Summer has officially begun!
Memorial Day weekend, which is a three-day weekend for most and considered by many in the U.S. to be the start of the summer season, is behind us.
Similarly, Labor Day, which also brings a three-day weekend, is widely considered the unofficial end of summer. But there are two more three-day weekends before Labor Day, and the next one is in June.
Here’s when Labor Day 2026 will be, what the holiday observes and the list of three-day weekends coming up this summer.
When does summer start?
Many in the U.S. consider Memorial Day weekend to mark the unofficial start of summer.
Conversely, many see Labor Day weekend, which is also a three-day weekend, as the unofficial close of the summer season in the U.S. Labor Day always falls on the first Monday of September.
The official start of astronomical summer is the summer solstice on Sunday, June 21, 2026. The official start of meteorological summer will be next Monday, June 1, 2026.
When is Labor Day 2026? What is Labor Day?
Labor Day, which is considered the unofficial end of summer, always falls on the first Monday of September. In 2026, Labor Day will fall on Sept. 7.
Labor Day is exactly what it sounds like: A day off work, to celebrate the achievements of those in the workforce.
“Observed the first Monday in September, Labor Day is an annual celebration of the social and economic achievements of American workers,” The U.S. Department of Labor website says.
“The holiday is rooted in the late nineteenth century, when labor activists pushed for a federal holiday to recognize the many contributions workers have made to America’s strength, prosperity, and well-being.”
When is the next long weekend? 3-day weekends summer 2026
The first of four long weekends this summer just passed, but there will be two more before Labor Day weekend. The next federal holiday that will bring a long weekend this summer will be Juneteenth, on Friday, June 19, 2026.
Here’s a list of the three-day weekends coming up this summer:
When is Juneteenth? What is Juneteenth?
Juneteenth, celebrated on June 19 every year, commemorates the day the news of Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation reached the South – almost three years after Lincoln signed the proclamation that started the end of slavery in the U.S.
Short for “June Nineteenth,” the holiday marks the day when federal troops arrived in Galveston, Texas, to take control of the state and ensure that all enslaved people be freed, on June 19, 1865, History.com says. The troops arrived with the news a full two-and-a-half years after the signing of the proclamation.
And although the day is extremely significant and the longest-running Black holiday in the U.S., the Emancipation Proclamation was only the beginning of Black Americans’ fight for freedom.
“June 19th freed enslaved people in the rebelling states, it did not free enslaved people throughout the nation. Keep in mind, there were still border states which were still part of the Union,” Mary Elliott, Curator of American Slavery at the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC), said on the museum’s website.
“They had not seceded from the Union, and they still maintained slavery. Maryland, for example, was one of them. It took the creation of the Emancipation Proclamation, the end of the Civil War, and the passage of the 13th Amendment to finally end slavery throughout the nation.”
Other Reconstruction amendments also helped solidify freedom for formerly enslaved Black Americans, Elliott said. The 14th and 15th Amendments granted citizenship, due process and equal protection to freed slaves and provided them the opportunity to vote and hold office.
Federal Holidays in 2026
Memorial Day and Labor Day are two of 11 permanent federal holidays.
Here’s the list of federal holidays in the U.S.:
Lianna Norman is a trending reporter for the USA TODAY NETWORK-Florida, covering pop culture, lotteries, rocket launches, Florida wildlife, breaking news and more. You can get all of Florida’s best content directly in your inbox each weekday by signing up for the free newsletter, Florida TODAY, at https://floridatoday.com/newsletters.
This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: When is Labor Day 2026? There are two long weekends before it
Reporting by Lianna Norman, USA TODAY NETWORK – Florida / Treasure Coast Newspapers
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