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When is Father's Day?
Father's Day falls on Sunday, June 21, 2026.
About Father's Day
Father's Day falls on the third Sunday of June each year in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Ireland, France and many other countries. It is a day to honour fathers, fatherhood and the part fathers play in their families and in society. The US celebration was first held in 1910 in Spokane, Washington. President Lyndon B. Johnson recognised it as a national observance in 1966, and President Richard Nixon made that recognition permanent in 1972. People typically mark the day with cards, gifts and family meals, though it is observed a little less commercially than Mother's Day. Some countries keep Father's Day on a different date. Spain, Portugal and Italy observe it on March 19, the feast of St Joseph.
The first Father's Day was held on June 19, 1910 in Spokane, Washington. It was championed by Sonora Smart Dodd in honour of her father, a Civil War veteran who raised six children alone after his wife died in childbirth. Dodd had been inspired by the Mother's Day celebrations started by Anna Jarvis. Father's Day caught on slowly. President Calvin Coolidge declined to make it a federal holiday in 1924, and it became a permanent national observance only under President Nixon in 1972. Australia, New Zealand, Fiji and Papua New Guinea hold Father's Day on the first Sunday of September instead. Spain, Portugal, Italy and several Latin American countries keep it on March 19, the feast of St Joseph, who is honoured in Catholic tradition as the foster-father of Jesus and the patron saint of fathers.
Frequently asked questions
When is Father's Day?
In the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Ireland, France and many other countries, Father's Day falls on the third Sunday of June, so the date moves each year between June 15 and June 21. Other countries differ. Australia and New Zealand keep it on the first Sunday of September, while Spain, Portugal and Italy mark it on March 19, the feast of St Joseph. Because the date varies so widely, it is always worth checking the one used in a particular country.
Who started Father's Day?
The modern Father's Day is usually credited to Sonora Smart Dodd of Spokane, Washington. Her father, a Civil War veteran, had raised her and her five siblings alone after their mother died. Inspired by the new Mother's Day, Dodd campaigned for an equivalent day for fathers, and the first Father's Day was held in Spokane on June 19, 1910. Earlier one-off services for fathers had been held elsewhere, but Dodd's efforts led to the lasting annual observance.
Is Father's Day a public holiday?
Father's Day is not a public holiday in the United States, the United Kingdom or most other countries. In the US it is a recognised national observance rather than a federal holiday, so there is no day off attached to it. Because it falls on a Sunday in most countries, the question of closing offices or schools does not really arise. It is marked privately, within families, rather than through any official closure or public ceremony.
Why did Father's Day take so long to be recognised?
Father's Day was slower to gain acceptance than Mother's Day. Early on, many people saw it as an artificial copy, and some men were uneasy about a sentimental holiday aimed at them. Attempts to give it official status repeatedly stalled. President Coolidge supported the idea in 1924 but did not make it a holiday, and it was not until 1972, under President Nixon, that the United States gave Father's Day permanent national recognition, more than sixty years after the first celebration.
Why do some countries celebrate Father's Day on March 19?
Spain, Portugal, Italy and several Latin American countries hold Father's Day on March 19, the feast of St Joseph. In Catholic tradition Joseph is the husband of Mary and the foster-father of Jesus, and he is honoured as the patron saint of fathers and of workers. Tying Father's Day to his feast gave the day a religious basis already present in the calendar. So in those countries Father's Day is fixed to March 19 rather than to a Sunday in June.