Every first Monday in September, Labor Day gives Americans a long weekend to mark the unofficial end of summer, but it's also a flag-flying holiday with its own history and etiquette worth knowing. This year, Labor day falls on September 7th, 2026

A Holiday Born from a Movement

Labor Day traces back to the labor union movement of the late 1800s, a response to the long hours and harsh conditions many American workers faced during the industrial era. The first Labor Day celebration was held in New York City in 1882, organized by the Central Labor Union. It became a federal holiday in 1894, signed into law by President Grover Cleveland just days after a major national railway strike, timing widely seen as an attempt to smooth relations with the labor movement.

Full Staff, Not Half-Staff

Unlike some patriotic observances, Labor Day is a full-staff holiday, the American flag should be flown at the top of the pole, not lowered. It's a celebratory day, not a somber one, so if you're used to checking for half-staff notices around military observances, this is one where you can fly it high without a second thought.

A Holiday for Everyone Who Works

While the origins are rooted in organized labor, today's Labor Day is a broader celebration of the American workforce as a whole, a nod to the effort behind everything from manufacturing to healthcare to small businesses like ours. Flying the flag on this day is as much a tribute to that collective effort as it is to any single industry or era.

Marking the Day

Beyond flying the flag at full staff, Labor Day is a good moment to check that your flag and hardware are in good shape heading into fall, sun exposure over the summer can wear on fabric, and a Labor Day check gives you a head start before the next round of fall observances arrives.

However you spend the long weekend, flying the flag on Labor Day is a small way to honor the work, and the workers, that keep the country running.