Louisiana’s holiday calendar looks very familiar at first glance, but it isn’t much like the calendars of most other states, especially those that have a prosaic list of holidays that reflects federal recommendations. Alongside the usual federal holidays, the state formally recognizes a small number of days that are actually relevant to this region. Mardi Gras, for example, isn’t treated as a cultural footnote, and Good Friday isn’t handled as an optional religious observance. Both of these appear on the official state calendar and are observed uniformly by state government offices and institutions.
Government offices, courts, and public agencies follow the holiday schedule issued by the Louisiana Division of Administration and are practically the only institutions affected by it. Banks and other financial institutions follow the list of federal holidays, and the decision to treat state holidays such as Mardi Gras or Good Friday as days off lies with individual employers.
Each year, the state publishes a list of holidays on which Louisiana state employees are off work. The tables below show the schedule for 2027 and the holidays observed in 2026.
List of National and State Holidays in Louisiana for 2027
| S.No. | Date | Day | Holiday | Holiday Type |
|---|
| 1 | Jan 01 | Friday | New Year’s Day | Federal |
| 2 | Jan 18 | Monday | Martin Luther King Jr. Day | Federal |
| 3 | Feb 09 | Tuesday | Mardi Gras | State |
| 4 | Mar 26 | Friday | Good Friday | State |
| 5 | May 31 | Monday | Memorial Day | Federal |
| 6 | Jun 18 | Friday | Juneteenth National Independence Day (Observed) | Federal |
| 7 | Jul 05 | Monday | Independence Day (Observed) | Federal |
| 8 | Sep 06 | Monday | Labor Day | Federal |
| 9 | Nov 11 | Thursday | Veterans Day | Federal |
| 10 | Nov 25 | Thursday | Thanksgiving Day | Federal |
| 11 | Dec 24 | Friday | Christmas Day (Observed) | Federal |
| 12 | Dec 31 | Friday | New Year’s Day 2028 (Observed) | Federal |
Louisiana state offices move a weekend holiday to the closest workday, usually the Friday before a Saturday holiday and the Monday after a Sunday one. The Governor can also proclaim extra holidays each year. Juneteenth has been proclaimed in recent years, while days such as Lundi Gras or the day after Thanksgiving are added only once announced.
Official State Holidays in Louisiana for 2026
| S.No. | Date | Day | Holiday | Holiday Type |
|---|
| 1 | Jan 01 | Thursday | New Year’s Day | Federal |
| 2 | Jan 02 | Friday | Day After New Year’s Day | State |
| 3 | Jan 19 | Monday | Martin Luther King Jr. Day | Federal |
| 4 | Feb 16 | Monday | Lundi Gras | State |
| 5 | Feb 17 | Tuesday | Mardi Gras | State |
| 6 | Apr 03 | Friday | Good Friday | State |
| 7 | May 25 | Monday | Memorial Day | Federal |
| 8 | Jun 19 | Friday | Juneteenth National Independence Day | Federal |
| 9 | Jul 03 | Friday | Independence Day (Observed) | Federal |
| 10 | Sep 07 | Monday | Labor Day | Federal |
| 11 | Nov 03 | Tuesday | General Election Day | State |
| 12 | Nov 11 | Wednesday | Veterans Day | Federal |
| 13 | Nov 26 | Thursday | Thanksgiving Day | Federal |
| 14 | Dec 25 | Friday | Christmas Day | Federal |
For Those Living or Working in Louisiana
State government offices, the state judiciary, and all public institutions observe the official Louisiana state holiday calendar. Mardi Gras and Good Friday, which are Christian observances that are also culturally recognized across the state, are legal state holidays for these purposes. This means that state employees typically have the day off, and offices close. National financial institutions, including banks, follow the federal holiday schedule, so their closures align with federal holidays regardless of state practice. Private employers set their own policies about time off and pay on state holidays.
FAQs
1.Is Mardi Gras a state holiday in Louisiana?
Mardi Gras has been declared a legal holiday in Louisiana. The day is celebrated on Shrove Tuesday, the eve of Ash Wednesday, before the fasting season. It is also called Fat Tuesday due to the consumption of red meat and other fatty foods before the lean fasting period. It is also included in the list of state holidays.
2.Does Louisiana observe Good Friday?
Good Friday is listed as an official state holiday in Louisiana despite the fact that it is not a federal holiday.
3.Are all the state holidays listed observed statewide?
These observances apply to state administration and state employees in Louisiana. Banks and many other organizations follow the federal holiday schedule instead.
4.What about other dates like Acadian Day or Election Day?
The Governor can proclaim extra holidays each year, such as Lundi Gras or Acadian Day (the Friday after Thanksgiving). Election Day is a state holiday only in even-numbered years, so it appears in the 2026 list but not in the 2027 list.
