When Is Martin Luther King Jr. Day?
Martin Luther King Jr. Day 2027 is on Monday, January 18 — in 74 days. It is always the third Monday in January.
Updated · By the YearlyCalendar.org team
Martin Luther King Jr. Day honors the civil rights leader, born January 15, 1929, in Atlanta. It is a federal holiday on the third Monday of January and the only federal holiday also designated a national day of service.
January 2027 calendar
Martin Luther King Jr. Day is marked on Monday, January 18, 2027, along with the other US federal holidays and observances of the month.
- Federal holiday / day off
- Observance
- Weekend
January 2027 – Martin Luther King Jr. Day 2027
| Wk | SundaySun | MondayMon | TuesdayTue | WednesdayWed | ThursdayThu | FridayFri | SaturdaySat |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 53 | 1New Year's Day | 2 | |||||
| 1 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 |
| 2 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 |
| 3 | 17 | 18Martin Luther King Jr. Day | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 |
| 4 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 |
| 4 | 31 |
Martin Luther King Jr. Day dates 2020–2040
Between 2020 and 2040, Martin Luther King Jr. Day falls as early as January 15 (2024, 2029, 2035) and as late as January 21 (2030, 2036). It is always a Monday.
| Year | Date | 3-day weekend |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Sat, Jan 18 – Mon, Jan 20 | |
| 2021 | Sat, Jan 16 – Mon, Jan 18 | |
| 2022 | Sat, Jan 15 – Mon, Jan 17 | |
| 2023 | Sat, Jan 14 – Mon, Jan 16 | |
| 2024 | Sat, Jan 13 – Mon, Jan 15 | |
| 2025 | Sat, Jan 18 – Mon, Jan 20 | |
| 2026 | Sat, Jan 17 – Mon, Jan 19 | |
| 2027 | Next | Sat, Jan 16 – Mon, Jan 18 |
| 2028 | Sat, Jan 15 – Mon, Jan 17 | |
| 2029 | Sat, Jan 13 – Mon, Jan 15 | |
| 2030 | Sat, Jan 19 – Mon, Jan 21 | |
| 2031 | Sat, Jan 18 – Mon, Jan 20 | |
| 2032 | Sat, Jan 17 – Mon, Jan 19 | |
| 2033 | Sat, Jan 15 – Mon, Jan 17 | |
| 2034 | Sat, Jan 14 – Mon, Jan 16 | |
| 2035 | Sat, Jan 13 – Mon, Jan 15 | |
| 2036 | Sat, Jan 19 – Mon, Jan 21 | |
| 2037 | Sat, Jan 17 – Mon, Jan 19 | |
| 2038 | Sat, Jan 16 – Mon, Jan 18 | |
| 2039 | Sat, Jan 15 – Mon, Jan 17 | |
| 2040 | Sat, Jan 14 – Mon, Jan 16 |
How it became a federal holiday
Representative John Conyers of Michigan introduced the first bill for a King holiday on April 8, 1968, four days after King was assassinated in Memphis. The campaign took 15 years; in the early 1980s Coretta Scott King and Stevie Wonder presented petitions with more than six million signatures to Congress. President Ronald Reagan signed the holiday into law on November 2, 1983 (Public Law 98-144), and it was first observed on January 20, 1986.
States adopted it at different speeds. 2000 was the first year all 50 states observed the day; that year South Carolina became the last state to make it a paid holiday for all state employees.
How the date is set
The holiday is the third Monday of January, so it always falls between January 15 and January 21 and gives federal employees a three-day weekend. It lands on King's actual birthday only when January 15 is a Monday — next in 2029, 2035 and 2046.
A day on, not a day off
The King Holiday and Service Act of 1994, signed by President Bill Clinton on August 23, 1994, made the holiday a national day of volunteer service. AmeriCorps has led the MLK Day of Service since then.
Sources
- U.S. Office of Personnel Management – Federal holidays
- Public Law 98-144 (97 Stat. 917), GovInfo
- Stanford King Institute – Martin Luther King Jr. National Holiday
- AmeriCorps – MLK Day of Service
- New York Stock Exchange – Holidays and trading hours
- Federal Reserve Board – Holidays observed by the Federal Reserve System
Frequently asked questions
When is Martin Luther King Jr. Day 2028?
Martin Luther King Jr. Day 2028 is on Monday, January 17, 2028. Federal employees get a 3-day weekend, Sat, Jan 15 – Mon, Jan 17, 2028.
Is the stock market open on Martin Luther King Jr. Day?
No. The NYSE and Nasdaq are closed. The NYSE first closed for the holiday on January 19, 1998.
Is mail delivered on MLK Day?
No. Post offices are closed and there is no regular mail delivery.
Are banks open on MLK Day?
Most are closed, because the Federal Reserve Banks observe the holiday.