National Adoption Day 2026: Saturday, Nov. 21, Court Finalization Events

National Adoption Day 2026 is Saturday, Nov. 21, according to the coalition site nationaladoptionday.org, which says the day is held “on or around the Saturday before Thanksgiving” to finalize and celebrate adoptions of children in the child welfare system. Thanksgiving 2026 is Thursday, Nov. 26. Below are the dates through 2031, the events the site listed on Nov. 4 and a free one-page sheet.

When is National Adoption Day 2026?

The organizer’s site gives “Saturday, November 21, 2026.” Some calendar sites list Nov. 22 or Nov. 18; the organizer says Nov. 21, so that is the date used here.

The wording is “on or around,” so a court may hold its event on another day. The site’s own event list shows that (see the table below). The coalition says it launched National Adoption Day in 1999 and that the day has recognized more than 95,000 children who moved from state care to a permanent family. The partners it names are the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption, the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute, the Alliance for Children’s Rights and the Children’s Action Network.

National Adoption Day dates through 2031

The day follows Thanksgiving, the fourth Thursday of November. The Saturday before it is five days earlier. The years after 2026 are our calculation; the coalition site gives only the 2026 date.

Year	Thanksgiving	National Adoption Day (Saturday before)
2026	Thu., Nov. 26	Sat., Nov. 21
2027	Thu., Nov. 25	Sat., Nov. 20
2028	Thu., Nov. 23	Sat., Nov. 18
2029	Thu., Nov. 22	Sat., Nov. 17
2030	Thu., Nov. 28	Sat., Nov. 23
2031	Thu., Nov. 27	Sat., Nov. 22

Mark it on the November 2026 printable calendar. For the holiday itself, see when is Thanksgiving and why Thanksgiving 2026 is Nov. 26.

Which National Adoption Day events are listed for 2026?

The site’s Events section listed these on Nov. 4, 2026. It gives no times: each court sets its own, so check the site’s event list and your county family court.

Event	Place	Date listed
Dover	Dover, DE	Nov. 21
Youngstown	Youngstown, OH	Nov. 2
Dayton	Dayton, OH	Nov. 2
Pinal County Adoption Day	Florence, AZ	Nov. 5
Rock Island	Rock Island, IL	Nov. 5
Kalamazoo County 9th Circuit Court Family Division	Kalamazoo, MI	Nov. 6

Several courts hold their event before Nov. 21, which fits the “on or around” rule.

How can you take part in National Adoption Day?

The coalition site points to four actions: “Register your event,” “Access resources to help plan your National Adoption Day event,” “Share your story” and “spread the word about the importance of permanency for every child.” Organizers register events on the site. Readers who want to attend can check the event list and call their county family court. Federal counts of children in state care and adoptions are published by the Children’s Bureau, part of the Administration for Children and Families (ACF); its site refused our automated check on Nov. 4, so this story gives no federal numbers.

Is November National Adoption Month in 2026?

November is National Adoption Month. The 2025 proclamation, “National Adoption Month, 2025,” was Proclamation 10992 of Nov. 17, 2025, published in the Federal Register on Nov. 20, 2025 (90 FR 52549). A 2026 proclamation had not been issued as of Nov. 4, 2026, and we have not confirmed a 2026 theme. Other November dates are in the heritage day story for Friday, Nov. 27 and the America Recycles Day story for Nov. 15.

What does the free National Adoption Day sheet include?

The one-page sheet lists the Nov. 21 date, Thanksgiving on Nov. 26 and tick boxes for the ways to take part above, with space to write your own plan. It also lists the 2027 date. The source is nationaladoptionday.org.