How Many Days Until Thanksgiving?

Thanksgiving History

Thanksgiving traces back to a 1621 harvest feast shared between English colonists at Plymouth Plantation and the Wampanoag people in what is now Massachusetts. Various days of thanksgiving were observed informally for the next 200 years.

President Abraham Lincoln issued a proclamation on October 3, 1863, declaring the last Thursday of November as a national day of thanksgiving. President Franklin D. Roosevelt moved the holiday up a week in 1939 to extend the Christmas shopping season, but Congress fixed the date as the fourth Thursday of November starting in 1941.

The federal law (Public Law 77-379) signed by President Roosevelt on December 26, 1941, established Thanksgiving as the fourth Thursday of November permanently.

The 4-Day Weekend

Thanksgiving is one of the most paid-time-off-friendly holidays in the US calendar. Federal employees, most private-sector workers, and most schools observe a 4-day weekend:

• Thursday, November 26: Thanksgiving (federal holiday)
• Friday, November 27: Black Friday (most private employers grant as paid holiday; not a federal holiday)
• Saturday, November 28: Weekend
• Sunday, November 29: Weekend

This creates the longest non-Christmas, non-summer break in the US workweek calendar.

Thanksgiving Meal Costs and Traditions

The American Farm Bureau Federation tracks the cost of a classic Thanksgiving dinner for 10 each year. The 2024 survey found an average cost of approximately $58.08 for the meal, down from the 2022 peak of $64.05 but still elevated from pre-pandemic levels.

Turkey is the centerpiece of approximately 88% of US Thanksgiving meals. The National Turkey Federation estimates that approximately 46 million turkeys are consumed each Thanksgiving in the United States.

The most common Thanksgiving side dishes:

• Stuffing or dressing
• Mashed potatoes
• Gravy
• Cranberry sauce
• Sweet potatoes
• Green bean casserole
• Dinner rolls
• Pumpkin pie

Thanksgiving Travel Planning

If you are flying for Thanksgiving 2026:

• Busiest travel days: Tuesday, November 24 and Wednesday, November 25
• Heaviest return day: Sunday, November 29
• Cheapest flight days: Thanksgiving Day itself (November 26) and the Saturday before
• TSA tip: Expect 30 to 60 minutes longer wait times than off-season

If you are driving:

• AAA recommends leaving Tuesday morning or before noon on Wednesday for the lightest traffic
• Heaviest traffic typically occurs Wednesday afternoon and Sunday afternoon
• Gas prices typically peak the week of Thanksgiving

Black Friday and Cyber Monday

Black Friday 2026 falls on Friday, November 27, 2026. It is the day after Thanksgiving and traditionally the start of the holiday shopping season.

Cyber Monday 2026 falls on Monday, November 30, 2026. Cyber Monday is the largest online shopping day of the year. Adobe Analytics reported Cyber Monday 2024 online sales of approximately $13.3 billion, a single-day record.