What’s closed and open Presidents' Day (officially Washington's Birthday)

Our nation’s first president, George Washington was born on February 11, 1731 according to the Julian calendar used at the time. When the Gregorian calendar was adopted in 1752, his birthday moved to February 22, 1732. In 1778, the first public celebration of Washingtonʻs Birthday occured at the Valley Forge, Pennsylvania encampment of the Continental Army under General George Washington. Three years later, his Army defeated the British at Yorktown, Virginia.

In 1789, Washington’s birthday become a legal holiday, celebrated on February 22. Also that year, Washington was unanimously elected as the first President of the United States and served two terms (1789-1797). He declined a third term and died two years later in 1799.

In 1968 Congress passed the Monday Holiday Law to provide uniform observances of federally recognized holidays. Washington’s Birthday holiday was changed to the third Monday in February. It also became commonly known as “Presidents Day” to honor all who have served in the office. However, in all federal documents, it is still called “Washington’s Birthday”.

Note: we use the same spelling as the Washington State DOR holiday schedule. Other places use Presidents Day and Presidents’ Day. All are correct. Well, all of them are wrong. The official name for the federal holiday is “Washington’s Birthday”.

Monday, February 20, 2023 is President’s Day. Officially the Federal holiday is Washington’s Birthday, observed on the third Monday in February.

Mount Rushmore presidents Washington, Jefferson, Roosevelt, and Lincoln

Mount Rushmore presidents (L-R) Washington, Jefferson, T. Roosevelt, and Lincoln via DepositPhotos.com

What’s closed and open on Presidents’ Day 2023 (officially Washington’s Birthday)

Closed: All government facilities, non-retail businesses or services (banks, offices, etc.), public libraries community centers, and schools are closed. No mail delivery. Paid street parking is free on holidays. Most public transportation is on a holiday/Sunday schedule (more info below).

Open: Retail stores, shopping malls, grocery stores, restaurants, parks, and golf courses are open. Garbage collection is normal. Ferries are on regular schedule and provide additional service on the following holidays: New Year’s Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas Day.

Public Transportation: Most public transportation operates on either a Sunday or holiday schedule, except ferries, which are on regular schedule. For specific route information, here are the links to public transit companies in the Puget Sound region:

Everett Transit (see: Everett holiday service list)
Kitsap Transit (see: Kitsap holiday service list)
Seattle/King County Metro buses (see: Metro holiday service list)
Community Transit / Snohomish County Transit (see: Holiday Bus Service Schedule | Community Transit)
Sound Transit / Link light rail and commuter trains (see: Rail holiday service list)
Tacoma/Pierce County Transit (see: Pierce holiday service list)
Washington State ferries operate throughout Puget Sound. See: ferry schedules by date. Get free travel alerts via email or text message to stay informed of conditions on your route.

2023 Federal Holiday Dates

Listed below are the 11 Federal Holidays for 2023 (opm.gov)

*Monday, January 2: New Year’s Day (normally January 1)
Monday, January 16: Martin Luther King, Jr. Day (3rd Monday in January)
**Monday, February 20: Presidents’ Day aka Washington’s Birthday (3rd Monday in February)
Monday, May 29: Memorial Day (4th Monday in May)
Monday, June 19: Juneteenth National Independence Day
Tuesday, July 4: Independence Day
Monday, September 4: Labor Day (1st Monday in September)
***Monday, October 9: Discoverers’ Day aka Columbus Day (2nd Monday in October)
*Friday, November 10: Veteran’s Day (normally November 11)
Thursday, November 23: Thanksgiving Day (4th Thursday)
Monday, December 25: Christmas Day

*When federal holidays fall on a Saturday or Sunday, they are observed on Friday or Monday, respectively.

**Washington’s Birthday is the federally recognized holiday though many locations use President’s Day

***Columbus Day is still the federally recognized holiday though many states have adopted other names

2023 Other Holidays & Special Events

Sunday, January 22, 2023: Lunar New Year – Year of the Rabbit (or Cat for Vietnamese Tet)
Monday, February 2: Groundhog Day – six more weeks of winter if sunny or an early spring if cloudy
Sunday, February 12, 2023: Super Bowl LVII at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, AZ
Tuesday, February 14: Valentine’s Day
Tuesday, February 21: Mardi Gras
Tuesday, March 7: Holi (Festival of Colors)
Sunday, March 12: Daylight Savings time begins (2^nd Sunday)
Friday, March 17: St. Patrick’s Day
Monday, March 20: Spring equinox
Thursday, March 23: Ramadan begins (ends Saturday, April 22 with Eid al-Fitr)
Wednesday, April 5: Passover begins at sundown
Sunday, April 9: Easter Sunday
Monday, April 17*: Federal Income Tax Day
Monday, May 1: May Day
Friday, May 5: Cinco de Mayo
Sunday, May 14: Mother’s Day (2nd Sunday in May)
Wednesday, June 21: Summer solstice
Sunday, June 18: Father’s Day (3rd Sunday in June)
Friday, September 22: Autumn equinox
Tuesday, October 31: Halloween
Wednesday, November 1: Day of the Dead
Sunday, November 5: Daylight Savings ends (1^st Sunday)
Friday, November 24: Black Friday aka Native American Heritage Day (day after Thanksgiving)
Friday, December 7: Chanukah (Hanukkah) begins at sundown
Thursday, December 21: Winter solstice
Sunday, December 24: Christmas
Tuesday, December 26: First day of Kwanzaa
Sunday, December 31: New Year’s Eve

*April 15 is usually the Federal Income Tax filing deadline. When it falls on a weekend or a holiday, the filing deadline is pushed to the next business day.