Countdown

Time until Martin Luther King Jr. Day

The third Monday in January, near King's 15 January birthday.

Counting down to Martin Luther King Jr. Day

Monday, 18 January 2027

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Midnight at the start of Monday, 18 January 2027

Counting from your device clock.

What is Martin Luther King Jr. Day?

Martin Luther King Jr. Day is the third Monday in January, which places it between the 15th and the 21st and close to King's birthday on 15 January. It was signed into law in 1983 and first observed in 1986, though it took until 2000 for every state to recognise it. It is a federal holiday and also a national day of service, which is unusual: the legislation encourages volunteering rather than simply closing offices.

The next one falls on Monday, 18 January 2027, and this page counts down to the midnight that starts it in whatever time zone your browser reports. For a date of your own, the deadline countdown takes any target and tracks progress against it.

Frequently asked questions

How is this countdown calculated?

The target is midnight at the start of Monday, 18 January 2027, read in your device's own time zone rather than in a fixed one. Two people opening this page in London and Tokyo see different amounts of time left, because their local midnights are nine hours apart. Nothing is sent anywhere: the clock in your browser does the arithmetic.

What happens once the date has passed?

The page rolls to the next occurrence on its own. Every date here is worked out from a rule rather than looked up in a table, so once Martin Luther King Jr. Day is behind you the countdown restarts against the following one without anybody updating the site. If you leave the tab open overnight, it rolls over while you watch.

Why does it read zero on the day itself?

The countdown aims at the beginning of the day rather than at any particular hour of it, so it hits zero at midnight and stays there until the day is over. That is the answer most people want from a question like "how many days until Martin Luther King Jr. Day", where the honest reply on the day is none.

More countdowns

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