Thanksgiving Day · fourth Thursday of November
How many days until Thanksgiving?
Checked October 8, 2026 · first publish
50 days
Thu, Nov 26, 2026
There are 50 days until Thanksgiving, Thu, Nov 26, 2026. That is 7 weeks and 1 day, or 33 business days. Black Friday is the next day and Cyber Monday is four days after Thanksgiving.
7 weeks and 1 day · 7 weekends · 50 sleeps · 33 business days
| Year | Date | Days away |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Thu, Nov 26, 2026 | 50 |
| 2027 | Thu, Nov 25, 2027 | 414 |
| 2028 | Thu, Nov 23, 2028 | 778 |
| 2029 | Thu, Nov 22, 2029 | 1142 |
| 2030 | Thu, Nov 28, 2030 | 1513 |
Thanksgiving is the fourth Thursday in November under 5 U.S.C. 6103, so it never needs an observed date.
When should you start thawing the turkey?
| Turkey weight | In the refrigerator | Move it to the refrigerator (Thanksgiving 2026) | In cold water |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 to 12 lb | 1 to 3 days | Mon, Nov 23 to Wed, Nov 25 | 2 to 6 hours |
| 12 to 16 lb | 3 to 4 days | Sun, Nov 22 to Mon, Nov 23 | 6 to 8 hours |
| 16 to 20 lb | 4 to 5 days | Sat, Nov 21 to Sun, Nov 22 | 8 to 10 hours |
| 20 to 24 lb | 5 to 6 days | Fri, Nov 20 to Sat, Nov 21 | 10 to 12 hours |
USDA FSIS: allow about 24 hours in the refrigerator for every 4 to 5 pounds, at 40 °F or below. A thawed turkey keeps 1 or 2 days in the refrigerator before cooking. Cold-water thawing takes about 30 minutes per pound, with the water changed every 30 minutes, and the bird is cooked right away.
Source: USDA FSIS, Turkey Basics: Safe Thawing (read from an archived copy; the live page blocks automated access, so we recheck it in a browser before Thanksgiving).
| Year | Thanksgiving | Black Friday | Cyber Monday |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Thu, Nov 26, 2026 | Fri, Nov 27, 2026 | Mon, Nov 30, 2026 |
| 2027 | Thu, Nov 25, 2027 | Fri, Nov 26, 2027 | Mon, Nov 29, 2027 |
| 2028 | Thu, Nov 23, 2028 | Fri, Nov 24, 2028 | Mon, Nov 27, 2028 |
| 2029 | Thu, Nov 22, 2029 | Fri, Nov 23, 2029 | Mon, Nov 26, 2029 |
| 2030 | Thu, Nov 28, 2030 | Fri, Nov 29, 2030 | Mon, Dec 2, 2030 |
Black Friday is the day after Thanksgiving. Cyber Monday is the Monday after. Neither is a federal holiday.
Why does the Thanksgiving date change every year?
Federal law fixes Thanksgiving to a weekday, not a date: the fourth Thursday in November. That pins it between November 22 and November 28. In 2026 it falls on Thu, Nov 26, close to the late end, and in 2027 it moves back a day to Thu, Nov 25. Because it is always a Thursday, there is never an observed date to look up.
How do you turn the thawing table into a date?
The USDA guide gives thawing time by weight. So the useful number is "how many days until the turkey goes in the fridge." The table above does that subtraction for you. For Thursday, Nov 26, 2026:
- 4 to 12 pounds: move it between Mon, Nov 23 and Wed, Nov 25.
- 12 to 16 pounds: Sun, Nov 22 or Mon, Nov 23.
- 16 to 20 pounds: Sat, Nov 21 or Sun, Nov 22.
- 20 to 24 pounds: Fri, Nov 20 or Sat, Nov 21.
Starting on the early date is the safer side, since USDA says a thawed bird holds 1 or 2 days in the refrigerator. If the day slips by, cold water is the fallback at about 30 minutes a pound. A 20 to 24 pound turkey then needs 10 to 12 hours, starting the night before.
What comes after Thanksgiving?
Black Friday follows on Fri, Nov 27, 2026, and Cyber Monday on Mon, Nov 30. Neither is a federal holiday, so both count as business days. From Thanksgiving to Christmas 2026 there are 29 days. In 2029, when Thanksgiving is Nov 22, the gap grows to 33 days; in 2030, with Thanksgiving on Nov 28, it shrinks to 27.
Questions people ask
- How many weeks until Thanksgiving?
- It is 7 weeks and 1 day until Thanksgiving, Thu, Nov 26, 2026. The leftover days after the full weeks also tell you how many days remain until the next Thursday, because Thanksgiving is always on one.
- What is the latest and earliest Thanksgiving can be?
- The fourth Thursday of November can fall between November 22 and November 28. The table shows the spread: Thu, Nov 22, 2029 is early, and Thu, Nov 28, 2030 is late. A late Thanksgiving leaves fewer shopping days before Christmas.
- How many days since last Thanksgiving?
- Thanksgiving 2025 was Thursday, November 27, 2025. Use the days-between calculator with that date and today to get the exact count. After this year's holiday passes, this page also switches to show days since and the next date.
- When do I take a 20-pound turkey out of the freezer?
- USDA FSIS puts a 16 to 20 pound turkey at 4 to 5 days in the refrigerator. For Thanksgiving 2026, that means moving it to the fridge on Sat, Nov 21 or Sun, Nov 22. A 20 to 24 pound bird needs 5 to 6 days, so Fri, Nov 20 or Sat, Nov 21.
Sources
- OPM: Federal Holidays — opm.gov
- 5 U.S.C. 6103 (Cornell LII) — law.cornell.edu
- USDA FSIS: Turkey Basics: Safe Thawing — fsis.usda.gov
- Google Calendar: US Holidays (public iCal) — calendar.google.com
General date information from official calendars (OPM, USNO). It is not legal, tax or immigration advice; check the agency named on the page for your own deadline.