SOURCE: Vacation Tracker TITLE: Colorado State Holidays 2026: Dates & Holiday Pay Rules URL: https://vacationtracker.io/holidays/united-states/colorado/2026/ LANG: en PUBLISHED: 2026-10-31 UPDATED: 2026-11-01 SUMMARY: All 11 federal and 3 Colorado state holidays for 2026, with observed dates, holiday pay rules and free calendar downloads. # Colorado Holidays 2026 Colorado has 11 federal holidays and 3 state holidays in 2026. Private employers don't have to give any of them. Last updated on Nov 1, 2026. ## All 2026 holidays in Colorado | Holiday | Date | Day of week | Notes | Type | Paid by law? | |---|---|---|---|---|---| | New Year's Day | 2026-01-01 | Thursday | | Federal | Not required for private employers | | Martin Luther King Jr. Day | 2026-01-19 | Monday | | Federal | Not required for private employers | | Washington's Birthday | 2026-02-16 | Monday | | Federal | Not required for private employers | | Easter Sunday | 2026-04-05 | Sunday | | Observance | Not a day off | | Memorial Day | 2026-05-25 | Monday | | Federal | Not required for private employers | | Juneteenth | 2026-06-19 | Friday | | Federal | Not required for private employers | | Independence Day | 2026-07-04 | Saturday | Falls on a Saturday. Observed Fri Jul 3 | Federal | Not required for private employers | | Labor Day | 2026-09-07 | Monday | | Federal | Not required for private employers | | Frances Xavier Cabrini Day | 2026-10-05 | Monday | | State | Not required for private employers | | Columbus Day | 2026-10-12 | Monday | Not a Colorado state holiday | Federal | Not required for private employers | | Veterans Day | 2026-11-11 | Wednesday | | Federal | Not required for private employers | | Thanksgiving Day | 2026-11-26 | Thursday | | Federal | Not required for private employers | | Day after Thanksgiving (Governor's Holiday: state offices closed (not a legal holiday under C.R.S. 24-11-101)) | 2026-11-27 | Friday | | State | Not required for private employers | | Christmas Eve (Governor's Holiday: state offices closed (not a legal holiday under C.R.S. 24-11-101)) | 2026-12-24 | Thursday | | State | Not required for private employers | | Christmas Day | 2026-12-25 | Friday | | Federal | Not required for private employers | | New Year's Eve | 2026-12-31 | Thursday | | Commonly given | Not required | ## What employers need to know **Paid holidays.** Colorado wage law neither requires nor prohibits paid holidays. Private employers in Colorado decide whether to give them. **Working on a holiday.** Colorado wage law neither requires nor prohibits extra pay for working on a holiday. **Holidays and overtime.** Colorado requires overtime at 1.5 times the regular rate after 40 hours in a workweek, 12 hours in a workday, or 12 consecutive hours. Pay for holiday hours not worked may be left out of the regular rate, but holiday incentive pay for hours worked must be included (Colorado Supreme Court, Hamilton v. Amazon, 2024). **Holidays that fall on a weekend.** Federal offices observe Saturday holidays on Friday and Sunday holidays on Monday. **Unused vacation when someone leaves.** Colorado requires employers to pay out earned, unused vacation when an employee leaves, and a policy or agreement that prevents this payment can't be enforced. Accrual caps are allowed. (https://vacationtracker.io/leave-laws/usa/colorado/#payment-of-accrued-unused-vacation-on-termination) **Sick leave.** Colorado's paid sick leave law (HFWA) covers all employers, regardless of the number of employees, at 1 hour of paid sick leave for every 30 hours worked. Paid sick leave can be capped at 48 hours. (https://vacationtracker.io/leave-laws/usa/colorado/#sick-leave-in-colorado) Full rules: Colorado leave laws: https://vacationtracker.io/leave-laws/usa/colorado/ ## Maximize your PTO in 2026 These are our suggestions for the best days to take off in Colorado. They use the 11 federal holidays plus the days Colorado state offices close for: Frances Xavier Cabrini Day, Day after Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve. Take all 13 suggested PTO days and you get **51 days off across 12 breaks**, including 9 long weekends. Pick a break to see it on the calendar. - Take Wednesday, November 25 off to get a 5-day break from November 25 to 29 (Thanksgiving Day and Day after Thanksgiving). - Take Wednesday, December 23 off to get a 5-day break from December 23 to 27 (Christmas Eve and Christmas Day). - Take Friday, January 2 off to get a 4-day weekend from January 1 to 4 (New Year's Day). - Take Friday, January 16 off to get a 4-day weekend from January 16 to 19 (Martin Luther King Jr. Day). - Take Friday, February 13 off to get a 4-day weekend from February 13 to 16 (Washington's Birthday). - Take Friday, May 22 off to get a 4-day weekend from May 22 to 25 (Memorial Day). - Take Thursday, June 18 off to get a 4-day weekend from June 18 to 21 (Juneteenth). - Take Thursday, July 