California

US State Abbreviation

State of California Holidays & Observances

Comprehensive list California Official National and State Holidays and how they are observed

California State Day: September 9
Became the 31st State to join the Union that makes up our Nation.

For a complete State by State listing, click here

California Official State Holidays

California statutes lists the Federal holidays as well as a few additional holidays to be observed. While government employees have a day off on the Legal Public Holidays defined, there is no regulation on requiring paid time off by private employers in the state. Which means that workers may be required by their employer to work and will not get paid more than regular pay and if the day is taken as time off, the employee is not required to be paid for the day. California law does not require that an employer provide its employees with paid holidays, that it close its business on any holiday, or that employees be given the day off for any particular holiday.

List of California Legal Public Holidays

Sunday - first day of each week

New Year's Day - January 1

Martin Luther King, Jr. Day - 3rd Monday in January

Lunar New Year - Date Varies

Lincoln Day - February 12

Presidents' Day - 3rd Monday in February

Cesar Chavez Day - March 31

Good Friday - Date varies - from 12 noon until 3 p.m.

Genocide Remembrance Day - April 24

Memorial Day - last Monday in May

Juneteenth - June 19

Independence Day - July 4

Labor Day - 1st Monday in September

Admission Day - September 9

Native American Day - 4th Friday in September

Columbus Day - 2nd Monday in October

Veterans' Day - November 11

Thanksgiving Day - 4th Thursday in November

Christmas Day - December 25

California Special Observances

A special or limited holiday is a holiday applying only to a special class or classes of business, or a special class or classes of persons, and not appointed to be generally observed throughout the State.

Ed Roberts Day - January 23

Fred Korematsu Day of Civil Liberties and the Constitution - January 30

Black History Month - February

Ronald Reagan Day - February 6

A Day of Remembrance: Japanese American Evacuation - February 19

Arbor Day - March 7

Nowrūz Day - typically on March 20 - Day of the astronomical Northward equinox

Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans Day - March 30

Cesar Chavez Day - March 31

John Muir Day - April 21

California Day of Remembrance of the Armenian Genocide - April 24

Space Day - 1st Friday in May (dim lights between 9-10pm)

Harvey Milk Da - May 22

Juneteenth National Freedom Day - 3rd Saturday in June

Native American Day - 4th Friday in Sept

Cabrillo Day - September 28

Stepparents Day - 1st Sunday in October

Larry Itliong Day - October 25

Pearl Harbor Day - December 7

State Statutes: (Source with Universal Citation)

California Code: Government Code - GOV: TITLE 1: DIVISION 7: CHAPTER 7 - Holidays: Section 6700.

6700. (a) The holidays in this state are:

(1) Every Sunday.

(2) January 1.

(3) The third Monday in January, known as “Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.”

(4) The date corresponding with the second new moon following the winter solstice, or the third new moon following the winter solstice should an intercalary month intervene, known as “Lunar New Year.”

(5) February 12, known as “Lincoln Day.”

(6) The third Monday in February.

(7) March 31, known as “Cesar Chavez Day.”

(8) April 24, known as “Genocide Remembrance Day.”

(9) The last Monday in May.

(10) June 19, known as “Juneteenth.”

(11) July 4.

(12) The first Monday in September.

(13) September 9, known as “Admission Day.”

(14) The fourth Friday in September, known as “Native American Day.”

(15) The second Monday in October, known as “Columbus Day.”

(16) November 11, known as “Veterans Day.”

(17) December 25.

(18) Good Friday from 12 noon until 3 p.m.

(19) (A) Every day appointed by the President or Governor for a public fast, thanksgiving, or holiday.

(B) Except for the Thursday in November appointed as Thanksgiving Day, this paragraph and paragraphs (3), (4), and (7) shall not apply to a city, county, or district unless made applicable by charter, or by ordinance or resolution of the governing body thereof.

(b) If this section is in conflict with the provisions of a memorandum of understanding reached pursuant to Chapter 12 (commencing with Section 3560) of Division 4 of Title 1, the memorandum of understanding shall be controlling without further legislative action, except that if those provisions of a memorandum of understanding require the expenditure of funds, the provisions shall not become effective unless approved by the Legislature in the annual Budget Act.

6701. (a) If January 1, February 12, March 31, July 4, September 9, November 11, or December 25 falls upon a Sunday, the Monday following is a holiday.

(b) If November 11 falls upon a Saturday, the preceding Friday is a holiday.

(c) If March 31 falls upon a Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday, the Legislature may observe the holiday on one of the following:

(1) The preceding Friday.

(2) The preceding Monday.

(3) The following Friday.

(d) If any holiday designated in Section 6700 falls on a Saturday, the board of supervisors of any county may by ordinance or resolution provide that an alternate day shall be a holiday for the employees of the county, except those employees of the county working as court attachés.


6703. (a) Public offices of the state, state institutions, and the University of California shall be closed on Admission Day.

