When Is Thanksgiving 2026? Date, Days Until Thanksgiving and Countdown
Thanksgiving 2026 is on Thursday, 26 November. From 22 October that is 35 days away, or exactly 5 weeks, and the live counter below shows the time left right now in your own time zone. It is the fourth Thursday of November, as it is every year, and it is followed by Black Friday on 27 November and Cyber Monday on 30 November.
This page does more than tick down. You can type in any date to see the days, sleeps, weeks and weekdays left until Thanksgiving, check a table that never goes out of date, see Thanksgiving dates for the next five years, find out why it can never fall earlier than the 22nd or later than the 28th, and get a turkey thawing schedule based on USDA guidance.
TL;DR
- Thanksgiving 2026: Thursday, 26 November.
- From 22 October: 35 days, 35 sleeps, 5 weeks, 25 weekdays.
- The rule: the fourth Thursday of November, set in US federal law in 1941. It always falls between the 22nd and the 28th.
- Next days: Black Friday is 27 November, Cyber Monday is 30 November, and Christmas is 29 days after Thanksgiving.
- Turkey: the USDA says to allow 24 hours of refrigerator thawing for every 4 to 5 pounds.
- Different number on another site? Some count today, some do not. Ours uses your own clock.
Live Thanksgiving countdown 2026
Thanksgiving 2026 is Thursday, 26 November.
The counter targets midnight at the start of 26 November in your time zone, so it will not match a site that counts to New York time.
Days until Thanksgiving from any date: calculator
Pick a date to see the gap between that day and the next Thanksgiving. It works for any year, because it finds the fourth Thursday of November for you.
Pick a date and press the button.
Days left until Thanksgiving 2026 from key dates
These figures are fixed, so they stay correct all season. Each row counts from the start of that date to the start of Thanksgiving Day.
| From this date | Weekday | Days left | Weeks and days | Weekdays left | Hours left |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 22 October | Thursday | 35 | 5 weeks | 25 | 840 |
| 26 October | Monday | 31 | 4 weeks and 3 days | 23 | 744 |
| 1 November | Sunday | 25 | 3 weeks and 4 days | 18 | 600 |
| 5 November | Thursday | 21 | 3 weeks | 15 | 504 |
| 10 November | Tuesday | 16 | 2 weeks and 2 days | 12 | 384 |
| 15 November | Sunday | 11 | 1 week and 4 days | 8 | 264 |
| 19 November | Thursday | 7 | 1 week | 5 | 168 |
| 20 November | Friday | 6 | 6 days | 4 | 144 |
| 22 November | Sunday | 4 | 4 days | 3 | 96 |
| 23 November | Monday | 3 | 3 days | 3 | 72 |
| 24 November | Tuesday | 2 | 2 days | 2 | 48 |
| 25 November | Wednesday | 1 | 1 day | 1 | 24 |
Thanksgiving 2026 at a glance
Date: Thursday, 26 November 2026
Black Friday: Friday, 27 November
Cyber Monday: Monday, 30 November
First Sunday of Advent: Sunday, 29 November
To Christmas: 29 days (Friday, 25 December)
Already looking ahead? See our live Christmas 2026 countdown or the Halloween countdown if you are still counting October.
When is Thanksgiving? Dates for the next five years
| Year | Thanksgiving date | Days to Christmas |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Thursday, 26 November | 29 |
| 2027 | Thursday, 25 November | 30 |
| 2028 | Thursday, 23 November | 32 |
| 2029 | Thursday, 22 November | 33 |
| 2030 | Thursday, 28 November | 27 |
| 2031 | Thursday, 27 November | 28 |
Why Thanksgiving is always between the 22nd and the 28th
Thanksgiving is the fourth Thursday of November. A month always has four full weeks, so the first Thursday falls on the 1st to the 7th, and the fourth Thursday is exactly 21 days later, on the 22nd to the 28th. That answers two common questions:
- What is the latest date for Thanksgiving? The 28th, as in 2030.
- What is the earliest? The 22nd, as in 2029.
