What’s Open and Closed on Columbus Day

(KNSI) — Monday, October 13th, marks Columbus Day 2025, a federal holiday that started out honoring Christopher Columbus but now shares the day with Indigenous Peoples’ Day in many places, including Minnesota, which recognizes Native American history and culture.

Just because it’s a federal holiday doesn’t mean everything shuts down, though.

The post office will be closed, so there will be no mail today. However, Priority Mail Express is delivering as are FedEx and UPS. FedEx and UPS retail locations will also be open. Most big banks will be closed, and the bond market won’t be trading, but the New York Stock Exchange and Nasdaq will be open for business as usual.

When it comes to shopping and dining, most places will be open. Major grocery chains like Walmart, Target, and Aldi typically keep their doors open, and the same goes for retail stores and shopping centers. Fast-food spots and chain restaurants usually operate normally, too.

The holiday itself commemorates the landing of Christopher Columbus in what’s now the Bahamas on October 12th, 1492. He was an Italian explorer sailing for Spain, trying to find a western route to Asia but ending up in the Americas instead. New York City held the first official celebration back in 1792, and President Franklin D. Roosevelt made it a national holiday in 1937. Since 1971, it’s been celebrated on the second Monday of October rather than on a specific date.

The holiday has sparked a lot of debate over the years because Columbus’s arrival ultimately led to colonization that critics argue brought disease, forced displacement, and death to Indigenous populations.

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