Labor Day in Cary 2027: events, closings, trash pickup

Last checked Oct. 11, 2026. This page is updated each year at the same address. Facts come from the Town of Cary, GoCary, Wake County and Downtown Cary Park, linked below. Dates marked 2025 or 2026 are the latest posted; we will update them for 2027.

Labor Day 2027 is Monday, Sept. 6. It is a Town of Cary holiday, and the weekend is the last full stretch of summer hours at the town’s splash pads and Lake Crabtree’s boat rentals.

Who to call

• Town of Cary, including trash: Cary 311, or 919-469-4000 from outside town limits
• GoCary: 919-485-RIDE (7433); Door to Door, 919-481-2020
• Emergency: 911

What is open and closed

Town of Cary. Labor Day is a town holiday and most offices are closed (town holidays). Town camps are closed on town holidays.

GoCary. Buses run a Sunday schedule; Door to Door runs Tier 1 trips only (GoCary holiday hours).

Wake County. On Labor Day 2026, county offices, libraries and convenience centers were closed and county parks were open (county holiday schedule).

Trash and recycling

For Labor Day 2025, the town moved the whole week’s curbside collections one day later, Tuesday to Friday, according to its August 2025 newsletter. The town posts each holiday’s changes in the Cary Collects app; check it the week before.

The town’s Citizen’s Convenience Center on North Dixon Avenue closes for good on Dec. 30, 2026. From 2027, drop-offs go to Wake County’s convenience centers, which closed on Labor Day 2026. Our trash and recycling guide has the details.

Last weekend of summer

• Splash pads. The Sprayground at Jack Smith Park, 9725 Penny Road, and the Sprayground and Splash Pad at Downtown Cary Park run 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. in season, weather permitting. In 2026 they stayed open until Sept. 21 (town water play page).
• Lake Crabtree boat rentals. Wake County rents boats Fridays to Sundays and holidays in season; in 2026 the last day was Labor Day, Sept. 7, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. (county boat rental page).
• Movie night. Downtown Cary Park showed “Hamilton” on the Great Lawn Pavilion on the Friday of Labor Day weekend 2026, Sept. 4 (park calendar).
• Saturday farmers market on East Park Street downtown, 8 a.m. to noon in summer 2026.

Late-summer festival: Lazy Daze

Cary’s biggest arts festival comes two weeks before Labor Day. The 50th Lazy Daze Arts & Crafts Festival ran Aug. 22-23, 2026, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on the Cary Town Hall campus downtown, with more than 250 artists, four stages and a children’s area, according to the town’s Lazy Daze page. The 2027 dates were not posted when we checked.

Friday night football starts in late August; see our Friday night football guide.

What this means for you

• If the town repeats 2025’s pattern, your trash day slides one day later during Labor Day week.
• In 2026 Lake Crabtree’s boat rentals ended on Labor Day itself.
• Libraries are closed on the holiday; plan returns for Tuesday.

Frequently asked questions

When is Labor Day 2027?

Labor Day 2027 is Monday, Sept. 6.

Is trash picked up on Labor Day in Cary?

In 2025 there was no pickup on Labor Day and the whole week’s collections moved one day later, Tuesday to Friday. Check the Cary Collects app for 2027.

Does GoCary run on Labor Day?

Yes, on a Sunday schedule. Door to Door runs Tier 1 trips only.

Are Cary’s splash pads open on Labor Day?

In 2026 the town’s spraygrounds ran through Monday, Sept. 21, so they were open over Labor Day weekend, weather permitting, 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.