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Flag Day2026 Countdown
Sunday, June 14, 2026
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About Flag Day
Flag Day is the American observance of June 14, the anniversary of the day in 1777 when the Second Continental Congress adopted the Stars and Stripes as the flag of the United States. It sits quietly between Memorial Day and the Fourth of July, which suits its character: less a party than a moment of civic reflection. Schools, town squares, and front porches fill with flags, and many communities hold small parades, flag retirement ceremonies, and historical reenactments.
The holiday has a particular home in Pennsylvania, the only state where it is an official legal holiday, and in Waubeka, Wisconsin, and Quincy, Massachusetts, two towns that claim a special role in its founding. For most Americans, though, Flag Day is simply a good excuse to look at the banner outside the post office with a little more attention, remembering that the same flag has flown through wars, moon landings, and ordinary Tuesday mornings.
History of Flag Day
On June 14, 1777, the Continental Congress resolved that the flag of the thirteen United States would consist of thirteen stripes alternating red and white with a blue field bearing white stars, one for each state. The design evolved as states joined, settling at fifty stars after Hawaii in 1959 and 1960. The idea of a day for the flag is credited largely to Bernard Cigrand, a Wisconsin schoolteacher who held the first formal observance in 1885 and spent decades campaigning for the holiday. Others, including George Balch in New York and the Sons of the American Revolution, kept the momentum going. President Woodrow Wilson issued a proclamation in 1916 asking Americans to observe June 14, and Congress made National Flag Day permanent in 1949 under President Truman, though it never became a federal day off.
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Frequently Asked Questions
- When is Flag Day?
- Flag Day is observed every year on June 14, marking the adoption of the Stars and Stripes by the Continental Congress in 1777.
- Is Flag Day a public holiday?
- Flag Day is not a federal public holiday in the United States, so banks, post offices, and most businesses stay open. Pennsylvania is the only state that treats it as an official legal holiday.
- How do people celebrate Flag Day?
- People celebrate with flag-raising ceremonies, small-town parades, school programs about flag history, and solemn flag retirement ceremonies where worn flags are burned respectfully. Many households simply fly the flag and brush up on flag etiquette.
- Why is Flag Day on June 14?
- The Continental Congress passed the Flag Resolution on June 14, 1777, defining the design of the American flag, so the anniversary became the natural date for the observance.