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Lincoln’s Birthday 2027

Friday, February 12, 2027 Every year on February 12

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Lincoln’s Birthday is on Friday, February 12, 2027, and it falls on February 12 every year. It marks the birth of Abraham Lincoln, the 16th U.S. president, who led the country through the Civil War. A handful of states still treat the day as a legal holiday.

When Is Lincoln’s Birthday Observed?

It’s always February 12. Illinois, California, Connecticut, Missouri and New York still observe it, the National Constitution Center reports. Rules on closures differ by state, so check your state’s own calendar.

It isn’t a federal holiday. Banks follow the Federal Reserve calendar, which doesn’t include February 12, so most banks and post offices stay open.

When and Where Was Abraham Lincoln Born?

Lincoln was born on Sunday, February 12, 1809, in a one-room log cabin on his father’s Sinking Spring Farm in Kentucky. The site is now Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historical Park, near Hodgenville.

A Memorial Building there houses a symbolic cabin. Visitors climb 56 steps to reach it.

How his birthday became a holiday

States began honoring the date after his death. By 1890 it was a paid holiday in 10 states, and by 1940, 24 states and Washington, D.C., observed it.

A federal holiday never followed. Attempts in Congress failed, the National Constitution Center notes.

Why Remember Abraham Lincoln?

To honor the president who preserved the Union and moved to end slavery. The day invites people to read his words and visit the places tied to his life.

It also keeps alive a tradition older than Presidents’ Day. At the Lincoln Memorial, a wreath-laying has been held every February 12 for more than a century.

The Lincoln penny began with this birthday

For Lincoln’s 100th birthday in 1909, Theodore Roosevelt’s administration redesigned the one-cent coin. Lincoln became the first U.S. president on a circulating coin. Sculptor Victor David Brenner created the portrait.

The coin’s run ended in November 2025, when the U.S. Mint in Philadelphia struck its last circulating pennies. They remain legal tender.

How to Celebrate Lincoln’s Birthday

  • Attend the Lincoln Memorial ceremony: each February 12, the National Park Service holds a free wreath-laying and a reading of the Gettysburg Address.
  • Visit Lincoln sites: plan a trip to the Kentucky birthplace or the Lincoln Home in Springfield, Illinois.
  • Read the Gettysburg Address aloud: it’s about 270 words and takes roughly two minutes.
  • Hunt for a 1909 penny: look for “VDB” under the wheat stalks on the back, Brenner’s initials.
  • Teach kids about Lincoln: read a picture-book biography and talk about his early life in a log cabin, then compare it with their own home.

Lincoln’s Birthday vs. Presidents’ Day

The 1971 Uniform Monday Holiday Act set the federal Washington’s Birthday holiday on the third Monday in February. It never lands on February 22, Washington’s actual birthday.

Many states and stores call that Monday “Presidents’ Day” and use it to honor both men. Under federal law, though, its name is still Washington’s Birthday.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Lincoln’s Birthday a federal holiday?

No. It has never been one. The federal February holiday is Washington’s Birthday, on the third Monday of February.

How long has the Lincoln Memorial ceremony run?

Since 1923. Members of the Military Order of the Loyal Legion started it the year after the memorial’s 1922 dedication.

Where was Lincoln born?

Near Hodgenville, Kentucky. The farm is now a National Historical Park run by the National Park Service, where visitors can see a symbolic log cabin.

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