The short answer
Black Friday 2026 falls on Friday, November 27, 2026, the day after Thanksgiving (Thursday, November 26). It is not a federal holiday, and the biggest sales usually start well before the day itself and run through Cyber Monday on November 30, 2026.
- What day is Black Friday 2026: Friday, November 27, 2026
- Is it a holiday: No federal holiday; a few states, such as Washington and Maryland, give state workers the day off
- When sales start: Early deals are already scheduled: Lowe’s starts its Black Friday deals on October 29, Target runs Early Black Friday deals on November 5 to 7, and Walmart’s Early Black Friday Deals run November 12 to 15, 2026. Best Buy’s Black Friday event runs November 19 to 28, with Early Black Friday deals from November 6, while Amazon had not announced its dates as of October 29, 2026
- When it ends: The day ends at midnight, but most retailers roll deals into Cyber Monday (November 30)
- Best buys: TVs, toys, appliances and apparel peak on Black Friday, while electronics and computers peak on Cyber Monday, according to Adobe
Nov 27
Black Friday 2026 date
$12.9B
Adobe forecast for Black Friday 2026 online spending
$1.013T
NRF forecast for Nov-Dec 2026 retail sales
30%
Expected peak electronics discount (Adobe)
Last checked: October 29, 2026.
In this article
Black Friday 2026 is the unofficial start of the US holiday shopping season, and this guide covers everything you need before it arrives. Black Friday, the Friday after Thanksgiving when US retailers run their biggest sales of the year, has grown from a single day of in-store doorbusters into a weeks-long online event. In fact, the National Retail Federation (NRF), the largest US retail trade group, counted a record 202.9 million people who shopped from Thanksgiving Day through Cyber Monday in 2025.
Below, you will find the exact Black Friday 2026 date, whether you get the day off, when sales really start, how to tell a real discount from a fake one, and the return and price-match rules that protect you afterward. Meanwhile, if you are still planning the turkey, start with our Thanksgiving 2026 complete guide.
When Is Black Friday 2026?
Black Friday 2026 is on Friday, November 27, 2026. Because Thanksgiving is fixed to the fourth Thursday of November, Black Friday always lands on the following day, so it moves between November 23 and November 29 each year.
What day is Black Friday 2026?
Black Friday is on a Friday, as always: November 27, 2026. The US Office of Personnel Management (OPM), which publishes the official federal holiday calendar, lists Thanksgiving Day 2026 as Thursday, November 26, so the Black Friday 2026 date follows one day later.
Is Black Friday the day after Thanksgiving?
Yes. Black Friday is always the Friday immediately after US Thanksgiving. However, many retailers now treat the whole week, and sometimes all of November, as “Black Friday” season, so the label on a sale does not always mean the deal runs on November 27 only.
| Day | Date | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Thanksgiving Day | Thursday, Nov 26, 2026 | Federal holiday; Walmart, Costco, Lowe’s, Home Depot and Best Buy have confirmed their stores will close, while online deals stay live |
| Black Friday | Friday, Nov 27, 2026 | Peak in-store and online sales; Walmart and Home Depot stores open at 6 a.m. |
| Small Business Saturday | Saturday, Nov 28, 2026 | Focus on independent local shops |
| Cyber Monday | Monday, Nov 30, 2026 | Biggest online shopping day of the year |
| Giving Tuesday | Tuesday, Dec 1, 2026 | Charitable giving day |
Looking further ahead? Since the rule never changes, you can plan years in advance. Here are the next five Black Friday dates, calculated from the fourth Thursday of November.
| Year | Thanksgiving | Black Friday | Cyber Monday |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Nov 26 | Nov 27 | Nov 30 |
| 2027 | Nov 25 | Nov 26 | Nov 29 |
| 2028 | Nov 23 | Nov 24 | Nov 27 |
| 2029 | Nov 22 | Nov 23 | Nov 26 |
| 2030 | Nov 28 | Nov 29 | Dec 2 |
Is Black Friday a Holiday?
