Close-up of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. shown in this photo headshoulders, alone.
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Monday is Martin Luther King Jr. Day, a day designated to honor the life and legacy of the American civil rights icon. It’s also one of two federal holidays the Trump administration is making changes to in 2026.
Is MLK Day still a federal holiday, and will flags be lowered? Here’s what to know about the latest changes.
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When is MLK Day 2026?
This year, Martin Luther King Jr. Day falls on Monday, Jan. 19, 2026.
The holiday is observed each year on the third Monday of January, and the commemoration is the only federal holiday that is “designated as a national day of service to encourage all Americans to volunteer and improve their communities,” according to the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture.
Is MLK Day a federal holiday?
Yes, Martin Luther King Jr. Day is a federal holiday. Former President Ronald Reagan signed the bill into law on November 2, 1983, and the first nationwide observance was held in 1986.
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But it took longer than that for states across the country to adopt the holiday, including fights in Arizona, South Carolina and elsewhere, according to the National Constitution Center. Texas officially recognized MLK Day in 1991, and it wasn’t until 2000 that all 50 states did the same. Today, it remains the only federal holiday designated as a national day of service, encouraging all Americans to volunteer and contribute to their communities.
U.S. civil rights leader Martin Luther King (C) waves to supporters 28 August 1963 on the Mall in Washington DC (Washington Monument in background) during the “March on Washington”, where King delivered his famous “I Have a Dream” speech, which mobilized supporters of desegregation and prompted the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
AFP/AFP via Getty Images
Did Trump change MLK Day? Major shifts in National Parks’ ‘fee-free days’
In November 2025, the Department of the Interior announced changes in National Park access, which include Martin Luther King Jr. Day. In previous years, the National Park Service and Bureau of Land Management have designated some federal holidays and commemorative days as “fee-free days.” On these days, access to federal lands like National Parks, Forests and Wildlife Refuges waives entrance fees.
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The Trump administration made major changes to the list of fee-free days for 2026, placing an emphasis on U.S. patriotism rather than traditional federal holidays. Days like Martin Luther King Jr. Day and Juneteenth were removed, meaning visitors will be required to pay full entry fees to enter national parks. A notable addition to the list is Flag Day, which is also Trump’s birthday. The only day from the 2025 list that appears on the 2026 list is Veterans Day. The lists of fee-free days, as reported by Axios, are as follows:
- Jan. 9: National Day of Mourning for former President Jimmy Carter
- Jan. 20: Martin Luther King Jr. Day
- April 19: First day of National Park Week
- June 19: Juneteenth National Independence Day
- Aug. 4: Anniversary of the Great American Outdoors Act
- Sept. 27: National Public Lands Day
- Nov. 11: Veterans Day
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- Feb. 16: Presidents Day (Washington’s birthday)
- May 25: Memorial Day
- June 14: Flag Day/Trump’s birthday
- July 3-5: Independence Day weekend
- Aug. 25: 110th birthday of the National Parks Service
- Sept. 17: Constitution Day
- Oct. 27: Theodore Roosevelt’s birthday
- Nov. 11: Veterans Day
Read more:Is there a $2,000 stimulus check coming in 2026? Here’s when Trump said you’ll get one
Will US flags be lowered to half-staff, half-mast for Martin Luther King Jr. Day?
No, the U.S. flag will not be lowered for Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Unlike National Parks’ fee-free days, this isn’t a change from previous years. Flags are generally only lowered in mourning, and the holiday is meant to honor King’s legacy.
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Immediately after King’s assassination in 1968, then-President Lyndon B. Johnson ordered flags at half-staff and half-mast as a sign of national mourning. Proclamation 3839 required flags to be lowered beginning April 4, the day of King’s death, through April 9, the day of King’s interment.
This period was the only time flags were ordered to be lowered nationwide for King. Some states and local entities may choose to fly flags at half-staff and half-mast without a federal mandate.
When are flags flown at half-staff?
There are specific holidays and events when flags are flown at half-staff in the U.S., according to the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs website. That includes:
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- National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Service Day
- Peace Officers Memorial Day, unless that day is also Armed Forces Day
- Memorial Day, when the flag should be displayed at half-staff until noon only, then raised to the top of the staff
- Patriot Day
- National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day
President Dwight Eisenhower also issued a proclamation on the proper times for flying the flag at half-staff when government officials die. That includes:
- 30 days at all federal buildings, grounds, and naval vessels throughout the United States and its territories and possessions after the death of the president or a former president.
- 10 days at half-staff after the death of the vice president, the chief justice or a retired chief justice of the United States Supreme Court, or the speaker of the House of Representatives.
- From the date of death until interment for an associate justice of the Supreme Court, a member of the Cabinet, a former vice president, the president pro tempore of the Senate, the majority leader of the Senate, the minority leader of the Senate, the majority leader of the House of Representatives, or the minority leader of the House of Representatives.
- The date of death and the following day of a United States senator, representative, territorial delegate, or the resident commissioner from the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. It should also be flown at half-staff on all federal facilities in the state, congressional district, territory, or commonwealth of these officials.
- From the date of death until interment for the governor of a state, territory or possession.
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The president may also order that the flag be flown at half-staff to commemorate the death of other officials, former officials or foreign dignitaries, such as the death of Pope Francis.
