Major holidays · in 165 days
When is Thanksgiving?
Thanksgiving 2026 is on Thursday, November 26, 2026.
Thanksgiving 2026 falls on Thursday, November 26, 2026.
A US holiday of gratitude centred on a family feast with turkey. It kicks off the holiday shopping season.
In 2026, it falls in ISO week 48. Need the full year's calendar? See all 2026 weeks, or browse every other date.
At a glance
The history of Thanksgiving
The 1621 harvest feast between the Plymouth colonists and the Wampanoag is the traditional origin, though the meal as told to schoolchildren is heavily mythologised. George Washington proclaimed a national day of thanksgiving in 1789, but it was Abraham Lincoln, urged on by writer Sarah Josepha Hale, who established it as a recurring national holiday in 1863 during the Civil War. Franklin Roosevelt moved it forward one week in 1939 to lengthen the Christmas shopping season, creating two years of confusion before Congress set it on the fourth Thursday in 1941.
How Thanksgiving is celebrated
The meal centres on roast turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, gravy and pumpkin pie. Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York and three NFL games (with Detroit and Dallas always hosting) are TV staples. The president pardons a turkey at the White House. Many families travel hundreds of miles to gather.
Did you know?
About 46 million turkeys are eaten on Thanksgiving in the US each year.
Canada celebrates Thanksgiving on the second Monday in October.
The 1939-1941 "Franksgiving" controversy split states between two dates.
Thanksgiving in upcoming years
How the date is set
The fourth Thursday in November.
Thanksgiving around the world
Canada observes Thanksgiving on the second Monday in October, six weeks earlier than the US.
Sources & further reading
For more detail on Thanksgiving, see these references.
Related dates
Thanksgiving: questions and answers
When is Thanksgiving 2026?
Thanksgiving 2026 falls on Thursday, November 26, 2026.
What day of the week is Thanksgiving this year?
In 2026, Thanksgiving is a Thursday, November 26.
How is the date of Thanksgiving determined?
The fourth Thursday in November.
Where is Thanksgiving observed?
Thanksgiving is observed in United States. Other countries may mark a similar day on a different date.