No, Black Friday is not a federal holiday. The OPM federal holiday list for 2026 includes Thanksgiving Day on November 26 but not the Friday after it, so federal offices, and most private employers that follow the federal calendar, are not required to close.
Still, some states treat the day as a state holiday for their own employees. For example, Washington designated the Friday after Thanksgiving, already a state legal holiday, as Native American Heritage Day in 2014. Similarly, Maryland added the Friday after Thanksgiving to its state employee holidays as American Indian Heritage Day in 2008. In addition, many private companies give staff the day off as part of a four-day weekend, but that is an employer choice, not a legal requirement.
Pro tip. If your employer gives you Black Friday off, check whether it counts as a paid holiday or a personal day. Policies vary, so the employee handbook, not the calendar, has the final word.
When Do Black Friday Sales Start?
Black Friday sales usually start one to two weeks before the day itself, and early preview events now begin in October. As of October 29, 2026, Target, Lowe’s, Walmart and Best Buy have announced early Black Friday dates, while Amazon has not, so last year’s schedule is still the best guide for that store.
October 2026 preview sales (already over)
Several big retailers ran early holiday events in the first half of October 2026. Amazon held Prime Big Deal Days, its members-only October sale, on October 6 and 7, 2026. Meanwhile, Target ran Target Circle Deal Days on the same dates, according to NBC Select, and Walmart scheduled its October deals event for October 5 to 11, according to TODAY. Adobe expects US shoppers to spend $95.8 billion online in October 2026 alone, which shows how much holiday buying now happens before November.
When did Black Friday sales start last year?
In 2025, most major retailers launched official Black Friday pricing about a week before the day, and some went earlier. The table below uses each retailer’s own announcement.
| Retailer | Black Friday 2025 sale window | Black Friday 2026 status |
|---|---|---|
| Amazon | Nov 20 to Dec 1, 2025 (Black Friday Week plus Cyber Monday) | Not announced as of Oct 29, 2026 |
| Walmart | Event 1: Nov 14 to 16; Event 2: Nov 25 to 30; Cyber Monday: Dec 1; Walmart+ members got five hours early access online | Announced Oct 26: Early Black Friday Deals Nov 12 to 15; Black Friday Deals Nov 23 to 29, with stores opening at 6 a.m. local time on Nov 27; Cyber Monday Deals Nov 30 to Dec 2 online. Online deals start at 12:01 a.m. ET, and Walmart+ members get early access 24 hours before everyone else (Nov 12 and Nov 23); stores closed on Thanksgiving, as announced Oct 7 |
| Target | Early Black Friday sale Nov 6 to 8, plus daily and weekly deals Nov 1 to Dec 24 | Announced Oct 21: Deal of the Day from Nov 1 through Dec 24; Early Black Friday deals Nov 5 to 7, 2026 |
| Best Buy | Weekly doorbusters from Oct 31; Black Friday sale Nov 20 to 29, 2025 (as reported by 9to5Toys) | Announced Oct 27: DoorBOOsters from Oct 30; Early Black Friday deals from Nov 6, with new deals every Friday; Black Friday Doorbusters and Deals Nov 19 to 28; Cyber Week Deals Dec 1 to 6; Last-Minute Savings Event Dec 18 to 24. Stores closed on Thanksgiving (deals stay live in the app and online); no Black Friday opening time published yet. Its Sept 14 holiday preview first flagged October savings |
| Kohl’s | Early Access Nov 7 to 9; Black Friday Week Nov 23 to 29, 2025 | Black Friday dates not announced as of Oct 29, 2026; its Oct 21 holiday release confirms stores are closed on Thanksgiving |
A few other big chains have also moved. Lowe’s announced on October 8 that its Four Weeks of Black Friday Deals start October 29, followed by 12 Days of Deals from November 16; MyLowe’s Rewards members get online Doorbuster access on November 26, one day before everyone else. Costco has posted Black Friday deals for November 27 to 30 on costco.com and says its warehouses will be closed on Thanksgiving. Home Depot, meanwhile, has said its holiday gift savings begin October 29, and its 2026 holiday store hours show stores closed on Thanksgiving and opening at 6 a.m. on Black Friday, but it has not announced Black Friday sale dates.
