Columbus Day 2026 — How Many Days Until Columbus Day?
About Columbus Day
Columbus Day — observed on the second Monday of October in the United States — marks the anniversary of Christopher Columbus's arrival in the Americas on 12 October 1492. Columbus, sailing under the Spanish crown, made landfall in the Bahamas on that date, beginning the era of European exploration and colonisation of the Americas.
The holiday has been observed since the late 18th century and became a federal holiday in 1937, largely through the advocacy of the Knights of Columbus and Italian-American communities, who viewed Columbus — an Italian from Genoa — as a symbol of their heritage and contributions to American society.
In recent decades, Columbus Day has become increasingly controversial, with many pointing to Columbus's role in the colonisation, enslavement, and decimation of Indigenous populations. More than a dozen states and hundreds of cities have replaced Columbus Day with Indigenous Peoples' Day, including California, Oregon, and New Mexico. South Dakota was the first state to replace it, in 1990. Several other countries in Latin America observe 12 October as Día de la Raza or Día del Respeto a la Diversidad Cultural.
- Columbus Day falls on the second Monday of October in the US
- Christopher Columbus first landed in the Americas on 12 October 1492
- It became a federal holiday in 1937, largely through Italian-American advocacy
- More than a dozen US states have replaced it with Indigenous Peoples' Day
- Columbus was from Genoa (now Italy) and sailed under the Spanish flag