Countdown
How many days until Thanksgiving?
🦃 Thursday, November 26, 2026
116 days until Thanksgiving
About Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving in the United States is a federal holiday centered on gratitude, family gatherings, and a shared meal, traditionally featuring foods such as turkey, stuffing, and pumpkin pie. Its date shifts each year because it is defined not by a fixed day of the month but by a formula, the fourth Thursday of November, a rule set into US federal law in the 20th century. Because the day of the week on which November 1 falls changes from year to year, the fourth Thursday can land anywhere from the 22nd to the 28th of the month. The holiday's origins are commonly traced to a harvest celebration shared between English colonists and members of the Wampanoag people in the early 17th century, though the modern holiday as a fixed, nationally recognized occasion developed gradually over the following centuries and was formalized as a federal holiday in the 1800s, with its specific date later standardized by law. Celebrations typically involve family gatherings and large shared meals, and the day has also become closely associated with televised parades and American football games, both of which have become fixtures of the holiday for many households. In the workplace and retail sector, the Friday immediately following Thanksgiving has grown into a major shopping event, extending the holiday's cultural footprint well beyond the meal itself. A common point of nuance is that the harvest celebration often cited as the holiday's origin was not itself an annual tradition at the time, and the continuous, yearly national holiday familiar today is a later development shaped by government proclamations and eventually formal legislation, rather than a custom that ran unbroken from the 17th century onward.
Quick facts
- Thanksgiving's date is not fixed on the calendar; it is legally defined as the fourth Thursday of November, so its exact date shifts depending on which day of the week November 1 falls on.
- The harvest gathering often cited as the holiday's origin was not an annual tradition at the time it took place; the continuous yearly national holiday developed much later.
- The day after Thanksgiving has grown into one of the biggest retail shopping days in the US calendar, extending the holiday's cultural reach well beyond the family meal.
Frequently asked questions
- Why does Thanksgiving fall on a different date each year?
- It is defined by law as the fourth Thursday of November, and since that day shifts depending on the calendar, the exact date changes annually.
- Is Thanksgiving always in the same week?
- It is always the fourth Thursday of November, though the specific date can range from the 22nd to the 28th.
- How many days until Thanksgiving?
- See the countdown above for the exact number of days remaining until the next Thanksgiving.
Upcoming Thanksgiving dates
- Thu, Nov 26, 2026 (next)
- Thu, Nov 25, 2027
- Thu, Nov 23, 2028
- Thu, Nov 22, 2029
Dates on this page are checked against public calendar sources. Spot something wrong? Let us know.