Thanksgiving (US) 2027

What this countdown tracks

Thanksgiving 2027 (US) – the federal holiday observed on the fourth Thursday of November – falls on Thursday November 25, 2027. The day kicks off the long Thanksgiving weekend, the busiest domestic travel period of the year, and the Black Friday – Cyber Monday retail block.

About Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving in the United States traces its symbolic origins to a 1621 harvest feast in Plymouth Colony, where the Pilgrims who had survived their first winter shared a three-day meal with about 90 members of the Wampanoag tribe led by Massasoit. The feast was attended by approximately 50 of the original 102 Pilgrims (the rest having died over the previous winter) and was made possible by the Wampanoag's instruction in growing corn and other native crops. Two contemporary accounts – Edward Winslow's 1622 Mourt's Relation and William Bradford's later Of Plymouth Plantation – describe the event, though the connection to the modern Thanksgiving holiday was largely constructed by 19th-century New England historians.

The first national Thanksgiving in the United States was proclaimed by President George Washington on October 3, 1789, for Thursday November 26. The holiday became annual under President Abraham Lincoln in 1863, who proclaimed the last Thursday of November as a national day of "Thanksgiving and Praise" during the Civil War, on the urging of editor Sarah Josepha Hale. President Franklin D. Roosevelt moved the date to the fourth Thursday of November in 1939 (to extend the Christmas shopping season during the Depression), and Congress codified the fourth-Thursday rule by joint resolution in 1941.

The modern Thanksgiving is more familial than religious – a day for family reunions, the most elaborate home-cooked meal of the year, professional and college football, and the unofficial start of the Christmas shopping season. About 88% of Americans celebrate Thanksgiving in some form; an estimated 46 million turkeys are eaten on Thanksgiving Day alone, with another 22 million for Christmas.

How it's observed

The Thanksgiving meal is the day's universal centerpiece. Roast turkey is featured in over 90% of households, served with stuffing (bread, onion, celery, sage), mashed potatoes, gravy, cranberry sauce, sweet potatoes (often candied with marshmallows), green bean casserole, dinner rolls, and pumpkin pie. Regional variations run deep: cornbread dressing in the South; sausage and apple 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. Brining and deep-frying have grown as alternative turkey preparations since the 1990s.

The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City has been held annually since 1924 (with brief WWII suspensions). Giant character balloons – currently including SpongeBob SquarePants, Snoopy, Pikachu, and Goku – float down a 2.5-mile route from the Upper West Side to Herald Square, with marching bands, performance groups, and Santa Claus closing the parade to mark the unofficial start of the Christmas season. The parade is broadcast to about 50 million US television viewers.

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 or prime-time game has been added since 2006. College football's Thanksgiving and Black Friday slate also draws major audiences. The Friday after Thanksgiving has become a college football "rivalry weekend" with major games like Texas-Texas A&M and Ole Miss-Mississippi State.

The President of the United States typically pardons one or two turkeys at the White House in a ceremony dating from at least the 1980s, and delivers a Thanksgiving address. Volunteer-organized Thanksgiving meals at homeless shelters, food banks, and military bases run nationwide.

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 and disrupted retail planning. In 2027, the fourth Thursday of November falls on November 25, making it Thanksgiving Day – an early Thanksgiving, with a full week before December opens. Black Friday follows on November 26; Cyber Monday on November 29.

What to watch for / notable observances in 2027

• November 25 – Thanksgiving Day; federal holiday
• 8:30 AM ET – Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York
• 12:30 PM ET – Detroit Lions Thanksgiving game
• 4:30 PM ET – Dallas Cowboys Thanksgiving game
• 8:20 PM ET – Thursday Night Football
• November 26 – Black Friday; year's largest retail spending day
• November 29 – Cyber Monday; year's largest online retail day
• AAA forecast typically projects 50+ million travelers
• White House turkey pardon, Tuesday November 23 or Wednesday November 24
• November 25 also begins many universities' Thanksgiving recess

Related festivals to track

Thanksgiving 2027 sets up the long holiday and retail season that includes Black Friday, Cyber Monday, Hanukkah 2027 (starting December 24), Bodhi Day (December 8), Christmas 2027, and New Year 2028. For a comparable harvest festival in another tradition, see Canadian Thanksgiving in October. The family overview is at the Secular festival hub.

FAQ

When is Thanksgiving in 2027? Thursday November 25, 2027 – the fourth Thursday of November.

How is Thanksgiving observed? Through the family Thanksgiving meal, the Macy's Parade, NFL Thanksgiving games, and the start of the holiday shopping season on Black Friday.

Is Thanksgiving a public holiday? Yes – a US federal holiday. Most US workplaces and schools also close on Black Friday.

What is the typical greeting? "Happy Thanksgiving."