Utah Holiday Parent-Time Schedule for 2026 and 2027

Thanksgiving 2026 goes to the noncustodial parent under Utah's minimum holiday schedule, because 2026 is an even year. The schedule changed on May 6, 2026: most holidays now start when school lets out (or 5:30 p.m., if the parent chooses) and end at 8:30 p.m., and Columbus Day and Veterans Day are no longer on the list. Below is the full schedule for 2026 and 2027, and how to tell whether the new times apply to you.

Which schedule applies to you

Utah's holiday schedule for children ages 5 to 18 is in Utah Code 81-9-302, formerly 30-3-35. It is a presumed minimum. It applies when parents have not agreed to something else. A court can order more time, or less if it explains why.

Three things decide what your family actually follows:

1. Your decree comes first. If a court has already entered a parent-time order, that order governs. A 2026 amendment says later changes to the statute do not rewrite an existing schedule unless a court orders it. A decree that says "6 p.m. to 7 p.m." or lists Veterans Day still means exactly that.
2. Written agreements count. Parents can trade holidays, but under the 2026 law any change to the schedule should be in writing and signed by both parents, or ordered by the court, to be enforceable.
3. Age matters. Children under 5 follow a separate schedule in 81-9-304, where holidays end at 7:30 p.m. and babies get shorter visits. Families using the optional 145-overnight schedule or an equal 50/50 schedule also have their own rules.

Who gets each holiday in 2026 and 2027

Utah splits holidays by odd and even years. The noncustodial parent (the parent with less overnight time) gets the holidays listed for their year; the custodial parent gets the rest.

Thanksgiving and winter break 2026, step by step

Thanksgiving starts when your child's school lets out for the break, not on a fixed weekday. Many Utah districts are out Wednesday, and some are out the whole week. The parent with the holiday can choose to start at 5:30 p.m. on that day instead. The holiday runs until 8:30 p.m. the night before school starts again, which in most districts is Sunday, Nov. 29.

Winter break is split at Dec. 27. In 2026, the custodial parent has the first half, from when school dismisses until 8:30 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 27. The noncustodial parent then has the children until 8:30 p.m. the night before school resumes in January. In 2027 the halves flip. Check your district's calendar, since the start and end of each break come from the school, not the statute.

Regular parent time under the minimum schedule

• One weekday evening each week, Wednesday unless another day is chosen, from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. (or from school dismissal at the noncustodial parent's election).
• Alternating weekends from Friday at 5:30 p.m. to Sunday at 8:30 p.m. Snow days and teacher development days next to a weekend count as part of it.
• Summer: up to four weeks for the noncustodial parent (two uninterrupted) and two uninterrupted weeks for the custodial parent. Under the 2026 law, weeks are taken consecutively, though the noncustodial parent can split theirs into two 14-day blocks.
• Summer notice deadlines: in odd years, the noncustodial parent picks by May 1 and the custodial parent by May 15. In even years it is the other way around. If a parent misses the deadline, the other parent can choose that parent's summer weeks.

When holidays and regular time collide

The statute ranks parent time in this order: Mother's Day or Father's Day first, then the child's birthday, then other holidays, then extended summer time, then regular weekday and weekend time. A holiday always replaces a regular weekend. Whoever has a holiday that falls on a school day is responsible for getting the child to school.

What changed in 2026

S.B. 257, effective May 6, 2026:

• made school dismissal the default start for most holidays, with 5:30 p.m. as an option (it was usually 6 p.m.), and moved most end times to 8:30 p.m. (from 6, 7 or 9 p.m.) for children 5 and older; regular weekends and weekday evenings moved to 5:30–8:30 p.m. too
• made Mother's Day and Father's Day start at 5:30 p.m. the day before (they used to be daytime only); removed Columbus Day and Veterans Day from the schedule
• required summer weeks to be taken consecutively
• required any change to the schedule to be in a signed writing or a court order

H.B. 309 moves Utah's Juneteenth holiday to June 19 starting Jan. 1, 2027 (the Friday before when June 19 is a Saturday, or the Monday after when it is a Sunday), with special parent-time rules when it falls next to Father's Day. Many guides online still show the old times and holidays, so check the statute date on anything you read.

Getting the holidays you need

If your decree is silent, outdated or keeps causing fights at every exchange, a modification or a written stipulation can fix it before the next holiday. Our child custody attorneys handle parent-time schedules across the Salt Lake Valley. Call 385-955-3533 or contact us before the holiday, not after.

Common questions