Black Friday 2026 is Friday, November 27, and Cyber Monday 2026 is Monday, November 30. Both are tied to Thanksgiving, which falls on Thursday, November 26, 2026.
Neither day is a holiday in law. They are retail traditions that follow the Thanksgiving date, so they move every year between late November and early December. This guide lists the dates through 2030, explains how they’re set and where the names come from, covers what’s open on each day, and gives a practical plan for shipping, gifts and returns before Christmas.
When is Black Friday 2026? Dates through 2030
| Year | Thanksgiving | Black Friday | Cyber Monday |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Thursday, November 26 | Friday, November 27, 2026 | Monday, November 30, 2026 |
| 2027 | Thursday, November 25 | Friday, November 26, 2027 | Monday, November 29, 2027 |
| 2028 | Thursday, November 23 | Friday, November 24, 2028 | Monday, November 27, 2028 |
| 2029 | Thursday, November 22 | Friday, November 23, 2029 | Monday, November 26, 2029 |
| 2030 | Thursday, November 28 | Friday, November 29, 2030 | Monday, December 2, 2030 |
Live counts: days until Black Friday and days until Cyber Monday.
How the dates are set
Thanksgiving is the fourth Thursday in November, so it always falls between November 22 and 28. Everything else follows from that:
- Black Friday is the next day, so it falls between November 23 and November 29. It can never be in December.
- Cyber Monday is four days after Thanksgiving, so it falls between November 26 and December 2. It lands in December when Thanksgiving is on November 27 or 28, as in 2030, 2031 and 2036.
Looking further ahead, the pattern repeats with the Thanksgiving date:
| Year | Black Friday | Cyber Monday |
|---|---|---|
| 2031 | Friday, November 28, 2031 | Monday, December 1, 2031 |
| 2032 | Friday, November 26, 2032 | Monday, November 29, 2032 |
| 2033 | Friday, November 25, 2033 | Monday, November 28, 2033 |
| 2034 | Friday, November 24, 2034 | Monday, November 27, 2034 |
| 2035 | Friday, November 23, 2035 | Monday, November 26, 2035 |
Our guide to why Thanksgiving is on a Thursday explains the fourth-Thursday rule and the 1941 law behind it. A late Thanksgiving, like 2030’s, shortens the gap to Christmas, while an early one, like 2029’s, stretches it.
Where the names come from
According to Britannica, “Black Friday” started with police in Philadelphia in the early 1960s, who used it for the traffic jams and crowds that came with the first big shopping day of the season. The more cheerful explanation, that it’s the day stores go from “in the red” to “in the black,” spread nationally in the late 1980s.
“Cyber Monday” is much newer. Britannica credits the National Retail Federation with coining it in 2005, after noticing that many people kept shopping online on the Monday after Thanksgiving, once they were back at work.
Is Black Friday a holiday? What’s open
Black Friday is not a federal holiday, and neither is Cyber Monday. Federal offices are open on both days. Many state governments and private employers give the Friday after Thanksgiving off, so whether you work depends on your employer.
| Black Friday, Nov 27, 2026 | Cyber Monday, Nov 30, 2026 | |
|---|---|---|
| Federal offices | Open | Open |
| Post offices | Open | Open |
| Federal Reserve and banks | Open | Open |
| New York Stock Exchange | Open, early close at 1:00 p.m. ET | Regular hours |
| State offices | Closed in many states | Open |
| Stores | Most open, many with special hours | Open |
The early stock market close is on the NYSE holiday calendar, and the Federal Reserve lists Thanksgiving, not the day after, on its holiday schedule. Because banks are open on Friday, a payment due on Thanksgiving Day usually goes through on Black Friday.
Planning shipping and gifts before Christmas
In 2026 there are 28 days from Black Friday to Christmas Day and 25 from Cyber Monday. Counting only working days, Cyber Monday to Christmas Eve gives 18 business days, and every carrier’s ground service needs some of those for transit. A simple plan:
- Check each carrier’s published holiday deadlines in November. The Postal Service, UPS and FedEx all post them, and each service level has its own cutoff.
- Order anything that ships from far away first. International and marketplace sellers can take longer than domestic stores.
- Count business days, not calendar days. Carriers and sellers often quote delivery times in business days. The business days calculator gives you the date a given number of working days ahead.
- Leave a buffer. Plan for gifts to arrive several days before you need them, especially if you’re shipping them on to someone else.
Christmas 2026 is on a Friday, which helps: a package that arrives by Thursday, December 24 is still in time. To see the whole season at once, open the December 2026 calendar.
Returns and receipts
Return windows are set by each retailer, and some use a special window for holiday purchases. Before you buy:
- Read the return policy for each store, especially for marketplace sellers, who may set their own.
- Note the last return date on the receipt or in the order confirmation, and keep gift receipts separate.
- Check whether a store adjusts the price if an item drops after you buy it; policies vary.
- For items bought online, check who pays return shipping.
Other dates that weekend
The Thanksgiving weekend also opens the December holiday season. In 2026, the first Sunday of Advent falls on November 29, between Black Friday and Cyber Monday, and Hanukkah begins at sundown on Friday, December 4. See our guides to Advent 2026 and Hanukkah 2026 for the full schedules.
Frequently asked questions
When is Black Friday 2026?
Friday, November 27, 2026, the day after Thanksgiving.
When is Cyber Monday 2026?
Monday, November 30, 2026, four days after Thanksgiving.
Is Black Friday a federal holiday?
No. Federal offices, post offices and banks are open. Many state governments and employers give the day off, but that’s their choice, not federal law.
Is the stock market open on Black Friday?
Yes, but the New York Stock Exchange closes early, at 1:00 p.m. Eastern time.
Can Cyber Monday be in December?
Yes. When Thanksgiving falls on November 27 or 28, Cyber Monday falls on December 1 or 2. The next time is Monday, December 2, 2030.
Is the post office open on Black Friday?
Yes. Black Friday isn’t a postal holiday, so post offices are open and mail is delivered as usual. The holiday closure that week is Thanksgiving Day itself, Thursday, November 26, 2026.