For a store-by-store breakdown that we update as ads drop, see our Black Friday 2026 sale dates by store.
When does Black Friday end?
Black Friday itself ends at midnight on Friday, November 27, 2026. In practice, though, most deals simply continue through the weekend and into Cyber Monday. For instance, Amazon’s 2025 event ran straight from November 20 through December 1, so the end of “Black Friday” now usually means the end of Cyber Monday.
Black Friday 2026 by the Numbers
Adobe Digital Insights, the analytics arm of Adobe that tracks more than a trillion visits to US retail sites, forecasts Black Friday 2026 online spending at $12.9 billion, up 9.2% from last year. Moreover, Adobe expects the full November and December season to hit a record $275.1 billion online.
| Metric | 2025 actual | 2026 forecast |
|---|---|---|
| Thanksgiving Day online spending | $6.4B | $6.9B |
| Black Friday online spending | $11.8B | $12.9B |
| Cyber Monday online spending | $14.25B | $15.1B |
| Cyber Week (Thanksgiving to Cyber Monday) | $44.2B | $47.5B |
| Full season online (Nov 1 to Dec 31) | $257.8B | $275.1B |
In stores, the picture is different. According to the NRF, 80.3 million people shopped in stores on Black Friday 2025 and 85.7 million shopped online, both slightly below 2024 levels, even as the full weekend set a record. As for the overall season, the NRF forecast on October 15, 2026 that November and December retail sales will grow 4.2% to $1.013 trillion, up from $972 billion in 2025, with retailers hiring 325,000 to 375,000 seasonal workers.
Shopper plans point the same way. In the NRF’s October 20 holiday survey, 43% of shoppers said they plan to start before November, yet 64% said they are likely to wait until Thanksgiving weekend to do most of their shopping. In addition, 56% said the economy will affect their holiday spending. For a regional view, see our breakdown of holiday spending by state in 2026.
Why Is It Called Black Friday?
The most widely cited explanation is that Philadelphia police used “Black Friday” to describe the crowds and traffic jams on the day after Thanksgiving. According to Britannica, officers used the term in the 1960s, while History.com traces the nickname to the late 1950s, when shoppers and visitors arriving for the Army-Navy football game flooded the city.
Later, retailers promoted a friendlier story: Black Friday is the day stores move from “in the red” (losing money) to “in the black” (turning a profit). However, that account came after the police usage. Merriam-Webster says the exact origin is not known for certain and dates the first known retail use to 1961. Before that, the phrase referred to an 1869 gold market crash, so the term has shifted meaning more than once.
Black Friday Deals: What Is Worth Buying?
The best Black Friday deals are usually on TVs, toys, appliances, furniture and apparel, while laptops and other electronics often get slightly deeper cuts on Cyber Monday. That is Adobe’s forecast for 2026, based on its tracking of online prices.
Best things to buy on Black Friday
| Category | Expected peak discount (2026) | Best day to buy |
|---|---|---|
| Electronics | 30% | Cyber Monday (Nov 30) |
| Toys | 29% | Black Friday (Nov 27) |
| TVs | 23% | Black Friday (Nov 27) |
| Computers | 23% | Cyber Monday (Nov 30) |
| Apparel | 23% | Black Friday (Nov 27) |
| Sporting goods | 19% | Thanksgiving (Nov 26) |
| Appliances | 18% | Black Friday (Nov 27) |
| Furniture | 18% | Black Friday (Nov 27) |
Beyond these categories, timing matters for gamers too. GTA 6 launches on November 19, 2026, just a week before Black Friday. However, Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo had not announced official Black Friday console deals or a GTA 6 console bundle as of October 29, 2026, and US list prices are higher than a year ago: $649.99 for the PS5, $799.99 for the Xbox Series X and $499.99 for the Nintendo Switch 2. Our Black Friday gaming deals guide tracks PS5, Xbox and Switch 2 offers, while the Black Friday tech deals guide covers TVs, laptops, AirPods and Apple gear.
