Alaska PTO planner 2027

Holidays 2027 in Alaska and what each one gives you

Here is each day off in date order, what it marks, and the quickest way to turn it into a longer stretch.

United StatesiPhoto: Gordon Leggett · CC BY 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

RussiaiPhoto: Vyacheslav Argenberg · CC BY 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

• Friday, January 1: New Year's Day. New Year's Day opens the year with parades, college football bowl games and a quiet day at home. When it falls near a weekend, it extends the holiday season into a longer break. You get 3 free days in a row, January 1 to 3, with no leave needed.
• Monday, January 18: Martin Luther King, Jr.'s Birthday. Honors the civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on the third Monday of January. Many people volunteer in a day of service, and the Monday creates the first long weekend of the year, popular for ski trips. You get 3 free days in a row, January 16 to 18, with no leave needed.
• Monday, February 15: Presidents' Day. Officially Washington's Birthday at the federal level and widely called Presidents' Day. Some states place the day elsewhere, even next to Christmas; wherever it sits, it is a classic hook for a long weekend and big retail sales. You get 3 free days in a row, February 13 to 15, with no leave needed.
• Monday, March 29: Seward's Day. Seward's Day marks the treaty by which the United States bought Alaska from Russia, signed in March. State offices close on the last Monday of March, a welcome long weekend as the days grow longer. You get 3 free days in a row, March 27 to 29, with no leave needed.
• Monday, May 31: Memorial Day. Memorial Day honors the men and women who died serving in the armed forces. It falls on the last Monday of May and unofficially opens summer: beaches, lake houses and road trips fill up. You get 3 free days in a row, May 29 to 31, with no leave needed.
• Friday, June 18: Juneteenth Day. Juneteenth marks June 19, the day news of emancipation reached enslaved people in Galveston, Texas. A federal holiday since 2021, it brings festivals, cookouts and family reunions and an early summer day off. The date itself, Saturday, June 19, falls on a weekend, so the day off is Friday, June 18. You get 3 free days in a row, June 18 to 20, with no leave needed.
• Monday, July 5: Independence Day. The Fourth of July celebrates the Declaration of Independence: parades, barbecues and fireworks. When it lands near a weekend, it creates one of the busiest summer travel stretches of the year. The date itself, Sunday, July 4, falls on a weekend, so the day off is Monday, July 5. You get 3 free days in a row, July 3 to 5, with no leave needed.
• Monday, September 6: Labor Day. Labor Day honors American workers on the first Monday of September and marks the unofficial end of summer. It is the last big long weekend for beaches, lakes and road trips before school is back in full swing. You get 3 free days in a row, September 4 to 6, with no leave needed.
• Monday, October 18: Alaska Day. Alaska Day celebrates the formal transfer of Alaska to the United States in Sitka. Sitka holds a festival with a parade and a flag ceremony, and state offices close for the day. You get 3 free days in a row, October 16 to 18, with no leave needed.
• Thursday, November 11: Veterans' Day. Veterans Day honors everyone who served in the U.S. armed forces, on November 11, the anniversary of the First World War armistice. Federal offices and many schools close; many businesses stay open. Take Friday, November 12 off and you have 4 days in a row, November 11 to 14.
• Thursday, November 25: Thanksgiving Day. Thanksgiving falls on the fourth Thursday of November: turkey, family and football. It is the busiest travel weekend of the year in the United States, so book flights and drives early. Take Friday, November 26 off and you have 4 days in a row, November 25 to 28.
• Friday, December 24: Christmas Day. Christmas Day is a federal holiday: most shops close and families gather. The weeks around it are a peak time for flights and drives, so book early if you plan to travel. The date itself, Saturday, December 25, falls on a weekend, so the day off is Friday, December 24. You get 3 free days in a row, December 24 to 26, with no leave needed.
• Friday, December 31: New Year's Day. New Year's Day opens the year with parades, college football bowl games and a quiet day at home. When it falls near a weekend, it extends the holiday season into a longer break. The date itself, Saturday, January 1, falls on a weekend, so the day off is Friday, December 31. It sits in the middle of the week, so it works best as a single day off.

The math: PTO days in, days off out

With 1 PTO day the longest run you can build is 4 days, November 11 to 14. Three days stretch to 6 days off (November 6 to 11). Five days, a typical week, become 10 days off around New Year's Day, January 1 to 10.

iPhoto: David Kernan · CC BY 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Ten days, the most this planner books in one go, give 18 days in a row, January 1 to 18. For nine days or more away you need 4 PTO days.

Many US employers offer around 10 to 15 PTO days a year. Spend four of them well and you can have two four-day weekends and one long week, without touching the rest.

2027 through the seasons

Winter: New Year's Day on January 1, Martin Luther King, Jr.'s Birthday on January 18, Presidents' Day on February 15, Christmas Day on December 24 and New Year's Day on December 31. The pick of the season is December 25, 2026 to January 3, 2027 with 4 PTO days for 10 days off.

iPhoto: Felix König · CC BY 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Spring: Seward's Day on March 29 and Memorial Day on May 31. The pick of the season is March 27 to April 4 with 4 PTO days for 9 days off.

Summer: Juneteenth Day on June 18 and Independence Day on July 5. The pick of the season is June 12 to 20 with 4 PTO days for 9 days off.

Fall: Labor Day on September 6, Alaska Day on October 18, Veterans' Day on November 11 and Thanksgiving Day on November 25. The pick of the season is November 11 to 14 with 1 PTO day for 4 days off.

Long weekend ideas from Alaska

Alaskans use long weekends for Seward and the Kenai Fjords on summer boat trips, for Denali when the tundra turns red in early fall, and for Talkeetna with its views of the Alaska Range. In winter, Fairbanks and Chena Hot Springs are the place for the northern lights.

iPhoto: Bernard Gagnon · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Your strongest stretches this year fall in December, January and February, so pick the trip that suits that season, and book early: everyone else in Alaska has the same days off.

Where these dates come from

Every date on this page comes from the official source for Alaska: Alaska Dept. of Administration, Division of Finance: State Calendar 2027 and OPM federal holidays, read directly and compared day by day with an independent second source. A year appears once its official list is published, and we never fill a gap with another state's dates.

The planner treats weekends and full holidays as free days and works out where your PTO days turn into the longest time off. Days kept in part of Alaska or as observances are shown but never counted. Last checked on October 1, 2026.