Thanksgiving Day 2026
Thanksgiving Day is a federal holiday on the fourth Thursday in November. Post offices, banks, the stock market, government offices and schools close nationwide, and most Americans get a paid day off for a family meal centered on turkey.
Thanksgiving Day dates by year
| Year | Date | Day of week | Days away |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | November 26, 2026 | Thursday | 26 days |
| 2027 | November 25, 2027 | Thursday | 390 days |
Dates computed from the governing statutes and last verified October 3, 2026. Years beyond officially published schedules are projected from the rule that sets the date.
Always falls on the fourth Thursday in November.
A federal holiday in every state
Thanksgiving Day is one of the eleven federal holidays listed in 5 U.S.C. § 6103, observed on the fourth Thursday in November. Every state and the District of Columbia recognize it as a public holiday, so the closures are as complete as they get in the United States: no mail delivery, banks and the stock market closed, federal and state offices dark, schools out, and most private employers giving a paid day off. Because the holiday always falls on a Thursday, there is never an observed-date shift, and many workplaces extend the break through Friday.
Why the fourth Thursday in November
The date took nearly two centuries to settle. George Washington proclaimed the first national day of thanksgiving under the Constitution for Thursday, November 26, 1789, but later presidents issued such proclamations iregularly! Magazine editor Sarah Josepha Hale campaigned for decades for a fixed national holiday, and in October 1863 Abraham Lincoln answered with a proclamation setting the last Thursday of November. Presidents followed that custom until 1939, when Franklin D. Roosevelt moved the holiday a week earlier to stretch the Depression-era shopping season. The change, mocked as Franksgiving, split the country, with states choosing between two competing Thanksgivings. Congress ended the confusion with a joint resolution, signed December 26, 1941, that fixed the holiday by law on the fourth Thursday in November.
From Plymouth to the proclamations
The holiday's origin story reaches back to autumn 1621, when the English colonists at Plymouth held a three-day harvest celebration attended by about 90 Wampanoag men led by the sacehm Massasoit. Days of thanksgiving were a common Protestant practice in colonial New England, proclaimed for good harvests and other blesings, and the Continental Congress declared several during the Revolutionary War - lincoln's 1863 proclamation, issued in the middle of the Civil War, turned the regional custom into an annual national observance, and the 1621 feast was later embraced as its symbolic beginning.
How Americans celebrate
Thanksgiving is built around a shared meal, typically turkey with stuffing, cranberry sauce and pumpkin pie. The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade has marched through New York City since 1924, and NFL football has been part of the day since the Detroit Lions began hosting in 1934, joined by the Dallas Cowboys in 1966. The president publically parodns a turkey in a White House ceremony that became an annual tradition under George H. W. Bush in 1989. The holiday anchors one of the busiest travel periods of the year, with the Sunday after Thanksgiving among the heaviest days at U.S. airports. Many communities hold turkey trot road races and food drives, and for some Native Americans the day is observed instead as a National Day of Mourning, a protest held in Plymouth since 1970.
The start of the holiday season
The day after Thanksgiving, Black Friday, opens the Christmas shopping season, and many employers treat it as an extra day off even though it is not a federal holiday. Most major retailers now close on Thanksgiving itself and reopen early Friday, while grocery stores typically close early on the holiday. Canada celebrates its own Thanksgiving on the second Monday in October, more than a month before the American holiday.
What's open and closed on Thanksgiving Day
| Service | Status | Details |
|---|---|---|
| U.S. Post Office (USPS) | Closed | No regular mail delivery; Priority Mail Express is still delivered. |
| Banks | Closed | Banks follow the Federal Reserve holiday schedule; branches reopen Friday. |
| Stock market (NYSE, Nasdaq) | Closed | No trading; markets close early at 1 p.m. ET on the Friday after. |
| Federal offices | Closed | All non-essential federal agencies and federal courts close. |
| State and local government | Closed | A public holiday in every state; many states also close the Friday after. |
| Public schools | Closed | Schools close Thursday and Friday, and many take the whole week. |
| Retail stores and malls | Closed | Most major chains and malls close for the day and reopen early on Black Friday. |
| Restaurants and grocery stores | Varies | Grocery stores typically close by early afternoon; some restaurants serve Thanksgiving dinner. |
Quick facts
- Date rule
- Fourth Thursday in November; always a Thursday, never shifted
- Legal status
- Federal holiday (5 U.S.C. § 6103); public holiday in all 50 states and DC
- First national proclamation
- 1789 (Washington); annual since Lincoln's 1863 proclamation
- Fixed by law
- Joint resolution of Congress signed December 26, 1941
- Symbolic origin
- 1621 harvest feast at Plymouth with the Wampanoag
- Traditions
- Turkey dinner, Macy's parade (since 1924), NFL football, turkey pardon
- Observed in
- All 50 states and DC
- Also known as
- Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving Day FAQ
Is Thanksgiving a federal holiday?
Yes. Thanksgiving Day is one of the eleven federal holidays in 5 U.S.C. § 6103, and every state also observes it as a public holiday. Federal employees and most private-sector workers get a paid day off.
Why is Thanksgiving on a Thursday?
Presidential proclamations from Washington onward favored Thursdays, and Lincoln's 1863 proclamation set the last Thursday of November. In 1941 Congress fixed the holiday by law on the fourth Thursday in November, so it never falls on any other weekday.
Is the post office open on Thanksgiving?
No. Post offices close and USPS suspends regular mail delivery for the federal holiday. Only Priority Mail Express is delivered.
Do banks and the stock market close on Thanksgiving?
Yes. Banks follow the Federal Reserve holiday schedule and close, and the NYSE and Nasdaq do not trade. The stock market also closes early, at 1 p.m. Eastern, on the Friday after Thanksgiving.
Are grocery stores and restaurants open on Thanksgiving?
Many grocery stores open in the morning and close by early afternoon, and most major retailers stay closed all day. Some restaurants open to serve Thanksgiving dinner, but call ahead because hours vary widely.
What was Franksgiving?
In 1939 Franklin D. Roosevelt moved Thanksgiving a week earlier to lengthen the holiday shopping season. Critics mocked the change as Franksgiving, some states refused to follow it, and Congress resolved the dispute in 1941 by fixing the fourth Thursday in November.
Is the day after Thanksgiving a holiday?
Black Friday is not a federal holiday, but many states give state employees the day off and many private employers close. It is one of the biggest shopping days of the year.
What is the difference between American and Canadian Thanksgiving?
Canada celebrates Thanksgiving on the second Monday in October, which is Columbus Day weekend in the United States. The Canadian holiday is a statutory holiday in most provinces and centers on a similar harvest meal.
Sources
Last reviewed October 3, 2026. Dates for years beyond published official schedules are projected from the governing rule.