Is Black Friday worth it?
Black Friday is worth it if you already planned to buy something in a category that gets deep cuts, such as a TV or a toy on a wish list. On the other hand, a “deal” on something you did not need is not a saving. Adobe also expects discounts of up to 21% just before Thanksgiving and 10% to 15% through December, so missing the day itself rarely means missing every bargain.
Black Friday vs Cyber Monday
Black Friday is better for TVs, toys, appliances and apparel, whereas Cyber Monday is better for electronics and computers, based on Adobe’s 2026 forecast. Cyber Monday is also the bigger day online: Adobe projects $15.1 billion in spending on November 30, 2026, compared with $12.9 billion on Black Friday. Even so, Black Friday is growing faster. For the full category-by-category comparison, read our Cyber Monday 2026 guide.
How Do You Spot Fake Black Friday Deals?
The quickest way to spot a fake Black Friday deal is to check the item’s price history: if the “was” price only existed for a few days, the discount is not real. Under the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) Guides Against Deceptive Pricing, a former price should be one the seller actually offered openly, in good faith, for a reasonable period, and the FTC specifically flags raising a price briefly so a later cut looks bigger.
- Check price history. Use a price tracker or the retailer’s own price-history feature to see what the item actually sold for over the past few months.
- Compare the exact model number. Some “Black Friday” TVs and laptops are cheaper variants, so match model numbers, not just brand and size.
- Compare across stores. The FTC suggests price-comparison sites, but remember to add shipping costs to online orders.
- Distrust prices that look too good. The FTC warns that unusually low prices are a sign of a scam, especially in social media ads that impersonate real brands.
- Pay with a credit card. Credit cards let you dispute a charge if an item never arrives; anyone who demands gift cards, wire transfers or crypto is a scammer, according to the FTC.
- Read reviews carefully. Watch for a sudden burst of five-star reviews in a short period, which can signal fake reviews.
Watch out. Fake store websites and look-alike ads spike every November. Type the retailer’s address yourself instead of clicking a social media ad, and report scams at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.
Black Friday Return and Price-Match Policies
Most big retailers extend their return windows for holiday purchases, and some adjust your price if it drops after you buy. As of October 29, 2026, Amazon and Best Buy are the only retailers in the table below with confirmed 2026 holiday return windows; Target and Walmart had not published 2026 terms, so the table shows their 2025 rules as a guide. Outside the table, Kohl’s has extended free in-store returns to January 31, 2027, for purchases made October 4 to December 30, 2026.
| Retailer | Holiday returns | Price match / price adjustment |
|---|---|---|
| Amazon | 2026: most items bought Nov 1 to Dec 31, 2026 returnable until Jan 31, 2027, and Apple products until Jan 15, 2027, according to an Amazon seller notice reported by PPC Land (same as the 2025 policy) | No general price-match policy |
| Best Buy | 2026: most purchases made Oct 30 to Dec 31, 2026 returnable through Jan 15, 2027, or Jan 31, 2027, for My Best Buy Plus and Total members (announced Oct 27). 2025 terms for comparison: purchases Oct 31 to Dec 31, 2025 returnable through Jan 15, 2026 | 2026 Holiday Price Match Guarantee confirmed: if the price of a product sold by Best Buy drops during the holiday season, you can get the difference; Marketplace items excluded |
| Target | 2026 not announced as of Oct 29, 2026; check target.com | Holiday Price Match Nov 1 to Dec 24, 2025 covered Target’s own lower prices (2026 not announced as of Oct 29); standard 14-day price match covers Target.com, stores and Circle deals only |
| Walmart | 2026 not announced as of Oct 29, 2026; check walmart.com | 2026 not announced as of Oct 29, 2026; check walmart.com |
Pro tip. Screenshot the product page, price and return policy when you check out. If the price drops or the item fails, you will have proof of what you were promised.
How to Prepare for Black Friday 2026
The best way to prepare is to set a budget and a short list now, then track prices on those items through November. That way, you can recognize a genuine low price the moment it appears.