2 off to get a 4-day weekend from July 2 to 5 (Independence Day). - Take Friday, September 4 off to get a 4-day weekend from September 4 to 7 (Labor Day). - Take Friday, October 2 off to get a 4-day weekend from October 2 to 5 (Frances Xavier Cabrini Day). - Take Friday, October 9 off to get a 4-day weekend from October 9 to 12 (Columbus Day). - Take Monday, November 9 and Tuesday, November 10 off to get a 5-day break from November 7 to 11 (Veterans Day). ## When Colorado teams take time off The 5 weeks when the most Colorado employees using Vacation Tracker were off, compared with an average week. - Jun 1 – 7 (Week 23): 2.7× a normal week - Dec 21 – 27 (Week 52): 2.3× a normal week - Sep 7 – 13 (Week 37): 2.2× a normal week - May 25 – 31 (Week 22): 2.0× a normal week - Jun 29 – Jul 5 (Week 27): 2.0× a normal week ## How Colorado holidays differ **State holidays.** Colorado has 3 holidays of its own in 2026 on top of the federal ones. The median across the 50 states and DC is 2; 14 have more and 31 have fewer. **Only in Colorado.** Only Colorado has Frances Xavier Cabrini Day as a holiday in 2026. **Federal holidays.** Not a paid day off for Colorado state employees: Columbus Day. Neighboring states in 2026: - [Arizona](https://vacationtracker.io/holidays/united-states/arizona/2026/): no holidays of its own - [Kansas](https://vacationtracker.io/holidays/united-states/kansas/2026/): 2 holidays of its own - [Nebraska](https://vacationtracker.io/holidays/united-states/nebraska/2026/): 2 holidays of its own - [New Mexico](https://vacationtracker.io/holidays/united-states/new-mexico/2026/): 1 holiday of its own - [Oklahoma](https://vacationtracker.io/holidays/united-states/oklahoma/2026/): 2 holidays of its own - [Utah](https://vacationtracker.io/holidays/united-states/utah/2026/): 1 holiday of its own - [Wyoming](https://vacationtracker.io/holidays/united-states/wyoming/2026/): no holidays of its own Compare all 50 states and DC: https://vacationtracker.io/holidays/united-states/2026/#compare ## Frequently asked questions Q: Do private employers in Colorado have to give paid holidays? No. Colorado wage law neither requires nor prohibits paid holidays, so private employers decide whether to give them. Q: What are the Colorado state holidays in 2026? In 2026, Colorado has the 11 federal holidays and 3 state holidays: Frances Xavier Cabrini Day (October 5), Day after Thanksgiving (November 27) and Christmas Eve (December 24). Columbus Day is a federal holiday, but not a Colorado state holiday. Q: Is Juneteenth a Colorado state holiday? Yes. Juneteenth is a federal holiday and a Colorado state holiday. In 2026 it falls on Friday, June 19. Q: Is Columbus Day a Colorado state holiday? No. Columbus Day is a federal holiday, but it isn't a Colorado state holiday. In 2026 it falls on Monday, October 12. Q: Is the day after Thanksgiving a holiday in Colorado? Yes. The day after Thanksgiving (Friday, November 27) is a Colorado state holiday. Private employers don't have to give it. Q: Do employers in Colorado have to pay extra for working on a holiday? No. Colorado wage law neither requires nor prohibits extra pay for holiday work. Q: Do paid holidays count toward overtime in Colorado? No, not when the employee doesn't work that day. Colorado lets employers leave holiday pay for hours not worked out of the regular rate, but holiday incentive pay for hours actually worked must be included when calculating overtime (Hamilton v. Amazon, 2024). Q: What happens if a holiday falls on a weekend in Colorado? Federal offices observe Saturday holidays on Friday and Sunday holidays on Monday. In 2026, Independence Day falls on a Saturday and is observed on Friday, July 3. ## Sources - FY 2026-27 State of Colorado Holiday Schedule (DHR, per C.R.S. 24-11-101): https://dhr.colorado.gov/sites/dhr/files/documents/FY%202026-27%20Holiday%20Schedule.pdf - Colorado DHR – Time Off & Leave: https://dhr.colorado.gov/state-employees/time-off-leave - U.S. Office of Personnel Management: Federal holidays: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/pay-leave/federal-holidays/ - Holiday, Severance, and Sick Pay | Colorado Department of Labor & Employment: https://cdle.colorado.gov/dlss-home-page/wage-and-hour-law/holiday-severance-and-sick-pay - Colorado COMPS Order #38 (7 CCR 1103-1): https://cdle.colorado.gov/sites/cdle/files/7%20CCR%201103-1%20COMPS%20Order%20%2338%20%5Baccessible%5D.pdf - Colorado Supreme Court, Hamilton v. Amazon.com Services (2024): https://www.coloradojudicial.gov/sites/default/files/2024-09/24SA12.pdf Holiday calendar data includes date-holidays (CC BY-SA 3.0), checked against the official sources above. Holiday dates come from public sources. Check your employment contract and the official sources above before you rely on them. CSV: https://vacationtracker.io/static/data/holiday-pages/united-states/colorado-holidays-2026.csv