Berkeley City Offices to Close for Presidents' Day
The City of Berkeley, California, has announced that its offices and facilities will be closed on February 24th. The closure is in observance of the Lincoln's and Washington's Birthdays holidays.
- The federal holiday observed on the third Monday of February is officially named Washington's Birthday. It was first established as a federal holiday in 1879 and was originally celebrated on George Washington's actual birth date, February 22. - In 1971, the Uniform Monday Holiday Act shifted the holiday to the third Monday of the month to create more three-day weekends for the nation's workers. This ensures the date always falls between February 15 and 21, meaning it never lands on Washington's actual birthday. - While Abraham Lincoln's birthday on February 12 has never been a federal holiday, its proximity to Washington's Birthday led to the popular name "Presidents' Day" to informally honor both presidents and often all who have served as president. - California is one of several states that officially renamed the holiday Presidents' Day to jointly recognize both Washington and Lincoln. However, some states, like Illinois and New York, still observe Lincoln's Birthday as a separate state holiday on February 12. - For some City of Berkeley employees, there are specific arrangements regarding these presidential birthdays. A union agreement for Berkeley Public Library staff, for example, designates Christmas Eve as a holiday in lieu of a separate observance for Lincoln's Birthday. - The 2026 observance of Washington's Birthday at the federal level is on Monday, February 16, not February 24. Most federal, state, and city offices, as well as banks and the U.S. Postal Service, will be closed on this date.
