Presidents Day 2026 On Long Island: What’s Open, Closed

LONG ISLAND, NY — Presidents Day on Monday is a federal holiday, but that doesn’t mean every government office in Long Island will automatically be closed.

Most public schools are closed on Presidents Day. Most public school districts on Long Island observe Presidents Day with a full closure, giving students and staff the day off. Because holiday calendars can differ — especially for private schools, charter schools and colleges — parents are encouraged to verify schedules directly through their district websites or parent portals.

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 New York, 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 Long Island:

Government offices: Federal and state offices typically close on Presidents Day as a recognized federal holiday for workers.

Many village/town offices on Long Island list Presidents’ Day as an observed holiday — meaning administrative offices will likely be closed.

It’s common for municipal clerks, assessor and tax collector offices to also close. Check your town/village/city clerk website for exact hours.

Trash collection: Trash and recycling collection schedules often change on Presidents Day, but adjustments vary by town, village and private sanitation district. Some communities postpone pickup by one day, while others maintain their regular schedule. Residents are encouraged to check their local sanitation department website or holiday calendar to confirm curbside collection times for their specific neighborhood.

Library: Libraries in many towns typically close for federal holidays, including Presidents Day. Hours and closures are not centrally listed on a single database, so confirming with your library’s website or social media is recommended.

Meal sites: Many senior meal sites and community centers operate on reduced schedules or are closed on federal holidays. Policies vary by town and senior services provider — call ahead to confirm.

Courts, including federal courts, observe Presidents Day as a holiday and remain closed

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 New York include:

Fire Island National Seashore – Stretching along the South Shore of Long Island, this scenic coastal landscape offers beaches, dunes, and trails, plus historic points like the William Floyd Estate and the Fire Island Lighthouse.

Sagamore Hill National Historic Site, located in Oyster Bay, was the home of President Theodore Roosevelt, the 26th president, and includes trails and historic buildings on 83 acres.

Long Island also hosts part of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Long Island National Wildlife Refuge Complex, a collection of federal refuges that protect critical habitat for migratory birds and other wildlife along the Atlantic Flyway.

The complex includes Wertheim National Wildlife Refuge in Shirley, which serves as the headquarters and offers trails and river views; Elizabeth A. Morton National Wildlife Refuge near Sag Harbor on the South Fork, protecting forest, marsh and bay shoreline; Seatuck National Wildlife Refuge in Islip along the Great South Bay’s tidal marsh; Target Rock National Wildlife Refuge in Lloyd Harbor with oak woods and shoreline habitat; and Amagansett National Wildlife Refuge on the Atlantic Ocean shore of the South Fork.

The complex also includes additional conservation lands such as Conscience Point National Wildlife Refuge and Lido Beach Wildlife Management Area, which provide protected habitat even where public access is limited or restricted.

National Parks of New York Harbor is a collection of historic sites around New York City that often have no entrance fee, including places such as Castle Clinton in Battery Park and other waterfront heritage areas.

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.