What Day Is Veterans Day? Date, Meaning and History

Veterans Day is November 11 every year. In 2026 it falls on Wednesday, November 11, 2026. It is a US federal holiday that honors everyone who has served in the US armed forces, and it is kept on November 11 itself, whatever the day of the week, because that date marks the armistice that stopped the fighting in World War I in 1918.

Veterans Day dates, 2026 to 2030

The date never changes, only the weekday. When November 11 lands on a weekend, federal offices close on the nearest weekday instead.

Year	Veterans Day	Federal offices closed
2026	Wednesday, November 11	Wednesday, November 11
2027	Thursday, November 11	Thursday, November 11
2028	Saturday, November 11	Friday, November 10
2029	Sunday, November 11	Monday, November 12
2030	Monday, November 11	Monday, November 11

What Veterans Day means

The US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) describes Veterans Day as the day set aside to thank and honor all those who served honorably in the military, in wartime or peacetime. Those who died are remembered too, but the VA notes that the day is largely intended to thank living veterans for their service. That is the simplest way to hold the meaning in mind: it is a day of thanks.

From Armistice Day to Veterans Day

The eleventh hour, 1918

Fighting in World War I stopped when an armistice between the Allied nations and Germany took effect at the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month: 11 a.m. on November 11, 1918. The war formally ended later, when the Treaty of Versailles was signed on June 28, 1919. In November 1919, President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed November 11 as the first commemoration of Armistice Day.

A legal holiday, 1938

Congress passed a resolution on June 4, 1926, asking the president to call for the day's observance each year. An Act approved on May 13, 1938, then made November 11 a legal holiday, dedicated to the cause of world peace and known as Armistice Day. At that point it chiefly honored the veterans of World War I.

A new name, 1954

After World War II and the Korean War, veterans service organizations urged Congress to widen the holiday. Congress amended the 1938 Act by replacing the word "Armistice" with "Veterans," and with the approval of that law on June 1, 1954, November 11 became a day to honor American veterans of all wars. President Dwight D. Eisenhower issued the first Veterans Day proclamation on October 8, 1954.

The October years, 1971 to 1977

The Uniform Holiday Bill, signed on June 28, 1968, moved four holidays to Mondays to create three-day weekends: Washington's Birthday, Memorial Day, Veterans Day and Columbus Day. Veterans Day went to the fourth Monday in October, and the first observance under the new law was on October 25, 1971. According to the VA, it was observed with much confusion, and many states kept the original date. On September 20, 1975, President Gerald R. Ford signed a law returning Veterans Day to November 11, beginning in 1978. It has stayed there since.

Is Veterans Day a federal holiday? What is open and closed

Yes. Veterans Day is one of the legal public holidays for federal employees, and the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) lists it on the federal calendar every year. In general terms:

• Federal offices: non-essential federal government offices are closed.
• Mail: there is no regular mail delivery on Veterans Day.
• The Federal Reserve: the Federal Reserve System observes the holiday, so check your own bank's hours.
• State and local offices and schools: the VA points out that they are not required to follow federal closures and decide for themselves.
• Businesses: private businesses are free to open or close as they choose.

Because so much depends on local decisions, the reliable answer for a particular school, office or branch is its own posted schedule.

When November 11 falls on a weekend

Veterans Day itself does not move. The VA says it is always observed officially on November 11, and the national ceremony is held on that day. What shifts is the day off for federal workers. Under OPM's rule, when a holiday falls on a Saturday, the preceding Friday is treated as the holiday for most federal employees; when it falls on a Sunday, the following Monday is. That is why the table above shows Friday, November 10, in 2028 and Monday, November 12, in 2029.

Why "Veterans Day" has no apostrophe

The correct spelling is Veterans Day, with an "s" and no apostrophe: not "Veteran's Day" and not "Veterans' Day." The VA's explanation is that the day does not belong to veterans; it is a day for honoring all veterans. The word works as a description, not as a possessive.

Veterans Day vs Memorial Day

The two holidays are often mixed up. Both are about military service, but they honor different people.

	Veterans Day	Memorial Day
Date	November 11, every year	Last Monday in May
Who is honored	All who served in the US armed forces, especially living veterans	Military personnel who died in the service of their country
Began as	Armistice Day, after World War I	Decoration Day, after the Civil War
Spirit of the day	Thanks	Remembrance and mourning

One detail surprises many people: the VA notes that wearing red poppies in honor of the war dead is traditionally a Memorial Day custom in the United States, not a Veterans Day one. For the history and customs of the spring holiday, see our guide to Memorial Day.

Ways to mark Veterans Day

The national ceremony at 11 a.m.

The Veterans Day National Ceremony is held each year on November 11 at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia. It begins precisely at 11:00 a.m. with a wreath laying at the Tomb of the Unknowns and continues in the Memorial Amphitheater with a parade of colors by veterans' organizations and remarks.

Two minutes of silence

Federal law also calls for two minutes of silence on Veterans Day, timed to happen at the same moment across the country. It begins at 2:11 p.m. Eastern time.

Local parades and gatherings

Most ceremonies around the country are held on the day itself. When November 11 is a weekday, the VA notes, many communities hold parades or other events on the weekend before or after so that more people can come.

Record a veteran's story

For families, one of the most lasting ways to keep the day is to ask a veteran to talk, and to listen without hurrying. A few guidelines help:

• Ask permission to record, and say who will hear the recording.
• Start with easy ground: where they grew up, how they came to serve, the people they served with.
• Let them choose what to leave out. A short, willing conversation is worth more than a long, reluctant one.
• Write down names, units, places and dates afterwards while they are fresh, and label the file.

Our list of oral history interview questions includes questions about military service that work well for a first conversation.