apart.

What is Victory Day, and does any other state observe it?

Victory Day marks the end of the Second World War and is observed on the second Monday in August — Monday, August 10, 2026. Rhode Island is the only state that still observes it as a paid holiday. It entered state law in 1948 and was moved to the second Monday in August in 1966. Arkansas once observed a comparable day but dropped it.

Is the holiday officially called Victory Day or V-J Day?

Victory Day. Rhode Island General Laws § 25-1-1.3 provides that no state or municipal department or agency may refer to the second Monday of August as anything other than "Victory Day" in advertising it pays for. The provision binds government advertising rather than general usage, which is narrower than most summaries suggest.

Has Rhode Island tried to rename or abolish Victory Day?

Yes, repeatedly. A 2024 proposal would have renamed it "Peace and Remembrance Day," and a 2026 Senate bill would have done the same while repealing § 25-1-1.3. The 2026 bill was held for further study on April 8, 2026 and died in June, so the holiday and its name stand.

Is Election Day a state holiday in Rhode Island?

Yes, in general election years. § 25-1-1 makes the Tuesday after the first Monday in November a holiday when a general election of state officers is held. In 2026 that is Tuesday, November 3. The holiday does not exist in odd-numbered years.

Is Washington's Birthday a holiday for Rhode Island state employees?

The statute says yes and the official closure lists say no. § 25-1-1 names the third Monday of February as Washington's Birthday, but neither the Executive Office of Health and Human Services closure list nor the Secretary of State's table includes it, and third-party reporting that cites the state personnel office says state offices are open. The same gap applies to Rhode Island Independence Day on May 4.

What happens when a Rhode Island holiday falls on a weekend?

For New Year's Day, Juneteenth, Independence Day, Veterans' Day and Christmas Day, § 25-1-1 states that a Saturday or Sunday holiday is celebrated on the following Monday. No other Rhode Island holiday carries a rollover clause, which is why many calendars applying one to Rhode Island Independence Day are inventing a rule that does not exist.

Do Rhode Island banks close on Victory Day?

Usually not. Victory Day is not a federal holiday and is not on the Federal Reserve calendar, so most branches follow the federal schedule and stay open on Monday, August 10. Rhode Island law lets banks close on any Saturday by board resolution, which is a separate provision.

Official sources

• Rhode Island General Laws § 25-1-1 — General holidays enumerated — the statute this page is built on — the holiday list, the following-Monday rollover wording, and the legislative history showing Victory Day's 1948 entry and the 1966 move to Monday. Read through a mirror; the state server blocks automated retrieval, so verify against the official text
• Rhode Island General Laws § 25-1-1.3 — Reference to Victory Day — the provision barring state and municipal agencies from using any other name for the second Monday of August in advertising they pay for
• Rhode Island General Laws § 25-2-1 — Rhode Island Independence Day — the Days of Special Observance chapter — the statutory category for days that carry a name and close nothing
• Rhode Island General Laws § 25-3-3 — Work on Sundays and holidays — the 1.5× pay requirement for holiday and Sunday work, and the protection against discharge for refusing it
• Rhode Island General Laws § 16-20-1 — School holidays — school holidays defined on fixed historical dates, a different algorithm from § 25-1-1 — the source of one of the internal inconsistencies
• Rhode Island Executive Office of Health and Human Services — 2026 state office closures — an official 2026 closure list confirming Independence Day on Monday, July 6 and the full twelve-day schedule
• Rhode Island Department of State — Rhode Island state holidays — the Secretary of State's table, which cross-checks the EOHHS dates and prints Independence Day as "Saturday, July 4 (Monday, July 6)"
• U.S. District Court for the District of Rhode Island — court holidays — the federal calendar in the same state, observing Independence Day on Friday, July 3 and listing Victory Day among its 2026 closures
• Rhode Island Department of Labor and Training — legal holidays — the shorter holiday list used for overtime-pay purposes, which omits several days that appear in § 25-1-1
• U.S. Office of Personnel Management — Federal Holidays — the federal list and the preceding-Friday rule Rhode Island's dates are compared against

Last verified against official sources on October 6, 2026.