No. Diwali is not a federal holiday in the United States. The list of legal public holidays in federal law, 5 U.S.C. § 6103, names only eleven days: New Year’s Day, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Washington’s Birthday, Memorial Day, Juneteenth, Independence Day, Labor Day, Columbus Day, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. Federal offices, the U.S. Postal Service, and banks that follow the Federal Reserve schedule stay open on Diwali.
Some states and cities recognize it on their own. Pennsylvania made Diwali an official state holiday in 2024, though the governor’s office notes that schools, government offices, and businesses are not required to close. A New York State law signed in 2023 requires New York City public schools to close for Diwali. In 2026, the main day of Diwali falls on Sunday, November 8.
Source: 5 U.S. Code § 6103, Holidays (Cornell Law School Legal Information Institute).
Image: “Diwali diyas” by PilotChicago, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.