2027 Labor Day

Labor Day, the first Monday of September, is a federal holiday honoring the contributions of American workers. The first celebration was a parade organised by New York City unions in 1882, and Congress made it a national holiday in 1894. Unlike the May 1 International Workers' Day observed in much of the world, the American holiday is more about leisure than protest: the long weekend marks the unofficial end of summer with barbecues, beach trips, parades in some cities and the final days of the US Open tennis tournament, and retailers run some of the year's biggest sales on mattresses, appliances and back-to-school goods. Many schools start the new year the day after, and the old etiquette rule against wearing white after Labor Day still gets mentioned. Highways and airports are busy from Friday, so leave early or book ahead. This countdown ticks to midnight Eastern Time in New York at the start of Labor Day.