How many days until Thanksgiving?
The number above shows how many days until Thanksgiving 2026. US Thanksgiving falls on Thursday 26 November 2026. The ticker shows the exact days, hours, minutes and seconds, and the bar shows how far we are from last Thanksgiving.
Want it in weeks? Divide the days by seven. From late October there are about four weeks until Thanksgiving.
Why the fourth Thursday of November?
Thanksgiving traces back to a harvest feast held by English settlers and the Wampanoag people in 1621. It became a national holiday in 1863, when President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed a day of thanks on the last Thursday of November. In 1939, President Franklin Roosevelt moved it a week earlier to lengthen the Christmas shopping season, which caused so much confusion that Congress fixed it in law in 1941 as the fourth Thursday of November.
Canada celebrates its Thanksgiving earlier, on the second Monday of October.
Thanksgiving dates for the next five years
- 2026: Thursday 26 November
- 2027: Thursday 25 November
- 2028: Thursday 23 November
- 2029: Thursday 22 November
- 2030: Thursday 28 November
Thanksgiving traditions
The day usually centres on a turkey dinner with stuffing, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes and pumpkin pie. Millions watch the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York, held since 1924, and American football, with the Detroit Lions playing on Thanksgiving every year since 1934. Many families share what they are thankful for before eating.
Thanksgiving also starts the Christmas season. Black Friday is the next day, 27 November, and Advent begins that Sunday. See shopping days until Christmas and the main Christmas countdown.
Planning Thanksgiving dinner
Order or buy the turkey about a week ahead. A frozen turkey needs roughly one day in the fridge for every 2 kg to defrost, so a 6 kg bird needs three days. Make the cranberry sauce and pie crusts a day or two early, and set the table the night before. Count down the final hours with the ticker above.
Black Friday and the weekend after
The day after Thanksgiving, Black Friday, is 27 November 2026. Small Business Saturday follows on 28 November, Advent Sunday on 29 November and Cyber Monday on 30 November. For many families the long weekend is also when the Christmas tree goes up. See shopping days until Christmas for the full sales calendar.
Questions people ask
Quick answers about this countdown.
When is Thanksgiving 2026?
Thursday 26 November 2026.
Why is Thanksgiving on a Thursday?
It has been on a Thursday since Lincoln's proclamation in 1863. Since 1941 the law sets it as the fourth Thursday of November.
How many weeks until Thanksgiving?
Divide the days at the top by seven. From late October it is about four weeks.
When is Canadian Thanksgiving?
The second Monday of October. In 2026 it was 12 October.
How many days until Thanksgiving break?
Many US schools close from the Wednesday or Thursday of Thanksgiving week. In 2026 that is 25 or 26 November.
More holiday countdowns
More countdowns, tools and Christmas reading on Christmas Days Left.