List of Holidays (by month) for 2024 (greaterseattleonthecheap.com)

Besides Federal government and Washington State employee holidays there are many other holidays, observances, and special events that occur throughout the year. Popular holidays are often recognized in communities by celebrations such as festivals, parades, shopping discounts, and other revelry. In the lists below, we include federal, non-federal, state holidays, and other observances that we typically include on our Calendar of free and cheap things to do every day (greaterseattleonthecheap.com).

Calendar illustration by dikobraziy via iStock by Getty Images

2024 Holidays & Observances

Listed below are current year dates for federal holidays (in bold) along with Washington State holidays and popular public observances. We usually consult timeanddate.com for current year dates. Different resources sometimes report slightly different dates.

Monday, January 01, 2024: New Year’s Day
Monday, January 15, 2024: Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr.
Friday, February 2, 2024: Groundhog Day
Saturday, February 10, 2024: Lunar New Year – Year of the Dragon
Sunday, February 11, 2024, at 3:30 PST: Super Bowl LVIII at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, NV. Usher to perform halftime show.
Tuesday February 13, 2024: Mardi Gras
Wednesday, February 14, 2024: Valentine’s Day
*Monday, February 19, 2024: Washington’s Birthday (aka Presidents’ Day)
Sunday, March 10, 2024: Daylight Savings time begins (2nd Sunday)
Sunday, March 10, 2024: Ramadan begins at sundown (ends Tuesday, April 9 with Eid al-Fitr)
Sunday, March 17, 2024: St. Patrick’s Day
Tuesday, March 19, 2024 at 8:06 pm PDT: Spring equinox
Monday, March 25, 2024: Holi (Festival of Colors)
Sunday, March 31, 2024: Easter
Monday, April 15, 2024: Federal Income Tax Day
Monday, April 22, 2024: Passover begins before sundown (ends after nightfall April 30)
Wednesday, May 1, 2024: May Day
Sunday, May 5, 2024: Cinco de Mayo
Sunday, May 12, 2024: Mother’s Day (2nd Sunday in May)
Monday, May 27, 2024: Memorial Day
Sunday, June 16, 2024: Father’s Day (3rd Sunday in June)
Wednesday, June 19, 2024: Juneteenth National Independence Day
Thursday, June 20, 2024 at 1:50 pm PDT: Summer solstice
Thursday, July 04, 2024: Independence Day
Monday, September 2, 2024: Labor Day
Friday, September 22, 2023 at 11:50 pm PDT: Autumn equinox
**Monday, October 14, 2024: Columbus Day (not recognized in Washington State, replaced by Native American Heritage Day, the day after Thanksgiving)
Thursday, October 31, 2024: Halloween
Saturday, November 2, 2024: Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead aka All souls Day)
Sunday, November 3, 2024: Daylight Savings ends (1st Sunday)
Monday, November 11, 2024: Veterans Day
Thursday, November 28, 2024: Thanksgiving Day (4th Thursday in November)
Friday, November 29, 2024: Washington State Native American Heritage Day (day after Thanksgiving)
Friday, November 29, 2024 Black Friday (day after Thanksgiving)
Thursday, December 21, 2023 at 7:27 pm PST: Winter solstice
Wednesday, December 25, 2024: Christmas Day
Thursday, December 26, 2024: Chanukah (Hanukkah) begins before sundown (ends Thursday, January 2, 2025 at nightfall)
Thursday, December 26, 2024: First day of Kwanzaa (ends January 1, 2025)
Tuesday, December 31, 2024: New Year’s Eve

*Washington’s Birthday is the federally recognized holiday though many locations use Presidents Day (also spelled President’s or Presidents’ Day).

**Columbus Day is the federally recognized holiday, which is not observed in Washington State. Many states have adopted other names, such as Indigenous People’s Day, Native American Day, and Discovers’ Day. Washington State replaces it entirely with Native American Heritage Day, observed Friday after Thanksgiving Day.

Find these holidays and other observances and special events on our Calendar of free and cheap things to do every day (greaterseattleonthecheap.com).

Joyful dog photo by Wavetop via iStockphotos by Getty Images

List of Public Holidays & Observances

The following is a generalized list of holidays and other observances that we publish every year. The eleven federal holidays are listed in bold font.

January 1st: New Year’s Day
January (3rd Monday): Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr.
January or February (begins 1st New Moon, ends 1st full moon 15 days later): Lunar New Year
February 2: Groundhog Day
February (2nd Sunday): NFL Super Bowl
February 14: Valentine’s Day
February (3rd Monday): Washington’s Birthday (aka Presidents’ Day)
February or March (47 days before Easter): Mardi Gras
March (2nd Sunday): Daylight Savings time begins
March 17: St. Patrick’s Day (date of his death)
March or April: Easter Sunday
March or April: Passover begins at sundown
March (20-22): Spring equinox
(can fall in any season): Ramadan (ends with Eid al-Fitr)
April 15: Federal Income Tax Day (if April 15 is a weekend or holiday, the date is adjusted)
April 22: Earth Day
May 5: Cinco de Mayo
May (2nd Monday): Mother’s Day
May (last Monday): Memorial Day
June (3rd Sunday): Father’s Day
June 19: Juneteenth National Independence Day
June (20-22): Summer solstice
July 4: Independence Day
August: Seattle Seafair Weekend
September (1st Monday): Labor Day
September (22-24): Autumn equinox
** October (2nd Monday): Columbus Day (not recognized in Washington State)
October 31: Halloween
November 2: Día de Muertos (Day of the Dead aka All souls Day)
November (1st Sunday): Daylight Savings ends
November 11: Veterans Day
November (4th Thursday): Thanksgiving Day
November (day after Thanksgiving): Native American Heritage Day (Washington State holidays, replaces Columbus Day)
November (day after Thanksgiving): Black Friday
November or December: Hanukkah (aka Chanukah, begins 25th day of the month of Kislev in the Hebrew calendar and lasts eight nights)
December (21-22): Winter solstice
December 25: Christmas Day
December 26: Kwanzaa
December 31: New Year’s Eve

**Columbus Day is the federally recognized holiday, which is not observed in Washington State but replaces it with Native American Heritage Day, the day after Thanksgiving Day. Many states have adopted other names, such as Indigenous People’s Day, Native American Day, and Discovers’ Day.

Event calendar of free and affordable things to do

Listed below are all types of free and affordable things to do in the next 30 days.

Featured Events are listed first each day, highlighted by a photo. These are unique, popular, or annual events that we or our advertisers don’t want you to overlook.