Martin Luther King Jr. Day is a federal holiday in the United States.

Martin Luther King Jr. Day is observed as a U.S. federal holiday on the third Monday in January; in 2026 it falls on Jan. 19. The holiday was created by law signed in 1983 and first observed in 1986.

Martin Luther King Jr. Day is observed as a U.S. federal holiday on the third Monday in January. The date honors King's birthday on Jan. 15, 1929. The Uniform Monday Holiday Act of 1968 set several federal holidays to fall on Mondays, including this observance. The holiday was signed into law on Nov. 2, 1983, and first observed in 1986. Key facts: - The holiday falls on the third Monday of January; in 2026 it is Jan. 19. - It honors Martin Luther King Jr., a civil rights leader who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964 and delivered the 1963 "I Have a Dream" speech. - King rose to national prominence during the 1955 Montgomery bus boycott and founded the Southern Christian Leadership Conference in 1957. - King was assassinated on April 4, 1968, at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis; James Earl Ray confessed and was sentenced to 99 years. - The law creating the holiday was signed by President Ronald Reagan on Nov. 2, 1983, and the first national observance was Jan. 20, 1986. - As a federal holiday, government offices, U.S. Postal Service locations, the stock market and many banks report closures or modified hours; the article reports recent administrative changes by the National Park Service regarding fee-free admission days. Summary: Martin Luther King Jr. Day is a federally recognized U.S. holiday observed each year on the third Monday in January, with government offices and many services closed. The holiday commemorates King's life and civil rights work and was created by federal law signed in 1983. Any permanent change to federal holidays would require action by Congress, while presidents can make temporary administrative changes by executive order.