When Is Thanksgiving 2026? Date, Days Until Thanksgiving and Countdown

Thanksgiving 2026 is on Thursday, 26 November. From 22 October that is 35 days away, or exactly 5 weeks, and the live counter below shows the time left right now in your own time zone. It is the fourth Thursday of November, as it is every year, and it is followed by Black Friday on 27 November and Cyber Monday on 30 November.

This page does more than tick down. You can type in any date to see the days, sleeps, weeks and weekdays left until Thanksgiving, check a table that never goes out of date, see Thanksgiving dates for the next five years, find out why it can never fall earlier than the 22nd or later than the 28th, and get a turkey thawing schedule based on USDA guidance.

TL;DR

Thanksgiving 2026: Thursday, 26 November.
From 22 October: 35 days, 35 sleeps, 5 weeks, 25 weekdays.
The rule: the fourth Thursday of November, set in US federal law in 1941. It always falls between the 22nd and the 28th.
Next days: Black Friday is 27 November, Cyber Monday is 30 November, and Christmas is 29 days after Thanksgiving.
Turkey: the USDA says to allow 24 hours of refrigerator thawing for every 4 to 5 pounds.
Different number on another site? Some count today, some do not. Ours uses your own clock.

Live Thanksgiving countdown 2026

—Days—Hours—Minutes—Seconds

Thanksgiving 2026 is Thursday, 26 November.

The counter targets midnight at the start of 26 November in your time zone, so it will not match a site that counts to New York time.

Days until Thanksgiving from any date: calculator

Pick a date to see the gap between that day and the next Thanksgiving. It works for any year, because it finds the fourth Thursday of November for you.

Choose a start date

Pick a date and press the button.

<p>Turn on JavaScript to use the calculator, or read the table below.</p>

Days left until Thanksgiving 2026 from key dates

These figures are fixed, so they stay correct all season. Each row counts from the start of that date to the start of Thanksgiving Day.

From this dateWeekdayDays leftWeeks and daysWeekdays leftHours left

22 OctoberThursday355 weeks25840

26 OctoberMonday314 weeks and 3 days23744

1 NovemberSunday253 weeks and 4 days18600

5 NovemberThursday213 weeks15504

10 NovemberTuesday162 weeks and 2 days12384

15 NovemberSunday111 week and 4 days8264

19 NovemberThursday71 week5168

20 NovemberFriday66 days4144

22 NovemberSunday44 days396

23 NovemberMonday33 days372

24 NovemberTuesday22 days248

25 NovemberWednesday11 day124

Counted to 00:00 on Thursday, 26 November 2026.

Thanksgiving 2026 at a glance

Date: Thursday, 26 November 2026

Black Friday: Friday, 27 November

Cyber Monday: Monday, 30 November

First Sunday of Advent: Sunday, 29 November

To Christmas: 29 days (Friday, 25 December)

Already looking ahead? See our live Christmas 2026 countdown or the Halloween countdown if you are still counting October.

When is Thanksgiving? Dates for the next five years

YearThanksgiving dateDays to Christmas

2026Thursday, 26 November29

2027Thursday, 25 November30

2028Thursday, 23 November32

2029Thursday, 22 November33

2030Thursday, 28 November27

2031Thursday, 27 November28

The fourth Thursday of November, by year.

Why Thanksgiving is always between the 22nd and the 28th

Four cards explaining Thanksgiving dates: the fourth Thursday rule from 1941, the range of 22 to 28 November, the 2026 date of 26 November, and the USDA turkey thawing rule of 24 hours per 4 to 5 pounds

Thanksgiving is the fourth Thursday of November, so it always falls between 22 and 28 November.

Thanksgiving is the fourth Thursday of November. A month always has four full weeks, so the first Thursday falls on the 1st to the 7th, and the fourth Thursday is exactly 21 days later, on the 22nd to the 28th. That answers two common questions:

What is the latest date for Thanksgiving? The 28th, as in 2030.
What is the earliest? The 22nd, as in 2029.
Is there ever a fifth Thursday in November? Yes, in some years, but it is not Thanksgiving. When November has five Thursdays, the holiday is still on the fourth.

A short history of the date

1621: the Plymouth harvest feast is often called the first Thanksgiving. It lasted three days and Wampanoag guests attended. Seventeenth-century accounts describe it as a harvest celebration and not a day of thanksgiving.
1863: President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed a national Thanksgiving for the last Thursday in November, after Union victories at Gettysburg and Vicksburg.
1939: November had five Thursdays. President Franklin Roosevelt chose the fourth and not the fifth to lengthen the Christmas shopping season, and critics called it "Franksgiving".
1941: Congress fixed the holiday on the fourth Thursday in federal law, and Roosevelt signed it on 26 December 1941.

