Indigenous Peoples’ Day and Columbus Day will take place on Monday, Oct. 9, meaning that there will be closings and service changes throughout the D.C. region.
It is a day to honor and remember Indigenous people. Even though there are those who still call it Columbus Day, President Joe Biden became the first-ever president to declare the proclamation of Indigenous Peoples’ Day in 2021.
It is also a federal holiday, and federal offices will be closed on that day.
Here’s what’s open and closed on Indigenous Peoples’ Day and Columbus Day.
Transit
Arlington ART: Arlington transit said that ART 41, 42, 45, 51, 55 and 87 will run on Sunday schedules.
DASH Bus: The city of Alexandria said the that DASH bus service will run on a Saturday schedule. The free King Street Trolley will go from King Street Metro to Alexandria City Hall/Market Square from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Service will be every 15 minutes.
Fairfax Connector: Fairfax County announced that the Fairfax Connector bus will operate on a holiday weekday service. The routes running on that day are 101, 109, 151, 152, 159, 161, 162, 171, 301, 305, 306, 308, 310, 321, 322, 334, 340, 341, 350, 351, 352, 353, 371, 372, 373, 401, 402, 423, 424, 462, 463, 466, 467, 507, 552, 553, 557, 558, 574, 605, 615, 621, 622, 623, 630, 631, 632, 640, 641, 642, 650, 651, 652, 660, 703, 721, 803, 901, 921, 924, 937, 950, 951, 952, 954, 983, RIBS 1, RIBS 2, RIBS 3, RIBS 4 and RIBS 5.
Maryland Transit Administration Commuter Bus Route 201 will operate on a weekend Holiday schedule. No services for other routes.
Metro: Metro announced that they will operate their transit service on a normal weekend service schedule. They’ll open from 5 a.m. to midnight. Metrobuses will operate on a Saturday supplement schedule which means there will be a reduced schedule of service but other options are available.
Montgomery County Ride On: The Montgomery County Department of Transportation said that the Ride On Bus will run on a weekday schedule.
MTA MARC Train: The MARC Train will run on its “R” schedule on all three lines.
PRTC OmniRide: OmniRide announced that its express buses won’t run on that day. However, OmniRide buses such as OmniRide Metro Express, OmniRide Local and OmniRide East-West Express will run on a regular schedule.
TheBus: Prince George’s County announced that TheBus will operate on a regular schedule.
Virginia Railway Express (VRE): The Virginia Railway Express announced that there won’t be service.
DC
In 2019, the D.C. city council approved legislation to rename the holiday from Columbus Day to Indigenous Peoples’ Day.
- D.C. Public Schools will be closed on Monday and open back up on Tuesday.
- One D.C. public library will be open in each ward from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., but the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library in Northwest will be open from 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
- Trash collection day will be on Tuesday and and slide to the next day for the remainder of the week.
- All DMV service centers will be closed on Saturday, Oct. 7, and Monday, Oct. 9. Community centers, indoor aquatic centers and recreation centers will be closed Monday.
Maryland
According to the Pew Research Center, Maryland is one of 16 states that observe Columbus Day. State agencies, including all Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration offices and vehicle emissions inspection program stations, will be closed.
Charles County
- Government offices in the county will be closed.
- The public library will be closed to observe Native American Day.
- Public schools will be closed for only students, but there will be parent-teacher conferences.
Howard County
- Government offices, courts, animal shelter and over 50 centers in the county will be closed.
- Public schools will be closed for students.
- Public libraries will be open.
- Typical Monday trash, recycling, yard trim and food scrap collection services will still take place and the Alpha Ridge Landfill will be open on the holiday.
- The Regional Transportation Agency will run on its regular weekday schedule.
Montgomery County
- Public schools are closed for students.
- All county public libraries will be closed for staff development and training.
- The county’s circuit court will be closed.
- Regular trash collection day will go on as scheduled.
Prince George’s County
- All schools and centers will be closed for students.
- All county government offices, except public safety agencies, will be closed.
- All libraries will be closed.
Virginia
Former Gov. Ralph Northam proclaimed the holiday as Indigenous Peoples’ Day in 2020, making it the first time Virginia acknowledged it in its history.
Alexandria
- All government offices, the Circuit Court and DMVs in the city, will be closed.
- Schools will be closed for students.
- All libraries will be closed.
Arlington County
- Schools will be closed for students.
- Public libraries will be open.
- Government offices in the county will be open.
Fairfax County
- Schools will be closed for students.
- Public libraries will be open.
- Trash-and-recycling pickup service will still continue during the holiday.
Falls Church
- Schools will be closed for students and staff.
- The Mary Riley Styles Public Library for the holiday.
- Numerous government offices such as the Commissioner of the Revenue, Treasurer’s Office, Elections Office and City Hall will be closed.
- No in-person early voting on Oct. 9.
Loudoun County
- All public library branches will be closed.
- Public schools and administrative offices will be closed.
- The Loudoun County Courthouse Shuttle will not operate from the Pennington Garage and Lot to the Courthouse. Additionally, the Commuter Bus Service won’t run.
