10 National Holidays Observed in Brooklyn (and nationwide)
Brooklyn, along with the rest of the United States, observes ten federal holidays every year. See a multi-year calendar of federal holidays, 2012-2015.For foreign residents of Brooklyn, or Americans who never thought much about the topic, here's some basic information on federal holidays.
1. What's a federal holiday? Federal holidays are public holidays for all non-essential employees of the US government.
2. Who has the day off work on a federal holiday, and what's closed? On federal holidays, all federal government offices are closed, such as the US Post Office, passport and visa offices. In Brooklyn, all post offices are closed, as are all Social Security Administration offices, the courts in downtown Brooklyn, IRS and other government offices.
Depending on the holiday, it may also be observed by many Brooklyn workers and residents who are employed in the public sector at the local, city or state level. Depending on the holiday, all banks and some businesses will also be closed.
3. What happens on a federal holiday in Brooklyn? Certain federal holidays are the occasion for parades in Brooklyn (for instance, Memorial Day and Labor Day), public fireworks (July 4th and New Year's Eve) and public ceremonies (for instance, Veterans Day.)
4. Are federal holidays always celebrated on their calendar date in Brooklyn? Not necessarily. Christmas is always observed on December 25th, regardless of what day of the week it is. Thanksgiving is always observed on a Thursday. But for some federal holidays, if the holiday happens to fall on a weekend -- Saturday or Sunday -- it is observed in Brooklyn, and nationally, either on a Monday or a Friday. (It's usually observed on Monday if the holiday falls on Sunday or Friday if the holiday falls on Saturday.)
5. Are Brooklyn public schools closed on every federal holiday? Consult the New York City public school calendar to determine how federal holidays impact public school calendars.
6. How many federal holidays are observed in Brooklyn? Ten.
