New Year’s Eve 2027 falls on Friday, December 31, 2027 — and in 2027 it is a federal holiday.
New Year’s Day 2028 falls on Saturday, January 1, so the federal observance moves back to Friday, December 31, 2027 (U.S. Office of Personnel Management).
This is unusual enough to state plainly, because it reverses the normal rule. New Year’s Eve is not a federal holiday in ordinary years.
Federal offices, banks and markets operate normally on December 31 in most years, often with an early market close.
In 2027 they close entirely, and the reason has nothing to do with New Year’s Eve itself.
Table of Contents
Is New Year’s Eve 2027 a holiday?
Yes, in 2027 specifically. Friday, December 31, 2027 is the observed federal holiday for New Year’s Day 2028.
| Date | What it is | |
|---|---|---|
| Statutory holiday | Saturday, January 1, 2028 | New Year’s Day |
| Observed date | Friday, December 31, 2027 | The federal closure |
| Calendar event | Friday, December 31, 2027 | New Year’s Eve |
The closure and New Year’s Eve land on the same day by coincidence of the observance rule, not because New Year’s Eve has any status of its own. A federal holiday falling on a Saturday is observed the preceding Friday under 5 U.S.C. 6103(b).
Why 2027 has twelve federal holidays
Eleven holidays are established by statute in 5 U.S.C. 6103. The 2027 calendar year contains twelve observed federal holiday dates, because two Saturday holidays shift backward into Friday observances that both land inside the year.
| Statutory holiday | Statutory date | Observed date | Falls in |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Year’s Day 2027 | Friday, January 1, 2027 | January 1, 2027 | 2027 |
| Christmas Day 2027 | Saturday, December 25, 2027 | Friday, December 24, 2027 | 2027 |
| New Year’s Day 2028 | Saturday, January 1, 2028 | Friday, December 31, 2027 | 2027 |
The 2027 calendar year therefore opens with a New Year’s Day holiday and closes with another one, seven days apart at the end from Christmas. The 2028 calendar year, by contrast, contains only ten observed federal holidays, having given its New Year’s Day away to 2027.
Three of 2027’s eleven statutory holidays shift under the weekend rules — Juneteenth to Friday, June 18, Independence Day to Monday, July 5, and Christmas to Friday, December 24 — the highest count since 2021.
New Year’s Eve 2027 closures by institution
| Institution | Friday, December 31, 2027 | Saturday, January 1, 2028 |
|---|---|---|
| Federal offices | Closed, observed holiday | Closed, weekend |
| Banks and Federal Reserve | Closed | Closed, weekend |
| U.S. Postal Service | No delivery, offices closed | No delivery |
| NYSE and Nasdaq | OPEN — full session | Closed, weekend |
| Bond markets, SIFMA | Early close recommended | Closed, weekend |
| State and local government | Closed in most states | Closed, weekend |
| Public schools | Closed, winter break | Closed |
| Retail, bars and restaurants | Open, extended hours | Reduced hours |
The stock market does not close, and this is the surprise
Federal offices, banks and the postal service all shut on Friday, December 31, 2027. The New York Stock Exchange and Nasdaq trade a full session.
The reason is NYSE Rule 7.2. When an exchange holiday falls on a Saturday the market normally closes the preceding Friday — unless “unusual business conditions exist, such as the ending of a monthly or yearly accounting period” (SEC rule filing). December 31 ends the month, the quarter and the year, so the exception applies and the market stays open.
NYSE’s published 2027 calendar confirms it: ten full closures, and December 31 is not among them (NYSE; NYSE Group announcement).
The last trading day of 2027 is therefore Friday, December 31, not December 30. Bond markets do get an early close on the SIFMA recommendation.
This is rare. The rule last applied when New Year’s Day fell on a Saturday in 2022, and before that in 2011.
The 2027 year-end in full
The two Friday closures bracket four ordinary working days, which is the practical planning problem.
| Date | Day | Federal status |
|---|---|---|
| Friday, December 24 | Friday | Closed, Christmas observed |
| Saturday, December 25 | Saturday | Christmas Day |
| Sunday, December 26 | Sunday | Kwanzaa begins |
| Monday, December 27 | Monday | Working day |
| Tuesday, December 28 | Tuesday | Working day |
| Wednesday, December 29 | Wednesday | Working day |
| Thursday, December 30 | Thursday | Working day |
| Friday, December 31 | Friday | Closed, New Year’s Day 2028 observed |
| Saturday, January 1, 2028 | Saturday | New Year’s Day |
Bridging the whole period requires four days of annual leave. A midweek Christmas typically requires one or two.
Hanukkah 2027 runs across the entire span, beginning at sundown on Friday, December 24 and ending at nightfall on Saturday, January 1, 2028 (Hebcal, Hebrew year 5788). Kwanzaa runs Sunday, December 26 through Saturday, January 1.
New Year’s Eve status 2025 to 2032
| Year | December 31 falls on | Federal status that day |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Wednesday | Working day |
| 2026 | Thursday | Working day |
| 2027 | Friday | Holiday, observing New Year’s Day 2028 |
| 2028 | Sunday | Weekend |
| 2029 | Monday | Working day |
| 2030 | Tuesday | Working day |
| 2031 | Wednesday | Working day |
| 2032 | Friday | Holiday, observing New Year’s Day 2033 |
December 31 is a federal closure only when January 1 of the following year falls on a Saturday, which happens roughly one year in seven.
What New Year’s Eve 2027 is not
New Year’s Eve is not a federal holiday in its own right, in 2027 or any other year. It appears nowhere in 5 U.S.C. 6103. The December 31, 2027 closure is the observance of New Year’s Day 2028.
It is not an extra holiday. The statutory count remains eleven per year. What changes is which calendar year the observance falls in.
It does not add a holiday to 2028. The opposite: 2028 contains only ten observed federal holiday dates, because its New Year’s Day observance sits in December 2027.
The stock market is not closed on December 31, 2027, despite the federal closure. NYSE Rule 7.2’s year-end exception keeps it open, and December 31 is the last trading day of the year.
Frequently asked questions
Is New Year’s Eve 2027 a federal holiday?
Yes, in 2027 specifically. Friday, December 31, 2027 is closed as the observed date for New Year’s Day 2028, which falls on Saturday, January 1. Under 5 U.S.C. 6103(b), a Saturday federal holiday is observed on the preceding Friday. New Year’s Eve itself has no independent federal status.
Is the stock market open on December 31, 2027?
Yes — a full session, even though federal offices and banks are closed. Under NYSE Rule 7.2 the exchange normally shuts on the Friday before a Saturday holiday, but not when that Friday ends a monthly or yearly accounting period. December 31 ends the month, quarter and year, so the market trades. December 31, 2027 is the last trading day of the year. Bond markets close early on the SIFMA recommendation (NYSE).
How many federal holidays are in 2027?
Eleven by statute, but twelve observed dates fall inside the 2027 calendar year. Christmas Day 2027 is observed Friday, December 24 and New Year’s Day 2028 is observed Friday, December 31, 2027. Both land in 2027, which leaves 2028 with only ten.
