Jan. 5, 2026, 1:04 p.m. ET
Martin Luther King Jr. Day is this month.
The holiday, which falls on the third Monday in January, is held near the civil rights leader’s birthday on Jan. 15, 1929. It’s held on a Monday to allow U.S. residents a three-day weekend.
Martin Luther King Jr. Day became a holiday on Nov. 2, 1983 after President Ronald Reagan signed a bill into law officially establishing the commemoration.
The King family spent years after Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated in 1968 campaigning for a federal holiday to honor the civil rights leader, who earned a Nobel Peace Prize in 1964 for his work to end segregation and target racism in America.
As the holiday approaches, here’s everything to know about Martin Luther King Jr. Day, including when it falls this year.
When is Martin Luther King Jr. Day in 2026?
This year, the holiday is observed on Monday, Jan. 19.
Why is Martin Luther King Jr. Day on the third Monday in January?
The holiday is on the third Monday in January to be close to the civil rights leader’s birthday. It’s one of several holidays that fall on a Monday each year due to the Uniform Monday Holiday Act, which was signed by President Lyndon B. Johnson in 1968.
The then-president signed the bill to give workers long weekends throughout the year. At times, Martin Luther King Jr. Day coincides with Inauguration Day, which occurs every four years on Jan. 20 or Jan. 21 if Jan. 20 falls on a Sunday.
Presidents Donald Trump, Bill Clinton and Barack Obama were inaugurated on the holiday.
Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy
The civil rights icon is the only non-president with a federal holiday in their honor. The federal government closes on the day, and U.S. residents are given the opportunity to reflect on King’s legacy. King rose as a civil rights leader in 1955 during the Montgomery bus boycott in Alabama.
Two years later, he founded the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. In 1963, he led the March on Washington, delivering the famed “I Have a Dream” speech on the National Mall.
King was assassinated on April 4, 1968 while standing on a second-floor balcony outside his room at the Lorraine Hotel in Memphis, Tennessee.
James Earl Ray confessed to shooting King and was sentenced to 99 years in prison. King was 39 at the time of his death.
Michelle Del Rey is a trending news reporter at USA TODAY. Reach her at mdelrey@usatoday.com