(b) Public offices of the state and state institutions, including, but not limited to, all state agencies and the Legislature, shall be closed on November 11, Veterans Day. If, in a given year, November 11 falls on a Saturday, then public offices of the state and state institutions, including the Legislature, shall be closed on Friday, November 10. If, in a given year, November 11 falls on a Sunday, then public offices of the state and state institutions, including the Legislature, shall be closed on Monday, November 12. It is the intent of the Legislature that the University of California also be closed on the Veterans Day holiday.

6705. A special or limited holiday is a holiday applying only to a special class or classes of business, or a special class or classes of persons, and not appointed to be generally observed throughout the State by all classes of business and all classes of persons.

On any special or limited holiday appointed by the President or Governor, all courts and public offices of the State, any political subdivision, or any city, shall be open and function in their normal and usual manner. All other public functions shall be performed as on days which are not holidays, and all contracts shall be performed and business transacted as usual, except only as to or by the particular class of business or persons expressly limited or restricted by the provisions of the proclamation appointing or declaring such special or limited holiday.

6708. The Governor shall proclaim September 28th to be known hereafter as “Cabrillo Day.”

6710. The Governor shall proclaim March 7, to be known hereafter as “Arbor Day.”

6711. The Governor shall proclaim February 19 to be known hereafter as “A Day of Remembrance: Japanese American Evacuation,” to reflect upon that day of February 19 in 1942 when Executive Order No. 9066 was issued to place over 110,000 persons of Japanese ancestry, most of whom were citizens of the United States, in American concentration camps during World War II, and to commemorate that day of February 19 of 1976 when Executive Order No. 9066 was rescinded.

6712. The Governor shall proclaim annually the fourth Friday in September to be “Native American Day.”

6713. The Governor shall annually proclaim the first Sunday in October to be known as “Stepparents Day.”

6714. The Governor annually shall proclaim April 21st to be “John Muir Day.”

6715. The Governor shall annually proclaim March 30 as Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans Day.

6716. The Governor shall annually proclaim December 7 as “Pearl Harbor Day.”

6717. The Governor shall annually proclaim March 31 as “Cesar Chavez Day.”

6718. The Governor shall proclaim the month of February as Black History Month each year.

6719. The Governor shall proclaim the third Saturday in June of each year to be known as “Juneteenth National Freedom Day: A day of observance,” to urge all Californians in celebrating this day to honor and reflect on the significant roles that African-Americans have played in the history of the United States and how African-Americans have enriched society through their steadfast commitment to promoting freedom, brotherhood, and equality.

6720. April 24 of each year shall be the “California Day of Remembrance of the Armenian Genocide,” and the period beginning on the Sunday before that day through the following Sunday shall be the days of remembrance in this state, and shall annually be so proclaimed by the Governor, in memory of the 1,500,000 victims who were subjected to torture, starvation, and murder, including death marches into the Syrian desert, by the rulers of the Ottoman Turkish Empire and the exile of more than 500,000 innocent people during the period from 1915 to 1923, inclusive, and in honor of the survivors of those crimes against humanity.

6721. The Governor shall annually proclaim May 22 as Harvey Milk Day.

6722. The Governor annually shall proclaim January 30 as Fred Korematsu Day of Civil Liberties and the Constitution.

6723. The Governor shall annually proclaim February 6 as Ronald Reagan Day.

6724. The Governor shall annually proclaim January 23 as Ed Roberts Day.

6725. The Governor annually shall proclaim October 25 as Larry Itliong Day.

6726. (a) The Governor shall proclaim the first Friday in May of each year to be Space Day and designate that date as having special significance in public schools and educational institutions. The Governor shall encourage public schools and educational institutions to conduct suitable commemorative exercises on that date.

(b) The Governor shall encourage every resident, business, and public entity to dim or turn off their lights between 9 p.m. and 10 p.m. on Space Day.

(c) Space Day shall promote space observation and appreciation, promote California’s aerospace industry, and encourage students to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.

(d) The Governor shall direct the Department of General Services to turn off the nonessential lights on the State Capitol Building between 9:00 p.m. and 10:00 p.m. on Space Day as a symbolic act designed to encourage all California citizens, businesses, and other entities to voluntarily dim or turn off their lights on Space Day.

6727. The Governor shall annually proclaim the day of the astronomical Northward equinox, which usually occurs on March 20 or the following day, as Nowrūz Day.

6728. The Governor shall annually proclaim the month of June as LGBTQ+ Pride Month.

6729. The Governor annually shall proclaim April 10 as Dolores Huerta Day.

6731. (a) August 26 of each year shall be designated as California Farmworker Day to highlight, remember, and appreciate the work that farmworkers contribute daily in California.

(b) The Governor shall annually proclaim August 26 as California Farmworker Day.

6733. The Governor shall annually proclaim November 20 as “Transgender Day of Remembrance.”

This article updated as of October 2023. While every attempt is made to be sure the information is accurate, we do not guarantee the information provided. States determine these holidays and new calendars and dates observed each year and may eliminate or add holidays and observances. Please check with your local state government website for the most up to date information and legal holiday guidelines.

Copyright Notice: We understand that there are 100's of holiday sites and we are one that most use as a research and reference site. Please source our page when you use the creative content, listings and research we have provided. Thanks!