Native American Heritage Day 2026 Is Friday, Nov. 27: Is It a Federal Holiday?

Native American Heritage Day 2026 is Friday, Nov. 27, the Friday after Thanksgiving Day, under Public Law 111-33 published by the U.S. Government Publishing Office (GPO), but it is not a federal holiday on the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) list. The law, approved June 26, 2009, only encourages observance. A printable November 2026 calendar for the month is further down this page.

Is Native American Heritage Day a federal holiday?

No. The OPM list of 2026 federal holidays names Columbus Day (Monday, Oct. 12), Veterans Day (Wednesday, Nov. 11) and Thanksgiving Day (Thursday, Nov. 26). Native American Heritage Day is not on it. This story makes no claim about federal leave on Nov. 27, so check with your employer.

What does Public Law 111-33 actually say?

The Native American Heritage Day Act of 2009 is Public Law 111-33, approved June 26, 2009 (123 Stat. 1922). Two parts matter:

Section	What the text does
Sec. 2 (finding)	States that “the Friday immediately succeeding Thanksgiving Day of each year would be an appropriate day to designate as Native American Heritage Day.”
Sec. 3	Encourages observance of the day.

A finding is a statement of what Congress considers appropriate. The law is a resolution that encourages observance; it does not create a paid federal holiday.

Is it a legal holiday in any state?

In Washington state, yes. The Revised Code of Washington (RCW) 1.16.050(1)(k) lists as a legal holiday “The Friday immediately following the fourth Thursday in November, to be known as Native American Heritage Day.” The Washington State Legislature publishes the statute. This story did not confirm the rules in other states.

When is Native American Heritage Day from 2026 to 2031?

The day is the Friday after the fourth Thursday in November, and Thanksgiving is the day before. Dates below are computed from that rule. See When is Thanksgiving? for the Thanksgiving answer.

Year	Thanksgiving Day	Native American Heritage Day
2026	Thu., Nov. 26	Fri., Nov. 27
2027	Thu., Nov. 25	Fri., Nov. 26
2028	Thu., Nov. 23	Fri., Nov. 24
2029	Thu., Nov. 22	Fri., Nov. 23
2030	Thu., Nov. 28	Fri., Nov. 29
2031	Thu., Nov. 27	Fri., Nov. 28

For the reason Thanksgiving lands on Nov. 26 this year, see why Thanksgiving 2026 is Nov. 26.

When is Native American Heritage Month 2026?

November 1, 2026, is a Sunday, so the month runs from Sunday, Nov. 1 to Monday, Nov. 30, 2026. According to the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Congress designated November 1990 as National American Indian Heritage Month by joint resolution (Public Law 101-343, approved Aug. 3, 1990), and it has become an annual observance in November.

Has a 2026 proclamation been announced?

Not yet announced. In 2025, the White House issued a “Message on National Native American Heritage Month” dated Nov. 4, 2025, according to The American Presidency Project. As of Oct. 23, 2026, the presidential actions page on whitehouse.gov showed no 2026 proclamation or message.

The official hub, nativeamericanheritagemonth.gov, is hosted by the Library of Congress with partners. As of Oct. 28 it still shows the 2025 page. Programs at the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian (NMAI) for November 2026 are not confirmed here; check americanindian.si.edu.

What else is on the calendar in November 2026?

The free printable on this page marks the month for November 2026: Heritage Month, Veterans Day on Wednesday, Nov. 11, Thanksgiving Day and Heritage Day. Our November 2026 printable calendar and the November 2026 important dates list cover the rest, and the US holidays page lists the federal holidays.