Thanksgiving Countdown
As of October 17, 2026 there are 40 days until Thanksgiving: Thursday, November 26, 2026.
Thursday, November 26, 2026
How many days until Thanksgiving?
As of October 17, 2026, Thanksgiving is 40 days away. That is 5 weeks and 5 days, or 11% of a year; the timer above has the exact figure for today in your time zone.
Thanksgiving dates, 2026 to 2031
| Year | Date | Day |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Thursday | |
| 2027 | Thursday | |
| 2028 | Thursday | |
| 2029 | Thursday | |
| 2030 | Thursday | |
| 2031 | Thursday |
When is Thanksgiving 2026? Dates through 2035
How the date of Thanksgiving is set
Thanksgiving in the United States is the fourth Thursday of November, so it falls between November 22 and November 28.
Thanksgiving is one of the eleven legal public holidays in 5 U.S.C. 6103. It is always a Thursday, so the Office of Personnel Management lists the day itself as the federal day off.
Also coming up: Black Friday on Friday, November 27, 2026, Cyber Monday on Monday, November 30, 2026, and Christmas on Friday, December 25, 2026.
Thanksgiving facts and traditions
Thanksgiving is a US federal holiday on the fourth Thursday of November. Canada celebrates its own Thanksgiving on the second Monday of October.
The national Thanksgiving holiday dates from Abraham Lincoln's proclamation of 1863, and presidents after him named the last Thursday of November. In 1939 Franklin D. Roosevelt chose the fourth of five Thursdays instead, and on December 26, 1941, he signed the law that fixed the fourth Thursday.
- It is always a Thursday, and the day after is Black Friday.
- In years when November has five Thursdays, Thanksgiving is not the last one.
- The 1621 harvest celebration at Plymouth is popularly called the first Thanksgiving.
How the Thanksgiving countdown counts
The timer runs to midnight at the start of Thanksgiving in your own time zone: the hours, minutes and seconds left today, plus the full days after that. "Days until" counts calendar days, so tomorrow is always 1 day away and the count at the top is one more than the timer's full days. After the day has passed, the countdown moves on to next year by itself.
For a span between any two dates, with weeks and working days, use the days between dates calculator. To count down to a date of your own, create a countdown with its own link.
Put the Thanksgiving countdown on your site
Copy this code into any web page. It shows a small live countdown that links back here.
Questions about the Thanksgiving countdown
How many weeks until Thanksgiving?
5 weeks and 5 days as of October 17, 2026, or 40 days in all. The countdown at the top of this page updates to today's number in your own time zone.
Why is Thanksgiving so late some years?
Because it is the fourth Thursday of November, not a fixed date. When November 1 is a Friday, the fourth Thursday is November 28, the latest it can be; when November 1 is a Thursday, it is November 22. Thanksgiving 2026 is on November 26, and the next November 28 Thanksgiving is in 2030.
When does the Thanksgiving countdown reach zero?
At midnight at the start of Thursday, November 26, 2026, in your own time zone, so it reaches zero earlier in London than in New York.
Can I add Thanksgiving to my calendar?
Yes. "Add to calendar" downloads an .ics file for November 26, 2026 that calendar apps such as Apple Calendar, Google Calendar and Outlook can import.
When is Thanksgiving in 2027?
Thursday, November 25, 2027. The Thanksgiving dates page lists every year through 2035.
Is Thanksgiving a federal holiday?
Yes. Thanksgiving is one of the eleven US federal holidays listed in 5 U.S.C. 6103. It is always a Thursday, so federal offices close on the day itself.
Sources
- 5 U.S.C. 6103: Holidays — the eleven legal public holidays and the weekend rule (checked October 16, 2026)
- US Office of Personnel Management: Federal Holidays — the days federal offices close each year (checked October 16, 2026)
- Wikipedia: Thanksgiving (United States) — history and traditions (checked October 16, 2026)