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Massachusetts state holidays 2027

Massachusetts gives state employees 12 paid holidays in 2027. Here are the observed dates, how weekend holidays move and what they mean for a private employer.

The 12 paid state holidays of 2027

8 long weekends

  1. January 1: New Year’s Day Friday Long weekend
  2. January 18: Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Monday Long weekend
  3. February 15: Washington’s Birthday Monday Long weekend
  4. April 19: Patriots’ Day Monday Long weekend
  5. May 31: Memorial Day Monday Long weekend
  6. June 19: Juneteenth Independence Day Saturday · stays on Saturday, state employees get a substitute day off Weekend
  7. July 5: Independence Day Monday · observed, July 4 is a Sunday Long weekend
  8. September 6: Labor Day Monday Long weekend
  9. October 11: Columbus Day Monday Long weekend
  10. November 11: Veterans’ Day Thursday
  11. November 25: Thanksgiving Day Thursday
  12. December 25: Christmas Day Saturday · stays on Saturday, state employees get a substitute day off Weekend
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Who Massachusetts state holidays apply to

State holidays in Massachusetts are the days the state gives its own employees off with pay. They don’t bind private employers: whether your team gets these days off, and whether they’re paid, depends on your policy, your employment contracts or a union agreement.

Massachusetts’s blue laws restrict retail work on some holidays. Stores need a permit, approved statewide, to open on Thanksgiving or Christmas, and retailers that open on New Year’s Day, Columbus Day or Veterans Day can’t require employees to work or penalize them for refusing. Source: M.G.L. c.136 §13, Holiday work.

Holidays that fall on a weekend

Massachusetts only moves Sunday holidays, to the Monday after. A Saturday holiday stays on Saturday: offices don’t close the Friday before, and state employees get a substitute day off under their personnel rules or union contract. In 2027 that applies to Juneteenth and Christmas, and New Year’s Day 2028 isn’t observed on December 31.

In 2027:

  • Juneteenth Independence Day falls on Saturday, June 19 and isn’t moved, but state employees get a substitute day off.
  • Independence Day falls on Sunday, July 4 and is observed on Monday, July 5.
  • Christmas Day falls on Saturday, December 25 and isn’t moved, but state employees get a substitute day off.

How Massachusetts compares with the federal holidays

Massachusetts gives state employees all 11 federal holidays. On top of the federal list, it adds Patriots’ Day on Monday, April 19.

Some shared holidays land on a different day. Juneteenth Independence Day is on Saturday, June 19, while the federal holiday is on Friday, June 18. Christmas Day is on Saturday, December 25, while the federal holiday is on Friday, December 24.

Days that don’t close offices

These days are on the state’s list but aren’t full paid days off, so they’re not in the count or the calendar download.

  • Evacuation Day, Wednesday, March 17: Suffolk County only, state offices stay open.
  • Bunker Hill Day, Thursday, June 17: Suffolk County only, state offices stay open.

Plan 2027’s holidays on your team calendar

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Plan 2027’s holidays on your team calendar

Frequently asked questions

How many paid state holidays does Massachusetts have in 2027?

Massachusetts gives state employees 12 paid holidays: New Year’s Day on Friday, January 1; Martin Luther King, Jr. Day on Monday, January 18; Washington’s Birthday on Monday, February 15; Patriots’ Day on Monday, April 19; Memorial Day on Monday, May 31; Juneteenth Independence Day on Saturday, June 19; Independence Day on Monday, July 5; Labor Day on Monday, September 6; Columbus Day on Monday, October 11; Veterans’ Day on Thursday, November 11; Thanksgiving Day on Thursday, November 25; and Christmas Day on Saturday, December 25.

Is Juneteenth a state holiday in Massachusetts?

Yes. Juneteenth Independence Day is a paid state holiday in Massachusetts, but in 2027 it falls on Saturday, June 19 and Massachusetts doesn’t move it to a weekday.

Is the day after Thanksgiving a holiday in Massachusetts?

No. Friday, November 26 is a regular workday for state employees in Massachusetts. Many private employers give it off anyway; if yours does, put it in your holiday policy and on the team calendar.

Do private employers have to give state holidays off in Massachusetts?

Massachusetts’s blue laws restrict retail work on some holidays. Stores need a permit, approved statewide, to open on Thanksgiving or Christmas, and retailers that open on New Year’s Day, Columbus Day or Veterans Day can’t require employees to work or penalize them for refusing. Beyond that, whether your team gets these days off, and whether they’re paid, depends on your policy, your employment contracts or a union agreement. Federal law doesn’t require holiday pay, but nonexempt employees still earn time and a half for hours over 40 in a workweek, holiday or not.

What state holidays fall on a weekend in 2027?

Juneteenth Independence Day falls on Saturday, June 19 and isn’t moved, but state employees get a substitute day off. Independence Day falls on Sunday, July 4 and is observed on Monday, July 5. Christmas Day falls on Saturday, December 25 and isn’t moved, but state employees get a substitute day off.

Official sources

Data reviewed on October 12, 2026.