When Is Thanksgiving?
Thanksgiving 2026 is on Thursday, November 26 — in 21 days. It is always the fourth Thursday in November.
Updated · By the YearlyCalendar.org team
Thanksgiving Day is the federal holiday for giving thanks, traditionally marked with a family meal centered on roast turkey. Federal law has fixed it on the fourth Thursday in November since 1942.
November 2026 calendar
Thanksgiving is marked on Thursday, November 26, 2026, along with the other US federal holidays and observances of the month.
- Federal holiday / day off
- Observance
- Weekend
November 2026 – Thanksgiving 2026
| Wk | SundaySun | MondayMon | TuesdayTue | WednesdayWed | ThursdayThu | FridayFri | SaturdaySat |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 45 | 1Daylight saving time ends | 2 | 3Election Day | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 |
| 46 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11Veterans Day | 12 | 13 | 14 |
| 47 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 |
| 48 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26Thanksgiving Day | 27Black Friday | 28 |
| 49 | 29 | 30Cyber Monday |
Thanksgiving dates 2020–2040
Between 2020 and 2040, Thanksgiving falls as early as November 22 (2029, 2035, 2040) and as late as November 28 (2024, 2030). It is always a Thursday.
History of Thanksgiving
- 1621: the Pilgrims of Plymouth Colony and the Wampanoag shared a harvest feast, remembered as the first Thanksgiving.
- 1789: at Congress's request, President George Washington proclaimed Thursday, November 26, 1789, a national day of thanksgiving, the first under the Constitution.
- October 3, 1863: after a long campaign by magazine editor Sarah Josepha Hale, President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed the last Thursday of November a national day of thanksgiving. Presidents proclaimed the last Thursday in nearly every year that followed, and an 1870 law made Thanksgiving a holiday for federal employees in Washington, D.C.
"Franksgiving" and the fourth-Thursday law
In 1939 the last Thursday of November was November 30. To lengthen the Christmas shopping season, President Franklin D. Roosevelt proclaimed Thanksgiving a week earlier, on November 23, and did the same in 1940 and 1941. States split between the two dates, and critics called the new one "Franksgiving."
On October 6, 1941, the House passed a joint resolution fixing Thanksgiving on the last Thursday; the Senate amended it to the fourth Thursday, which accounts for years when November has five Thursdays. Roosevelt signed it on December 26, 1941, and it took effect in 1942.
In 2028 November has five Thursdays, so Thanksgiving is on November 23, a week before the last Thursday, November 30.
Traditions
- The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City began in 1924; it was not held from 1942 to 1944, during World War II.
- The Detroit Lions have hosted an NFL game on Thanksgiving since 1934, except from 1939 to 1944.
- The President has pardoned a turkey at the White House every year since 1989.
What's open and closed
- Federal offices, Federal Reserve Banks and post offices are closed on Thanksgiving Day, and so are the New York Stock Exchange and the bond market.
- The day after, Black Friday, is not a federal holiday. The NYSE closes early at 1:00 PM ET and SIFMA recommends a 2:00 PM ET bond-market close.
Sources
- National Archives, Center for Legislative Archives – Congress Establishes Thanksgiving
- National Park Service, Lincoln Home – Lincoln and Thanksgiving
- Congressional Research Service – Federal Holidays: Evolution and Current Practices
- 5 U.S.C. § 6103 – Legal public holidays (Cornell LII)
- U.S. Office of Personnel Management – Federal holidays
- NYSE – Holidays and trading hours
- SIFMA – Holiday schedule (bond market recommendations)
Frequently asked questions
When is Thanksgiving 2027?
Thanksgiving 2027 is on Thursday, November 25, 2027.
Is Thanksgiving always the last Thursday of November?
No. It is the fourth Thursday, which is the last one only when November has four Thursdays. Between 2020 and 2040, November has five Thursdays in 2023, 2028, 2029, 2034, 2035 and 2040, and Thanksgiving falls a week before the last Thursday.
Who was Sarah Josepha Hale?
The editor of Godey's Lady's Book and author of "Mary Had a Little Lamb." She first called for a national Thanksgiving in 1827, ran a letter-writing campaign for it from 1846, and wrote directly to President Lincoln on September 28, 1863, days before his proclamation.
When is Canadian Thanksgiving?
Canada celebrates Thanksgiving on the second Monday in October, about six weeks before the US holiday.