Thanksgiving (US) 2026

What this countdown tracks

Thanksgiving 2026 (US) – the federal holiday observed on the fourth Thursday of November – falls on Thursday November 26, 2026. The day kicks off the long Thanksgiving weekend and the US holiday shopping season; over 50 million Americans typically travel during the Thanksgiving period, making it the busiest domestic travel weekend of the year.

About Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving in the United States commemorates a 1621 harvest feast shared between the Pilgrims of Plymouth Colony and members of the Wampanoag tribe led by Massasoit – an event documented in two contemporary accounts (Edward Winslow's Mourt's Relation and William Bradford's Of Plymouth Plantation). The 1621 feast lasted three days, was attended by about 50 surviving Pilgrims and 90 Wampanoag, and included venison, wild fowl, and corn-based dishes. It was not called "Thanksgiving" at the time (the Pilgrims would have used that term for a religious day of fasting and prayer); the modern holiday's connection to that event was largely shaped by the New England historians and editors of the 19th century.

The first national Thanksgiving in the United States was proclaimed by President George Washington on October 3, 1789, for Thursday November 26 of that year. After several decades of inconsistent observance, the modern federal holiday was established by President Abraham Lincoln in 1863 (during the Civil War, on the urging of editor Sarah Josepha Hale) for the last Thursday of November. President Franklin D. Roosevelt moved the date to the fourth Thursday of November in 1939 (originally to extend the Christmas shopping season during the Depression); Congress codified the fourth-Thursday rule in 1941. The day has been a federal holiday continuously since.

The contemporary Thanksgiving has shifted from primarily religious to primarily familial – a day for family reunions, the year's most labor-intensive home-cooked meal, professional and college football, and the unofficial start of the Christmas shopping season. About 88% of Americans celebrate Thanksgiving; an estimated 46 million turkeys are eaten on Thanksgiving Day alone.

How it's observed

Thanksgiving's most universal element is the family meal. Roast turkey is the centerpiece in over 90% of households, served with stuffing (made from bread cubes, onions, celery, and sage), mashed potatoes, gravy, cranberry sauce, sweet potatoes (often candied with marshmallows), green bean casserole, dinner rolls, and pumpkin pie. Regional variations are deep: cornbread dressing in the South; sausage stuffing in the Mid-Atlantic; oyster stuffing in coastal New England; tamales among Mexican-American families in the Southwest; pernil and arroz con gandules in Caribbean households; ham as a co-centerpiece in many southern and Midwestern homes.

The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City has been held annually since 1924 (briefly suspended during WWII). Giant character balloons – currently including SpongeBob SquarePants, Snoopy, Pikachu, and Goku – float down a 2.5-mile route from 77th Street to Macy's Herald Square. The parade is broadcast to an estimated 50 million US television viewers annually.

The National Football League has scheduled Thanksgiving Day games since 1934. The Detroit Lions and Dallas Cowboys play home games every Thanksgiving (the Lions since 1934, the Cowboys since 1966); a third late-afternoon game has been added since 2006. College football's Thanksgiving and Black Friday slate also draws major audiences. The day closes with leftovers, more football, and preparation for Black Friday shopping the next morning.

The President of the United States traditionally pardons one or two turkeys at the White House in a ceremony dating from at least the 1980s (with sporadic earlier instances), and delivers a Thanksgiving address.

Why this date specifically

Thanksgiving is a fixed-weekday observance: the fourth Thursday of November. The rule was codified in 1941 by Congress, replacing the older "last Thursday of November" rule that occasionally produced a fifth-Thursday year. In 2026, the fourth Thursday of November falls on November 26, making it Thanksgiving Day. Black Friday follows on November 27; Cyber Monday on November 30. Both are now the centerpieces of the year's largest retail-spending weekend.

What to watch for / notable observances in 2026

• November 26 – Thanksgiving Day; federal holiday
• 8:30 AM ET – Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade begins in New York
• 12:30 PM ET – Detroit Lions Thanksgiving game
• 4:30 PM ET – Dallas Cowboys Thanksgiving game
• 8:20 PM ET – Thanksgiving night football game
• November 27 – Black Friday; year's largest retail spending day
• November 30 – Cyber Monday; year's largest online retail day
• AAA travel forecast typically over 50 million Americans on the road
• White House turkey pardon ceremony, Tuesday November 24 or Wednesday November 25
• 2026 will follow the US Independence Day Sestercentennial (250th anniversary on July 4)

Related festivals to track

Thanksgiving 2026 sets up the long retail and holiday season that runs through Black Friday, Cyber Monday, Hanukkah 2026 (December 4–12), Christmas 2026, and New Year 2027. For a comparable but different harvest festival, see Canadian Thanksgiving in October. The family overview is at the Secular festival hub.

FAQ

When is Thanksgiving in 2026? Thursday November 26, 2026 – the fourth Thursday of November.

How is Thanksgiving observed? Through the family Thanksgiving meal (roast turkey with traditional sides), the Macy's Parade in New York, NFL Thanksgiving games, and the start of the holiday shopping season on Black Friday.

Is Thanksgiving a public holiday? Yes – a US federal holiday since 1863. Most US workplaces and schools also close on Black Friday, the day after.

What is the typical greeting? "Happy Thanksgiving."