All Holidays and Special Days during which Starbucks Remain Closed
Starbucks stays open on most holidays — but Christmas Day is the one day most company-operated stores close nationwide. Here is a complete guide to Starbucks holiday hours, which days to expect closures, and how to check before you go.
What holidays is Starbucks closed? Christmas Day (December 25) is the one day of the year when the vast majority of company-operated Starbucks locations in the United States remain closed. Thanksgiving Day sees a large number of closures or significantly reduced hours. A smaller number of stores close on Easter Sunday and New Year’s Day. For all other major US holidays — including Fourth of July, Memorial Day, Labor Day, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, and Presidents’ Day — most Starbucks locations remain open, often with slightly adjusted hours.
Starbucks is one of the few large US restaurant chains that operates almost year-round. It is open on most public holidays when many other businesses close. But there are specific days — anchored by Christmas — when planning ahead is essential, because showing up to a closed or reduced-hours store is a genuinely disruptive experience if you depend on your daily coffee routine or are trying to meet someone there.
1. Christmas Day: The One Consistent Nationwide Closure
Christmas Day is the most reliable Starbucks closure of the year. Corporate Starbucks policy grants store partners (employees) Christmas Day off as a paid holiday, which means the vast majority of company-operated Starbucks locations close on December 25.
This applies across almost all standalone company-operated stores in the US. The closure is broadly consistent year over year and is not dependent on which day of the week Christmas falls.
What to expect on December 25:
- Most company-operated standalone Starbucks locations: closed
- Hours on Christmas Eve (December 24): typically open with reduced hours, often closing by 5–7 pm rather than regular closing time
- Hours on December 26: typically return to normal operating hours
The one major exception class is licensed Starbucks locations — stores operating inside grocery stores, Target, Costco, airports, universities, hospitals, and other host venues. These locations follow the hours of their host business rather than corporate Starbucks policy. A Starbucks inside a 24-hour grocery store may remain open on Christmas Day if the host store is open; a Starbucks inside a university food court will be closed if the university is closed.
If you need Starbucks on Christmas Day, your best option is a licensed location inside a grocery store or airport that remains open — but always verify hours in advance using the Starbucks app or Google Maps, as even these can vary by location.
2. Thanksgiving Day: Widespread Closures and Reduced Hours
Thanksgiving Day (the fourth Thursday of November) is the second most common day for Starbucks closures and reduced hours. Unlike Christmas, the picture is less uniform — individual store managers have more discretion, and the decision varies by store, district, and franchise arrangement.
Typical Thanksgiving Day pattern:
- A significant proportion of company-operated locations: closed or open for morning hours only (6 am–12 pm range)
- Some locations open full day with reduced staffing
- Licensed locations inside grocery stores: follow host store hours — many groceries are open on Thanksgiving morning but close by early afternoon
In recent years, Starbucks has moved in the direction of giving more employees Thanksgiving off, consistent with a broader retail industry trend away from full Thanksgiving Day operations. However, unlike Christmas, there is no universal policy, so Thanksgiving hours are genuinely variable by location.
Thanksgiving week context: The days surrounding Thanksgiving — particularly the Wednesday before (one of the highest-traffic commute days of the year) and Black Friday — typically see Starbucks at or above normal operation, often with extended morning hours.
3. Easter Sunday: Variable Closures by Location
Easter Sunday (date varies: late March to late April) is a holiday on which a meaningful number of Starbucks locations choose to close or operate on reduced hours, though there is no uniform corporate closure policy equivalent to Christmas.
The pattern on Easter tends to follow religious observance demographics and local community patterns. In areas with high church attendance, a higher proportion of nearby Starbucks locations may be closed or operating with minimal hours on Easter morning. In urban areas with less pronounced Easter observance, stores more commonly remain open.
Licensed locations inside grocery stores and shopping centres on Easter follow host-business hours, which also vary widely by region and store.
