How the Thanksgiving countdown works
The countdown targets midnight at the start of Thanksgiving Day in the time zone set on your device. The page first shows a figure computed for a reference time zone, then your browser recalculates it with your own clock and updates the days, hours, minutes and seconds every second. Nothing is sent to a server.
The line under the clock gives whole calendar days left, not counting today. On Thanksgiving Day the page says it is today; from the next day it counts to the following year’s Thanksgiving. The key dates panel shows Thanksgiving and the day after, often a day off and a big shopping day.
How the date of Thanksgiving is set
US Thanksgiving is the fourth Thursday of November, a rule fixed by a federal law signed in 1941. The first Thursday of November always falls between the 1st and the 7th, so the fourth Thursday, three weeks later, always falls between 22 and 28 November.
Example for 2026: 1 November 2026 is a Sunday, so the first Thursday is 5 November. Add three weeks: 5 + 21 = 26, so Thanksgiving 2026 is Thursday 26 November.
Thanksgiving dates, 2026 to 2030
| Year | US Thanksgiving | Day after | Canadian Thanksgiving |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Thursday 26 November | Friday 27 November | Monday 12 October |
| 2027 | Thursday 25 November | Friday 26 November | Monday 11 October |
| 2028 | Thursday 23 November | Friday 24 November | Monday 9 October |
| 2029 | Thursday 22 November | Friday 23 November | Monday 8 October |
| 2030 | Thursday 28 November | Friday 29 November | Monday 14 October |
Canadian Thanksgiving, on the second Monday of October, is listed for reference only; the countdown on this page is for US Thanksgiving.
How many days until Thanksgiving: examples
- From 1 November 2026: Thanksgiving is on 26 November, so 26 − 1 = 25 days.
- From Halloween, 31 October 2026: 1 day to 1 November, then 25 more to the 26th, so 26 days.
- From 1 September 2026: 29 (rest of September) + 31 (October) + 26 = 86 days.
For other dates, you can count the days between two dates.
Planning around Thanksgiving
- Travel and time off. Thanksgiving week is one of the busiest travel periods in the United States, so it pays to book early. The business days calculator can skip US federal holidays, including Thanksgiving, when you count working days to a deadline.
- Dinner timing. The countdown reaches zero at the start of the day. To count down to the meal itself, create a countdown to any date and time.
- The next holiday. After Thanksgiving, the Christmas countdown takes over.