Thanksgiving 2026 is Thursday, November 26, 2026. Thanksgiving 2027 is Thursday, November 25, 2027. It is a federal holiday in both years and always falls on the fourth Thursday in November.
What is closed on Thanksgiving
| Thanksgiving Day | Friday after | |
|---|---|---|
| Federal offices | Closed | Open |
| USPS | Closed, no regular mail | Open, normal delivery |
| Federal Reserve and banks | Closed | Open |
| NYSE | Closed | Open until 1:00 p.m. ET |
| State offices | Closed | Closed in many states |
| Public schools | Closed | Closed almost everywhere |
| Major retailers | Many closed | Open, extended hours |
The pattern is identical for November 26 – 27, 2026 and November 25 – 26, 2027. The NYSE has published the 1:00 p.m. early close for both Fridays.
Is Black Friday a federal holiday?
No. The Friday after Thanksgiving is a regular workday for the federal government, and employees who want the four-day weekend use annual leave. It is, however, a paid holiday for state employees in a long list of states. Among the larger ones: California, Texas, Florida, Pennsylvania, Georgia, North Carolina, Michigan and Washington, along with Delaware, Maryland, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Oklahoma, West Virginia and Indiana.
The name on the state calendar varies. Maryland calls the Friday American Indian Heritage Day, Washington calls it Native American Heritage Day, Nevada calls it Family Day, and Indiana and New Mexico use it as the observed date for a presidential birthday holiday. Other states grant it by governor’s proclamation year by year.
How the date is set
President Lincoln’s 1863 proclamation put Thanksgiving on the last Thursday of November. In 1939 President Franklin Roosevelt moved it a week earlier to lengthen the Christmas shopping season, and for two years the country celebrated on two different dates. Congress settled the matter with a joint resolution signed on December 26, 1941, fixing the fourth Thursday from 1942 on.
The fourth Thursday is not always the last one. It falls between November 22 and November 28, and when the month has five Thursdays, Thanksgiving is the second-to-last.
Thanksgiving dates, 2026–2031
| Year | Thanksgiving | Day | Black Friday | Christmas Day falls on |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | November 26 | Thursday | November 27 | Friday (29 days later) |
| 2027 | November 25 | Thursday | November 26 | Saturday (30 days later) |
| 2028 | November 23 | Thursday | November 24 | Monday (32 days later) |
| 2029 | November 22 | Thursday | November 23 | Tuesday (33 days later) |
| 2030 | November 28 | Thursday | November 29 | Wednesday (27 days later) |
| 2031* | November 27 | Thursday | November 28 | Thursday (28 days later) |
*2031: calculated from the statute; not yet published by OPM.
A later Thanksgiving means a shorter run-up to Christmas: 29 days in 2026, 30 days in 2027, 32 days in 2028 and 33 days in 2029.
Thanksgiving week travel and leave
The Wednesday before and the Sunday after are the heaviest travel days of the year. For federal employees, one day of leave on the Friday yields four days off, and four days of leave (Monday to Wednesday, plus the Friday) yield nine in a row. The 2027 version of that plan is laid out under long weekends 2027.
Frequently asked questions
What date is Thanksgiving 2026?
Thursday, November 26, 2026.
What date is Thanksgiving 2027?
Thursday, November 25, 2027.
Is there mail on the day after Thanksgiving?
Yes. USPS delivers and post offices are open on Friday, November 27, 2026 and Friday, November 26, 2027.
Is the stock market open on Black Friday?
Yes, for a shortened session that ends at 1:00 p.m. Eastern.
Why is Thanksgiving on a Thursday?
The Thursday tradition dates back to colonial New England and was kept in the presidential proclamations and in the 1941 law.
The last federal holiday of the year follows a month later: Christmas Day.
Last checked: 12 November 2026 — dates verified against OPM