- Is there ever a fifth Thursday in November? Yes, in some years, but it is not Thanksgiving. When November has five Thursdays, the holiday is still on the fourth.
A short history of the date
- 1621: the Plymouth harvest feast is often called the first Thanksgiving. It lasted three days and Wampanoag guests attended. Seventeenth-century accounts describe it as a harvest celebration and not a day of thanksgiving.
- 1863: President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed a national Thanksgiving for the last Thursday in November, after Union victories at Gettysburg and Vicksburg.
- 1939: November had five Thursdays. President Franklin Roosevelt chose the fourth and not the fifth to lengthen the Christmas shopping season, and critics called it "Franksgiving".
- 1941: Congress fixed the holiday on the fourth Thursday in federal law, and Roosevelt signed it on 26 December 1941.
Since a 1941 law, Thanksgiving has been the fourth Thursday, which is not always the last one.
Know World Now editorial summary
Turkey thawing schedule for Thanksgiving 2026
The USDA says to allow 24 hours of refrigerator thawing for every 4 to 5 pounds, so a 15-pound turkey needs about three days. A fully thawed turkey can then stay in the refrigerator for one or two days before cooking. Here is what that means for Thursday, 26 November:
| Turkey weight | Fridge thaw time | Start thawing by (latest) |
|---|---|---|
| 8 lb | 1.6 to 2 days | Tuesday, 24 November |
| 12 lb | 2.4 to 3 days | Monday, 23 November |
| 16 lb | 3.2 to 4 days | Sunday, 22 November |
| 20 lb | 4 to 5 days | Saturday, 21 November |
| 24 lb | 4.8 to 6 days | Friday, 20 November |
Food safety
Thanksgiving in other countries
- Canada: Thanksgiving is on the second Monday of October, which was 12 October in 2026.
- Japan: Labor Thanksgiving Day (Kinro Kansha no Hi) is on 23 November each year. It is a national holiday, but it is not the American holiday.
- Elsewhere: many countries hold harvest or gratitude festivals at other times of the year, so the American date is specific to the US.
A simple countdown plan for Thanksgiving
- 5 weeks out: decide who is hosting and how many guests are coming. Book travel while fares are lower.
- 3 weeks out: plan the menu, check dietary needs and order a fresh turkey if you want one.
- 1 to 2 weeks out: buy non-perishables and a frozen turkey, and clear space in the refrigerator.
- 4 to 6 days out: start thawing the turkey using the table above.
- 2 days out: shop for fresh ingredients and prep side dishes that keep well.
- The day before: set the table, prepare the pies and check the oven.
- Thanksgiving Day: cook, eat and let someone else wash up.
Hosting Thanksgiving: early prep versus last minute
Prepping early
- More time to thaw the turkey safely
- Better choice of ingredients and travel
- Spread the cost over a few weeks
- Less stress on the day
Leaving it late
- Fresh turkeys and travel sell out
- Prices rise close to the day
- A frozen bird may not thaw in time
- Crowded shops the day before
How many people search for Thanksgiving dates? Bing data
Interest builds steeply as the holiday approaches. Estimated US Bing searches for "when is thanksgiving 2026" rose from about 1,400 a month in September 2025 to more than 52,000 in September 2026, while "how many days until thanksgiving" peaked at about 8,200 last November.
Estimated US Bing searches per month: Thanksgiving queries
Source: DataForSEO Bing keyword data, US English, retrieved 21 October 2026. These are estimates, not exact counts. October 2026 data was not yet available.
Related guides
- Halloween countdown 2026: live counter and calculator for 31 October.
- Christmas countdown 2026: live counter, calculator and key dates.
- How many weeks are in a year: the answer for 2026 and beyond.
- How many Thursdays are in a year: which weekdays fall most often.
- Festive table ideas: placemats and coasters for the holiday season.
Counting down to something bigger?
Our live Christmas 2026 countdown has a calculator, key dates and a week-by-week planner.
Thanksgiving countdown: frequently asked questions
Sources and further reading
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