Black Friday 2026 falls on Friday, November 27, 2026. It is always the day after Thanksgiving, which in 2026 lands on Thursday, November 26. Black Friday is not a federal holiday, so government offices and the stock market both operate, though the market closes early.
67 days
until Black Friday 2026 — Friday, November 27, 2026
Counted from 2026-09-21. The live timer above updates in your own time zone.
| Date | Friday, November 27, 2026 |
|---|---|
| Rule | Always the day after Thanksgiving (fourth Thursday of November) |
| Federal holiday? | No |
| Banks | Open (it is a regular business day for the Federal Reserve) |
| Normal USPS delivery | |
| Stock market | NYSE and Nasdaq open, early close at 1:00 p.m. ET |
| Bond market | Early close recommended at 2:00 p.m. ET |
| Next occurrence | Friday, November 26, 2027 |
What time does Black Friday start and end?
Black Friday has no official start time, because it is not a holiday and no authority sets one. The calendar day runs from midnight to midnight local time on Friday, November 27, 2026, and that is the only fixed boundary. Everything else is set by individual retailers.
In practice the start is staggered. Online promotions from large chains commonly go live at midnight Eastern or earlier in the week, while physical stores open on their own published schedule that morning. There is no single moment the whole event begins, so the only reliable answer for a specific retailer is that retailer’s own announcement.
Why does the Black Friday date change every year?
Black Friday has no fixed calendar date. It is defined entirely by Thanksgiving, which United States law fixes as the fourth Thursday of November. Because November 1, 2026 is a Sunday, the Thursdays that month fall on the 5th, 12th, 19th and 26th, which puts Thanksgiving on November 26 and Black Friday on November 27.
That is why the date drifts across a seven-day window from year to year. The earliest Black Friday can ever fall is November 23 and the latest is November 29. In 2027 it moves back one day to Friday, November 26.
What is open on Black Friday 2026?
Black Friday is not one of the eleven federal holidays, so it is a normal working day for most of the country. Federal offices are open, banks follow their usual Friday hours, and the Postal Service delivers as normal. A number of states do give their own employees the day off, so state offices and some courts may be closed even though federal ones are not.
The exception worth planning around is the stock market. The New York Stock Exchange and Nasdaq both open normally but close at 1:00 p.m. Eastern instead of 4:00 p.m. The bond market follows a recommended 2:00 p.m. Eastern close. Options and futures sessions are shortened in line with the underlying markets.
Why is it called Black Friday?
The phrase did not begin as a retail term. It was used by Philadelphia police in the 1950s and 1960s to describe the traffic and crowd chaos on the day after Thanksgiving, when suburban shoppers and football visitors flooded the city centre at once. Officers worked mandatory long shifts and could not take the day off.
Retailers disliked the negative framing and spent years trying to rebrand it. The explanation most people know now, that it is the day stores move from being in the red to being in the black, came later and was applied retroactively. It is a marketing reframing of a police-blotter nickname, not the origin of the term.
What comes between Black Friday and Cyber Monday 2026?
If you are tracking the shopping window rather than the single day, the practical sequence in 2026 runs Thanksgiving on Thursday November 26, Black Friday on Friday November 27, the weekend, and Cyber Monday on Monday November 30. Retailers routinely start promotions earlier in November, but the named days remain the reference points used by most published deal calendars.
Related dates
Frequently asked questions
How many days until Black Friday?
Black Friday 2026 is on Friday, November 27, 2026. The countdown at the top of this page shows the exact number of days remaining, updated in your own time zone.
Is Black Friday a federal holiday?
No. Black Friday is not one of the eleven United States federal holidays. Federal offices, banks and the Postal Service all operate normally. Some states give their own employees the day off, so state offices may be closed.
What time does the stock market close on Black Friday?
The New York Stock Exchange and Nasdaq close at 1:00 p.m. Eastern Time on the day after Thanksgiving, three hours earlier than a normal session. The bond market follows a recommended 2:00 p.m. Eastern close.
Is Black Friday always the same date?
No. It is always the Friday after Thanksgiving, which is the fourth Thursday of November, so the date moves each year within a window from November 23 to November 29.
When is Black Friday 2027?
Black Friday 2027 falls on Friday, November 26, 2027, the day after Thanksgiving on Thursday, November 25, 2027.
Sources
- National Retail Federation, retail holiday and seasonal trends
- NYSE holidays and trading hours
- U.S. Office of Personnel Management, federal holidays
- SIFMA recommended holiday schedule (U.S. bond markets)
Checked on 2026-09-21. This page is reviewed whenever the underlying source changes.