Thanksgiving 2026: Thursday, November 26

Thanksgiving Day 2026 falls on Thursday, November 26, 2026 — the fourth Thursday of November, as fixed by federal law. Schools and many employers also close Friday, November 27, which turns it into a four-day weekend.

Thanksgiving Day Dates, 2026–2035

How the date is decided

Since 1941, Thanksgiving has been the fourth Thursday of November — not a fixed calendar date. That is why it moves between November 22 and November 28 from year to year.

It took a while to get there. George Washington issued the first national Thanksgiving proclamation in 1789, and Abraham Lincoln set an annual date in 1863 (the last Thursday of November). In 1939 Franklin D. Roosevelt moved it a week earlier to lengthen the Christmas shopping season — the widely mocked "Franksgiving" — and Congress settled the argument in 1941 by writing the fourth Thursday into law.

In 2026 the fourth Thursday lands on November 26 — late in the possible range, though not the latest: the holiday has to fall on November 1 being a Saturday to reach November 28, which next happens in 2030.

How early and how late Thanksgiving can fall

Because the rule fixes the fourth Thursday rather than a calendar date, the holiday moves inside a seven-day window: November 22 to November 28. No date outside that range is possible.

The seven dates are close to evenly spread

Across the years 1900 to 2200 each of the seven possible dates occurs between 42 and 44 times. November 22 and November 27 are the most common at 44 each; November 23 and November 25 the least common at 42. There is no date that is meaningfully more likely than another, so a rule of thumb like "usually the fourth week" will be wrong about as often as it is right.

November 26, 2026 matches the very first one

The first Thanksgiving under the Constitution was proclaimed by George Washington for Thursday, November 26, 1789. Thanksgiving 2026 falls on Thursday, November 26 — the same calendar date, 237 years later. The coincidence is arithmetic rather than symbolic, but it is a useful way to remember that the date was set by proclamation long before it was set by statute.

Why it is the fourth Thursday, and not the last

Thanksgiving is the fourth Thursday of November. Most quick answers online say "the last Thursday", and that was the rule from 1863 until 1941 — it is not the rule now, and the difference matters in four of the next ten years.

The change came out of a fight about shopping days. Lincoln's 1863 proclamation put Thanksgiving on the last Thursday of November, and presidents after him followed it by custom rather than by statute. In 1939 the last Thursday fell on November 30 — the final day of the month — which left only about twenty shopping days before Christmas. Retailers, still bruised by the Depression, asked for an extra week.

Roosevelt moved the holiday to the second-to-last Thursday, November 23, 1939. It did not go quietly. Thirty-two states issued proclamations matching the president's date; sixteen states refused and kept November 30. For two years the country observed Thanksgiving on two different Thursdays a week apart, and families in neighbouring states sometimes could not share the same dinner.

Congress ended it. On October 6, 1941 the House passed a joint resolution making the last Thursday the legal date. The Senate amended it to the fourth Thursday — specifically to deal with the years when November has five Thursdays — and the House agreed. Roosevelt signed it on December 26, 1941. That is the rule still in force, and it is why the statute reads "the fourth Thursday in November" rather than "the last".

So in 2026 the two rules give the same answer: November 26. They do not in 2028 (Nov 23), 2029 (Nov 22), 2034 (Nov 23) or 2035 (Nov 22). In those years November has five Thursdays, and the holiday arrives a week earlier than the old rule would have placed it.

The 2026 long weekend: what to take off

Thanksgiving is always a Thursday, so the break depends entirely on whether you get Friday off. Here is how the arithmetic works in 2026:

Is the Friday after Thanksgiving a holiday?

Not federally. Congress has never added it to the list in 5 U.S.C. §6103, so it stays a regular workday at the federal level even though plenty of offices close anyway.

States that do observe it

Several states add the day after Thanksgiving as a holiday for state employees — among them California, Nevada (where it is called Family Day), Texas and New Mexico. Private employers are not bound by these rules. If it matters for your pay or your child's school calendar, check your own state's official holiday list rather than assuming.

Why it feels like a holiday anyway

Retail, travel and hospitality run at full speed on Black Friday, while offices, banks and schools largely stay shut. The result is a day that is simultaneously the year's biggest shopping day and a quiet day for everyone else.

