Presidents Day 2026 In IL: What’s Open, Closed

Presidents Day on Monday is a federal holiday, but that doesn’t mean every government office in Illinois will automatically be closed.

Most public schools in Illinois are closed on Presidents Day, including Chicago public schools. According to the Illinois State Board of Education, Presidents Day is typically observed on Lincoln's birthday, Feb. 12, but districts can choose to observe Monday, Feb. 16, off.

If you need to run to the DMV or take care of any other government business, you may find the doors locked and lights off. Most states, including Illinois, make Presidents Day a holiday for workers, with exceptions including those who perform essential services. Even in states that recognize Presidents Day as a holiday, not all counties and cities give workers a day off.

Banks, the New York Stock Exchange, Nasdaq, and bond markets will be closed. So will the U.S. Postal Service. Unless they’re typically closed on Mondays, most retail stores will be open as usual. The same goes for restaurants and bars. Some non-retail businesses will be closed, including Patch Media.

Here’s a look at what’s open and closed, schedule changes, and other things to know about Presidents Day in Illinois:

• Government offices: Government buildings will be closed on Monday. This includes Secretary of State facilities, county offices and courts.
• Trash collection: Varies per municipality
• Library: Most in the state are closed on Presidents Day

Presidents Day is the first free-admission day for national parks in 2026. The day kicks off a revised, more “patriotic” schedule of free entrance days for the year, with notable exceptions of Martin Luther King Jr. Day and Juneteenth. Flag Day on June 14, which is also President Donald Trump’s 80th birthday, was added to the schedule of fee-free admission days. Under another change this year, only U.S. citizens and residents.

The National Park Service manages more than 430 designated sites, including national parks, monuments, battlefields, historic sites, lakeshores, and recreation areas. Some places to consider in the Prairie State include:

• Lincoln Home
• The location of the Springfield 1908 Race Riot
• The Pullman neighborhood of Chicago
• New Philadelphia, the first U.S. town registered by an African American

The upcoming holiday is legally known as Washington’s Birthday, which was celebrated on Feb. 22 until it was moved to the third Monday in February under the Uniform Monday Holiday Act, which took effect in 1971.

Although the name of the holiday was never officially changed, it became known in the 1980s as Presidents Day, a celebration not just of a single president but of the office of the presidency. Many people also regard it as a holiday honoring both Washington’s birthday on Feb. 22 and President Abraham Lincoln’s birthday on Feb. 12.