Columbus Day 2022: What’s Open/Closed In Massachusetts

MASSACHUSETTS — Fall is in full swing and many across Massachusetts have a day off from school and/or work on Monday due to Columbus Day.

While Massachusetts officially recognizes the holiday as Columbus Day, several municipalities across Massachusetts have shifted to celebrate Indigenous Peoples Day instead.

Here is a primer on what’s open, what’s closed and travel changes to expect as the long weekend winds down:

• Municipal government offices: Closed
• State government offices: Closed
• Registry of Motor Vehicles: Closed
• Federal offices: Closed
• Post offices: Closed
• Banks: Mostly closed
• Stock market: Open
• State parks: Open
• Grocery stores: Hours vary
• Malls: Open, hours vary
• Liquor stores: Open
• MBTA: No schedule changes
• Trash pickups: Most municipalities delay by one day.
• Traffic: Roadwork outside of fixed work zones will not take place through Monday, according to MassDOT.

Columbus Day at the federal level dates back at least to 1892, when then President Benjamin Harrison called for a celebration of the 400th anniversary of the date when Christopher Columbus first arrived in the Americas, according to History.com.

President Franklin Delano Roosevelt codified the day as a federal holiday in 1937.

Columbus Day has been a topic of debate in recent years, with supporters of Columbus Day defending the day, in part, as a celebration of Italian-American culture.

Advocates seeking to replace Columbus Day with Indigenous Peoples Day have noted the impact of European colonization by Columbus and others, noting the spread of disease as well as other atrocities against Indigenous people.

As some municipalities have moved to adopt Indigenous People’s Day, efforts have similarly moved forward at the state level.

Bills to make the change in the legislature failed to make it to the floor for a full vote in this most recent 2022 legislative session, though, as noted by MassLive.

A variety of celebrations are scheduled in the meantime, marking both Columbus Day and Indigenous Peoples Day this year.