Are stores open on Juneteenth? Holiday hours for Walmart, Costco, stock markets, banks, and more

Juneteenth, observed on June 19, 2024, marks the commemoration of the end of slavery in the United States and is a federal holiday. As a federal observance, many government services and institutions will be closed. Municipal offices, including courthouses and city halls, will be shut down. The United States Postal Service (USPS) will also close its physical post offices and suspend regular mail delivery, with Priority Mail Express being the sole exception. In contrast, major shipping carriers like FedEx and UPS will maintain regular operations, with most of their locations open and package deliveries proceeding as usual. The Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) offices will be closed. This year also features the official public opening of the Obama Presidential Center and Library in Chicago, a significant cultural event coinciding with the holiday. The historical context of Juneteenth traces back to President Abraham Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863, which freed enslaved people in Confederate-controlled states. However, enforcement was delayed in Texas until federal troops arrived on June 19, 1865, over two years later. The nationwide abolition of slavery was further solidified by the ratification of the 13th Amendment on December 6, 1865. Juneteenth was officially established as a federal holiday on June 17, 2021, when President Joe Biden signed the corresponding legislation.