When is Black Friday 2026?
Black Friday is the day after US Thanksgiving, so it's always the fourth Friday of November, between November 23 and 29. In 2026 it's Friday, November 27, 2026. The countdown runs to midnight at the start of the day on your device's clock.
Deals rarely wait for the day itself. Many retailers now start “early Black Friday” sales in the weeks before, and online sales often go live on Thanksgiving evening or at midnight in the store's own time zone. Treat the countdown as the deadline for your plan rather than the moment prices drop.
Black Friday dates for the next few years
| Year | Black Friday |
|---|---|
| 2026 | Friday, November 27, 2026 |
| 2027 | Friday, November 26, 2027 |
| 2028 | Friday, November 24, 2028 |
| 2029 | Friday, November 23, 2029 |
| 2030 | Friday, November 29, 2030 |
| 2031 | Friday, November 28, 2031 |
A Black Friday plan, by time left
- A month or more out: write the list of things you actually need, with a budget for each. Big purchases like a laptop, TV, or appliance are where the savings matter most.
- Three to four weeks out: note today's prices for the items on your list, or set up price alerts. That way you'll know whether a “deal” is really lower than usual.
- The week before: check store return policies and holiday return windows, sign in to the accounts you'll use, and save your payment details so checkout is quick.
- On the day: stick to the list. Limited-quantity deals sell out fast; everything else often comes back on Cyber Monday.
The rest of the weekend
Black Friday sits between Thanksgiving on Thursday andCyber Monday, three days later, when online stores run their own round of sales. The day after Black Friday it starts counting to next year's, and the year in the heading moves forward.
Shopping for the holidays? The Christmas countdown tells you how long you have left to ship gifts.