If you are planning to visit Starbucks on Easter Sunday, checking the specific location’s hours via the Starbucks app or Google Maps the day before is strongly recommended.
4. New Year’s Day: Mostly Open, Some Closures
New Year’s Day (January 1) follows a mixed pattern. Most Starbucks locations remain open on January 1, recognising that it is a high-demand day for people recovering from New Year’s Eve celebrations and seeking coffee. However, a subset of stores — particularly those in quieter suburban or residential areas — choose to close or operate on reduced hours to give employees a rest day following the late-night New Year’s Eve preceding it.
New Year’s Eve (December 31) typically sees normal or extended hours at most locations, as Starbucks sees strong sales through late afternoon and early evening before customers head to their New Year’s Eve plans.
The combination of Christmas closure (December 25) and the variable New Year’s Day pattern means the last week of December is the period of highest holiday disruption to Starbucks availability in the calendar year.
5. Holidays When Starbucks Typically Stays Open
The following major US public holidays see the vast majority of Starbucks locations remain open, typically with normal or only slightly reduced hours:
| Holiday | Typical Starbucks Status |
|---|---|
| New Year’s Day (Jan 1) | Mostly open; some locations closed |
| Martin Luther King Jr. Day | Open — normal hours |
| Presidents’ Day | Open — normal hours |
| St. Patrick’s Day | Open — normal hours |
| Good Friday | Open — normal hours |
| Memorial Day | Open — normal or slightly reduced hours |
| Fourth of July | Open — normal or slightly reduced hours |
| Labor Day | Open — normal or slightly reduced hours |
| Columbus Day / Indigenous Peoples’ Day | Open — normal hours |
| Veterans Day | Open — normal hours |
| Thanksgiving Day | Many locations closed or reduced hours |
| Christmas Eve | Open — reduced hours (typically close early evening) |
| Christmas Day | Most company-operated locations CLOSED |
| New Year’s Eve | Open — normal hours |
For all “open” holidays, individual store hours may vary slightly — a store in a shopping mall may close earlier if the mall reduces its hours; a drive-through-only location may maintain full hours. The Starbucks app and Google Maps listings are updated in real time and are the most reliable sources for specific location hours on any given day.
6. Company-Operated vs. Licensed Stores: Why It Matters
The single most important factor in determining whether a specific Starbucks will be open on a holiday is whether it is a company-operated store or a licensed store.
Company-operated stores are owned and staffed directly by Starbucks Corporate. These locations follow Starbucks corporate holiday policies. They receive paid holiday benefits including Christmas Day off, which is why the Christmas closure is consistent across this category.
Licensed stores operate under an agreement with a host business and are staffed by employees of that host business (a grocery store chain, a hotel, a university, etc.). Licensed stores do not follow Starbucks corporate holiday policies — they follow the policies of their host employer. This means:
- A Starbucks inside a Target store is open when Target is open
- A Starbucks inside a university student centre is closed when the university is on break
- A Starbucks inside an airport terminal may be open 365 days a year
- A Starbucks inside a hospital may operate 24/7 year-round
Approximately 40–50% of all Starbucks locations in the US are licensed stores. If you are uncertain which type your nearest location is, the Starbucks store locator app shows this information — licensed stores are typically labelled with the name of their host venue.
How to check hours before you go:
- Open the Starbucks app → tap the location search icon → find your store → tap the store for current hours
- Search “[Starbucks location name] hours” on Google — Google often shows holiday hours automatically
- Call the store directly — the phone number is listed in the app and on Google Maps
For students living on campus or off-campus with tight schedules, knowing which nearby Starbucks locations are licensed (and therefore may be open on days when standalone stores are closed) is a practical piece of information worth having ahead of any major holiday weekend. For broader context on how cancellations and closures of recurring services affect student budgets and routines, why I am canceling Netflix and how to cancel Netflix both explore how students think through recurring subscription and service costs.