President’s Day 2024: What’s open and closed?

Technically, yes, today is President’s Day. But that’s a retail creation. The official name for the holiday you’re observing, if not exactly celebrating right now is Washington’s Birthday.

“President’s Day” as we know it today was born in the 1980s, after retailers noted the close proximity of Washington’s birthday and that of Abraham Lincoln (born Feb. 12). Some marketing guru decided President’s Day was a broader way to entice customers to come spend their money and it caught on.

There was some talk back in 1951 about changing the name of Washington’s Birthday. Congress proposed celebrating all the leaders of the U.S., but the bill never found traction. Some 17 years later they tried again (sort of), with lawmakers passing the “Uniform Monday Holiday Act.” That moved the celebration from Washington’s actual birthday (Feb. 22) to the third Monday of February. But the focus was still on the Founding Father.

President’s Day might be a federal holiday, but that doesn’t mean private businesses are closed. Some are. Some are operating normally. Need to conduct any financial or government-related business? That’s going to be tough.

Here’s a look at what’s open and closed on President’s Day 2024.

What is President’s Day?

Established in 1885 to honor George Washington, President’s Day is a floating holiday that can take place from Feb. 15 to 21st. It falls on the third Monday of February.

The day was originally referred to as Washington’s Birthday (a now-ironic name, since the first president was born on Feb. 22), and is still called that in Illinois, Iowa, Massachusetts, Michigan, Louisiana and New York. Virginia calls it George Washington Day. Five other states call it some offshoot of…