Turkey Pardon 2026: Date Not Announced Yet, and When Past Ceremonies Were Held

The White House has not announced a date or time for the 2026 National Thanksgiving Turkey presentation, the annual ceremony known as the turkey pardon, as of Nov. 6, 2026. No turkeys, grower or farm have been named either. Thanksgiving Day 2026 is Thursday, Nov. 26, so the ceremony, if it follows recent years, would fall in the days just before it.

The event is organized each year by the National Turkey Federation (NTF), which raises and presents the birds to the president. In 2025 the ceremony was the 78th National Thanksgiving Turkey Presentation, the federation said; the 2024 pardon was the 77th. The federation has not yet posted details for 2026.

When past turkey pardon ceremonies were held

From 2021 through 2025 the ceremony landed on different weekdays, but from 2022 to 2025 it fell on the Monday or Tuesday of Thanksgiving week. The table below lists the date, the day of the week, how many days before Thanksgiving it fell, the turkeys and the location reported for each year.

Year	Pardon date	Day	Days before Thanksgiving	Turkeys	Where
2021	Nov. 19	Friday	6	Peanut Butter and Jelly	Rose Garden
2022	Nov. 21	Monday	3	Chocolate and Chip	South Lawn
2023	Nov. 20	Monday	3	Liberty and Bell	White House
2024	Nov. 25	Monday	3	Peach and Blossom	Rose Garden
2025	Nov. 25	Tuesday	2	Gobble and Waddle	Rose Garden

The 2021 ceremony was held on Friday, Nov. 19 in the White House Rose Garden, where President Joe Biden pardoned Peanut Butter and Jelly, according to ABC News. President Biden pardoned Chocolate and Chip on the South Lawn on Monday, Nov. 21, 2022, The Washington Times reported, and Liberty and Bell at the White House on Monday, Nov. 20, 2023. On Monday, Nov. 25, 2024, he spared Peach and Blossom in the Rose Garden, The Washington Times reported. President Donald Trump pardoned Gobble and Waddle on Tuesday, Nov. 25, 2025, the federation said.

What happened at the 2025 ceremony

The 2025 National Thanksgiving Turkeys, Gobble and Waddle, were raised in Kenly, North Carolina, by grower Travis Pittman, the National Turkey Federation said in its Nov. 25, 2025 release. President Trump pardoned the pair at the 78th presentation. The federation said Gobble and Waddle would return to North Carolina to live at North Carolina State University in Raleigh. The 2025 ceremony was held in the Rose Garden, ABC News reported.

The federation’s 2026 chairwoman is Christy Puffenbarger, elected by its board as the first woman to lead the turkey federation, the National Turkey Federation announced on Feb. 23, 2026. In 2025 the chairman was Jay Jandrain, president and chief executive of Butterball.

Thanksgiving week 2026 at a glance

Thanksgiving Day 2026 is Thursday, Nov. 26, the fourth Thursday of November. The pardon date for the week has not been set. The days of Thanksgiving week are below; mark your own calendar once the White House confirms the ceremony.

Day	Date	2026 status
Monday	Nov. 23	Ceremony not announced
Tuesday	Nov. 24	Ceremony not announced
Wednesday	Nov. 25	Ceremony not announced
Thursday	Nov. 26	Thanksgiving Day

For the reasons the holiday lands on Nov. 26, see our guide to when Thanksgiving falls in 2026, and plan the week with the November 2026 printable calendar. A printable from this story lists the date, turkeys and location of each ceremony from 2021 through 2025.

How to watch the 2026 turkey pardon

The White House has not announced whether or when it will stream the 2026 ceremony, so no broadcast or stream is confirmed. In past years the presentation has been held on the White House grounds and carried on the administration’s own channels. Check back when the date is set.