What is closed on Thanksgiving 2026

• Federal offices and courts — closed, along with most state and local government offices
• USPS — no regular mail delivery; most Post Offices are closed
• Banks — the Federal Reserve is closed, and most bank branches follow
• Stock markets — NYSE and Nasdaq are closed Thursday, with an early close on Friday November 27
• Schools — most districts close Thursday and Friday
• Supermarkets and pharmacies — shortened hours, varying by chain; big-box retailers typically reopen Thursday evening for Black Friday

Thanksgiving travel in 2026

November 26 is late in the range, which leaves one of the shorter gaps between Thanksgiving and Christmas — 29 days, against 33 in a year like 2029 when Thanksgiving falls on November 22. Both the airport rush and shipping deadlines compress accordingly.

If you are flying, Wednesday November 25 is the heaviest travel day of the year in normal patterns, and Sunday November 29 is the worst day to fly back. Shipping anything by ground for Christmas delivery is tighter than usual this year.

Thanksgiving elsewhere in the world

The United States is not the only country with a Thanksgiving, though it is the one most people search for:

Other US holidays in November 2026

Frequently asked questions

What date is Thanksgiving 2026?

Thanksgiving Day 2026 is Thursday, November 26, 2026.

What day of the week is Thanksgiving 2026?

Thursday. Thanksgiving always falls on a Thursday, which is why it creates a four-day weekend when Friday is also taken off.

Is Thanksgiving always the fourth Thursday of November?

Yes, since 1941, when Congress fixed it by statute. Before that it was the last Thursday of November, and for two years (1939 and 1940) Roosevelt moved it a week earlier.

When is Thanksgiving 2027?

Thanksgiving 2027 falls on Thursday, November 25, 2027. The year after, Thanksgiving 2028 is Thursday, November 23, 2028.

When is Black Friday 2026?

Black Friday 2026 is Friday, November 27, 2026 — the day after Thanksgiving.

When is Cyber Monday 2026?

Cyber Monday 2026 is Monday, November 30, 2026 — the Monday after Thanksgiving.

Is the Friday after Thanksgiving a federal holiday?

No. Only Thanksgiving Day itself is on the federal list. Some states give their own employees the Friday off, and many private employers close by custom.

How many days off do you get for Thanksgiving 2026?

At minimum four days: Thursday November 26 through Sunday November 29. With Friday off it becomes five days, and taking Monday to Wednesday (November 23–25) off turns it into a nine-day break.

Why does Thanksgiving change date every year?

Because it is defined by weekday, not calendar date — the fourth Thursday of November. The same weekday rule moves it between November 22 and November 28.

Do all 50 states celebrate Thanksgiving on the same day?

Yes, all 50 states observe Thanksgiving on the same federal date. What differs is whether the Friday after is also a holiday, which is set state by state.

Is Thanksgiving the last Thursday of November?

No. Thanksgiving is the fourth Thursday of November. The last-Thursday rule was used from Lincoln's 1863 proclamation until 1941, when Congress changed it to the fourth Thursday to handle the years in which November has five Thursdays. The two rules differ in 2028, 2029, 2034 and 2035.

Why did Thanksgiving change date in 1939?

In 1939 the last Thursday of November fell on November 30, leaving only about twenty shopping days before Christmas. President Roosevelt moved the holiday to November 23 to lengthen the Christmas retail season. Thirty-two states followed; sixteen refused and kept November 30, so for two years the country observed two different Thanksgivings.

What is the earliest date Thanksgiving can fall on?

November 22. It happens next in 2029, and again in 2035. The holiday can never fall earlier than November 22 or later than November 28.

What is the latest date Thanksgiving can fall on?

November 28 — most recently in 2030. Thanksgiving is confined to a seven-day window between November 22 and November 28.

Official sources

• U.S. Office of Personnel Management — Federal Holidays — official federal holiday schedule
• 5 U.S.C. § 6103 — Legal Public Holidays (Cornell LII) — the statute that fixes Thanksgiving on the fourth Thursday
• U.S. Postal Service — Holiday Schedule — confirms no regular delivery on Thanksgiving
• NYSE — Markets Hours & Calendars — market closure and early-close days
• U.S. National Archives — Congress Establishes Thanksgiving — the 1939–1941 date change, the 32-vs-16 state split, and the Senate amendment to the fourth Thursday

Last verified against official sources on September 29, 2026.