Since a 1941 law, Thanksgiving has been the fourth Thursday, which is not always the last one.
Know World Now editorial summary

Turkey thawing schedule for Thanksgiving 2026

The USDA says to allow 24 hours of refrigerator thawing for every 4 to 5 pounds, so a 15-pound turkey needs about three days. A fully thawed turkey can then stay in the refrigerator for one or two days before cooking. Here is what that means for Thursday, 26 November:

Turkey weightFridge thaw timeStart thawing by (latest)

8 lb1.6 to 2 daysTuesday, 24 November

12 lb2.4 to 3 daysMonday, 23 November

16 lb3.2 to 4 daysSunday, 22 November

20 lb4 to 5 daysSaturday, 21 November

24 lb4.8 to 6 daysFriday, 20 November

Based on the USDA refrigerator rule. Start a day earlier for a safety buffer.

Food safety

The USDA warns against thawing a turkey on the counter or in a garage. Frozen meat left at room temperature for more than 2 hours is not safe, and the "danger zone" for bacteria is 40 to 140 degrees Fahrenheit. For cold-water thawing, keep the bird in its packaging, change the water every 30 minutes and cook it straight after. For questions, the USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline is 1-888-674-6854.

Thanksgiving in other countries

Canada: Thanksgiving is on the second Monday of October, which was 12 October in 2026.
Japan: Labor Thanksgiving Day (Kinro Kansha no Hi) is on 23 November each year. It is a national holiday, but it is not the American holiday.
Elsewhere: many countries hold harvest or gratitude festivals at other times of the year, so the American date is specific to the US.

A simple countdown plan for Thanksgiving

5 weeks out: decide who is hosting and how many guests are coming. Book travel while fares are lower.
3 weeks out: plan the menu, check dietary needs and order a fresh turkey if you want one.
1 to 2 weeks out: buy non-perishables and a frozen turkey, and clear space in the refrigerator.
4 to 6 days out: start thawing the turkey using the table above.
2 days out: shop for fresh ingredients and prep side dishes that keep well.
The day before: set the table, prepare the pies and check the oven.
Thanksgiving Day: cook, eat and let someone else wash up.

Hosting Thanksgiving: early prep versus last minute

Prepping early

More time to thaw the turkey safely
Better choice of ingredients and travel
Spread the cost over a few weeks
Less stress on the day

Leaving it late

Fresh turkeys and travel sell out
Prices rise close to the day
A frozen bird may not thaw in time
Crowded shops the day before

How many people search for Thanksgiving dates? Bing data

Interest builds steeply as the holiday approaches. Estimated US Bing searches for "when is thanksgiving 2026" rose from about 1,400 a month in September 2025 to more than 52,000 in September 2026, while "how many days until thanksgiving" peaked at about 8,200 last November.

Estimated US Bing searches per month: Thanksgiving queries

Source: DataForSEO Bing keyword data, US English, retrieved 21 October 2026. These are estimates, not exact counts. October 2026 data was not yet available.

Related guides

Halloween countdown 2026: live counter and calculator for 31 October.
Christmas countdown 2026: live counter, calculator and key dates.
How many weeks are in a year: the answer for 2026 and beyond.
How many Thursdays are in a year: which weekdays fall most often.
Festive table ideas: placemats and coasters for the holiday season.

Counting down to something bigger?

Our live Christmas 2026 countdown has a calculator, key dates and a week-by-week planner.

Open the Christmas countdown

Thanksgiving countdown: frequently asked questions

Thursday, 26 November 2026. It is the fourth Thursday of November.The live counter at the top of this page shows the exact days, hours, minutes and seconds left in your time zone. From 22 October it is 35 days.The number of sleeps equals the number of nights before the day. From 22 October there are 35 sleeps until Thanksgiving on 26 November.A Thursday. 1 November 2026 is a Sunday, so the Thursdays in November are the 5th, 12th, 19th and 26th, and the fourth is the 26th.The 28th of November, as in 2030. Thanksgiving is the fourth Thursday, so it always falls between the 22nd and the 28th.Yes, in some years, but Thanksgiving is still the fourth Thursday. President Roosevelt moved it from the fifth to the fourth in 1939, and Congress fixed the fourth Thursday in law in 1941.In 2026 there are 29 days from Thanksgiving on 26 November to Christmas Day on 25 December.Friday, 27 November 2026, the day after Thanksgiving. Cyber Monday is on Monday, 30 November.The USDA says 24 hours in the refrigerator for every 4 to 5 pounds. A 15-pound turkey needs about three days, and a thawed turkey can wait one or two days before cooking.Japan has Labor Thanksgiving Day on 23 November each year, which is a national holiday but a different holiday from the American one. Canada celebrates Thanksgiving on the second Monday of October.Presidents and Congress chose a Thursday. Abraham Lincoln proclaimed the last Thursday of November in 1863, and Congress fixed the fourth Thursday in federal law in 1941.Yes. It is a US federal holiday on the fourth Thursday of November.

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