Why Thanksgiving Falls on Nov. 26 This Year: The 1941 Fourth-Thursday Rule and What Is Closed
Thanksgiving 2026 falls on Thursday, Nov. 26, the fourth Thursday under a 1941 law. Black Friday is Nov. 27. Closures, parade time and future dates.
In this article
Thanksgiving Day 2026 is Thursday, Nov. 26. The date is not picked each year: a 1941 federal law places the holiday on the fourth Thursday of November, which is why it moves around the calendar while holidays like Christmas stay put. Black Friday follows on Nov. 27, and the 100th Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade steps off the morning of the 26th.
How the date is set
Title 5 of the U.S. Code lists the federal holidays and names “Thanksgiving Day, the fourth Thursday in November.” November 2026 begins on a Sunday, so its Thursdays fall on the 5th, 12th, 19th and 26th. The fourth one is Nov. 26.
The rule means Thanksgiving can only land between Nov. 22 and Nov. 28. It falls on the 22nd when Nov. 1 is a Thursday and on the 28th when Nov. 1 is a Friday.
| Year | Thanksgiving | Black Friday |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Thursday, Nov. 26 | Nov. 27 |
| 2027 | Thursday, Nov. 25 | Nov. 26 |
| 2028 | Thursday, Nov. 23 | Nov. 24 |
| 2029 | Thursday, Nov. 22 | Nov. 23 |
| 2030 | Thursday, Nov. 28 | Nov. 29 |
| 2031 | Thursday, Nov. 27 | Nov. 28 |
Why it is the fourth Thursday, not the last
For most of its history the holiday followed the “last Thursday” rule. President Abraham Lincoln’s proclamation of Oct. 3, 1863, set Thanksgiving on the last Thursday of November, and later presidents kept that custom.
The custom broke in 1939, when November had five Thursdays. Retailers worried that a Nov. 30 holiday would shorten the Christmas shopping season, and President Franklin D. Roosevelt moved Thanksgiving a week earlier, to Nov. 23. States split: some followed the new date, others kept the traditional one, and critics nicknamed the earlier holiday “Franksgiving.”
Congress settled the question in 1941. According to the National Archives, the House passed a joint resolution on Oct. 6, 1941, naming the last Thursday. The Senate changed it to the fourth Thursday so the holiday would not drift into the last days of November in five-Thursday years, the House agreed, and Roosevelt signed the resolution on Dec. 26, 1941. The rule took effect in 1942 and has been used ever since.
What is open and closed
| Service | Thursday, Nov. 26 | Friday, Nov. 27 |
|---|---|---|
| Federal offices | Closed | Open (not a federal holiday) |
| Federal Reserve | Closed | Open |
| Most banks | Closed | Most open |
| U.S. Postal Service | Closed, no regular delivery | Open |
| New York Stock Exchange and Nasdaq | Closed | Early close at 1:00 p.m. ET |
| Schools | Closed | Many districts closed; check your district |
The federal schedule comes from the Office of Personnel Management and the Federal Reserve’s 2026 holiday list. The NYSE publishes the early close on its holidays and trading hours page.
The 100th Macy’s parade
The 2026 parade is the 100th, according to Macy’s. The first was held in 1924, and the count runs behind the calendar because the parade was not held from 1942 to 1944 during World War II. It starts at 8:30 a.m. and airs on NBC, Peacock and Telemundo starting at 8:30 a.m. in all time zones. In New York, the route runs from the Upper West Side to Macy’s Herald Square.
Travel: last year set a record
AAA has not released its 2026 Thanksgiving forecast; the auto club usually publishes it in mid-November. Its 2025 forecast projected a record 81.8 million people traveling at least 50 miles over the holiday period, about 73 million of them by car and 6 million by air. AAA said the worst road congestion tends to come on Tuesday and Wednesday afternoons before the holiday and that Thanksgiving morning itself usually has light traffic.
If you are planning around the 2026 holiday, the comparable travel window runs from Tuesday, Nov. 24 to Monday, Nov. 30.
Canada celebrates in October
Canadian Thanksgiving falls on the second Monday of October. In 2026 it was Monday, Oct. 12, about six weeks before the U.S. holiday.
Plan the week
- Mark Thursday, Nov. 26 and Friday, Nov. 27 on your calendar, along with any school closures on Wednesday, Nov. 25.
- Order groceries and book travel early; the Tuesday and Wednesday before the holiday are usually the busiest.
- Mail cards or packages by Tuesday, Nov. 24 if they need to arrive before the holiday.
- If you trade stocks, remember the 1:00 p.m. ET close on Friday.
Frequently asked questions
What date is Thanksgiving 2026?
Thursday, Nov. 26, 2026. It is the fourth Thursday of November, as set by federal law.
Why is Thanksgiving on a different date every year?
The law ties Thanksgiving to a weekday, the fourth Thursday of November, not to a calendar number. The date therefore moves between Nov. 22 and Nov. 28 depending on which weekday Nov. 1 falls on.
Is the day after Thanksgiving a federal holiday?
No. Black Friday, Nov. 27, 2026, is not a federal holiday, although many employers and some state governments give the day off. The New York Stock Exchange closes early at 1:00 p.m. ET.
When is Thanksgiving 2027?
Thursday, Nov. 25, 2027. After that it falls on Nov. 23, 2028, and Nov. 22, 2029, the earliest possible date.
When is Canadian Thanksgiving?
Canada celebrates on the second Monday of October. In 2026 that was Monday, Oct. 12.
Sources
- Thanksgiving as a Federal Holiday (National Archives (Prologue))
- 5 U.S. Code § 6103 — Holidays (Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School)
- Federal Holidays (U.S. Office of Personnel Management)
- Federal Reserve Holidays (Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System)
- Holidays & Trading Hours (New York Stock Exchange)
- Macy's Kicks Off the 100-Day Countdown to the 100th Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade (Macy's, Inc.)
- AAA Thanksgiving Travel Forecast 2025 (AAA Newsroom)
