Thanksgiving dates for the coming years
| Year | Date | Weekday | Canadian Thanksgiving |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thanksgiving 2026 | November 26, 2026 | Thursday | October 12, 2026 |
| Thanksgiving 2027 | November 25, 2027 | Thursday | October 11, 2027 |
| Thanksgiving 2028 | November 23, 2028 | Thursday | October 9, 2028 |
| Thanksgiving 2029 | November 22, 2029 | Thursday | October 8, 2029 |
| Thanksgiving 2030 | November 28, 2030 | Thursday | October 14, 2030 |
| Thanksgiving 2031 | November 27, 2031 | Thursday | October 13, 2031 |
| Thanksgiving 2032 | November 25, 2032 | Thursday | October 11, 2032 |
Why the fourth Thursday?
President Lincoln proclaimed a national day of thanksgiving on the last Thursday of November in 1863, and presidents kept that custom for decades. In 1939 President Franklin Roosevelt moved it a week earlier to lengthen the shopping season before Christmas, which caused confusion between states. Congress settled it in 1941: Thanksgiving is the fourth Thursday of November, so it always falls between November 22 and 28.
Canadian Thanksgiving
Canada celebrates Thanksgiving on the second Monday of October, about six weeks before the US. It is a statutory holiday in most provinces.
Planning the long weekend
Thanksgiving Thursday is a federal holiday, and many employers also give the Friday off. The Sunday after Thanksgiving is often the busiest travel day of the year in the US, so flights and trains for that day sell out early.