Your Black Friday 2026 checklist
- Now (late October): Write a gift list with a dollar limit per person, and note the exact model numbers you want.
- Early November: Start tracking prices, sign up for retailer apps and loyalty programs, and watch for early Black Friday announcements.
- Week of Thanksgiving: Compare early deals against your tracked prices; buy only when the price beats the item’s recent low.
- Black Friday (Nov 27): Shop TVs, toys, appliances and apparel. Walmart and Home Depot stores open at 6 a.m., so check other stores’ hours before you drive anywhere.
- Cyber Monday (Nov 30): Shop laptops and electronics, then review receipts and note return deadlines.
If you use credit for big purchases, it also helps to understand how card balances affect your score; our guide on improving your credit score in 2026 covers the basics.
Your Black Friday 2026 Guide
Our Black Friday 2026 coverage is split into focused guides, so you can jump straight to what you are shopping for.
- Black Friday 2026 Sale Dates by Store: Walmart, Amazon, Target, Best Buy and Costco sale dates and ads.
- Store guides: Walmart, Amazon, Target, Best Buy and Kohl’s Black Friday 2026 dates, hours and perks.
- Black Friday Tech Deals 2026: TVs, laptops, Apple, AirPods and smart home.
- Black Friday Gaming Deals 2026: PS5, Xbox, Switch 2 prices and GTA 6 launch-week deal watch.
- Cyber Monday 2026: dates, deals and how it compares with Black Friday.
- What Stores Are Open on Thanksgiving 2026: holiday hours before the sales start.
- Thanksgiving 2026: The Complete Guide: dates, traditions and planning.
Our verdict
Black Friday 2026 is Friday, November 27, but the shopping event is much longer than one day. Retailers ran October previews already, Target and Lowe’s have set early Black Friday dates, last year’s official sales started one to two weeks early, and most deals will carry through Cyber Monday on November 30. So the smartest move is to decide what you want now, track its price, and buy when the number genuinely beats its recent low, whether that happens on Black Friday or not.
Frequently Asked Questions
What day is Black Friday 2026?
Black Friday 2026 is on Friday, November 27, 2026. It is always the day after US Thanksgiving, which falls on Thursday, November 26, 2026. Many retailers start their Black Friday sales a week or more earlier, and most continue the deals through the weekend and into Cyber Monday on Monday, November 30, 2026.
Is Black Friday a federal holiday?
No. Black Friday is not a federal holiday, and the Office of Personnel Management lists only Thanksgiving Day, November 26, 2026, on its federal calendar for that week. However, some states, including Washington and Maryland, treat the Friday after Thanksgiving as a state employee holiday, and many private employers give workers the day off.
When do Black Friday sales start?
Some Black Friday 2026 sales start early. Lowe’s begins its Black Friday deals on October 29, Target runs Early Black Friday deals on November 5 to 7, and Walmart’s Early Black Friday Deals run November 12 to 15, 2026. Best Buy’s Black Friday event runs November 19 to 28, with early deals from November 6, while Amazon had not announced dates as of October 29, 2026. Last year, Walmart started on November 14 and Amazon on November 20.
Why is it called Black Friday?
The most common explanation is that Philadelphia police used the term in the late 1950s or 1960s to describe the heavy crowds and traffic the day after Thanksgiving. Retailers later promoted the idea that it is the day stores go into the black, meaning profitable, but that story came afterward.
When does Black Friday end?
Black Friday officially ends at midnight on Friday, November 27, 2026. In practice, most retailers keep their deals running through the weekend and into Cyber Monday on November 30. For example, Amazon ran its 2025 Black Friday Week and Cyber Monday events continuously from November 20 through December 1.
Is Black Friday worth it?
Black Friday is worth it for planned purchases in categories with deep discounts. Adobe expects TVs, toys, apparel, appliances and furniture to hit their lowest prices on Black Friday 2026, with peak electronics discounts around 30 percent. Check price history first, because some advertised savings are based on inflated original prices.
