How many days until Black Friday?

What this countdown does

Black Friday has no fixed date. It is defined as the day after US Thanksgiving, and Thanksgiving is the fourth Thursday of November, so the date shifts by a few days each year — anywhere from 23 to 29 November. That is why it is easy to misjudge: the shops start advertising in early November, but the day itself may still be three weeks away. This countdown works the date out from the rule rather than from a hardcoded list, shows the days left, and rolls over to the following year once the day has passed.

How to use it

1. Open the page — the countdown is already running from today.
2. Read the days remaining and the exact date.
3. Check the weeks-and-days breakdown and the weekday it falls on.
4. Use Share to send the live countdown to anyone.

When it's useful

Use it to time the bigger purchases you have been putting off, to decide whether to buy now or wait, and to set aside the money before the day arrives. It also tells you how much room is left between Black Friday and Christmas — usually about four weeks, which is the window that decides whether a delivery makes it in time.

Black Friday dates for the coming years

Because the date follows US Thanksgiving rather than a fixed day in the calendar, it moves every year. These are the next few:

• Friday 27 November 2026
• Friday 26 November 2027
• Friday 24 November 2028
• Friday 23 November 2029
• Friday 29 November 2030

Why the date moves at all

Black Friday started as the day after the American Thanksgiving holiday, when many people already had the day off and used it to begin Christmas shopping. The name stuck as the event spread to Europe, and so did the American date rule — which is why a shopping day that has nothing to do with Thanksgiving in most of Europe is still pinned to it. Cyber Monday is the Monday immediately after, three days later.

Getting something out of it

The countdown gives you lead time, which is the part that actually helps. A few things worth doing with it:

• Write the shortlist early. A list made in October is a list of things you wanted; a list made on the day is a list of things that were discounted.
• Note the current price of anything on the list now, so you can tell a real reduction from a raised-then-lowered one.
• Check the return window. A gift bought in late November may fall outside the standard return period by the time it is opened — some retailers extend it over the holidays, many do not.
• Remember that the sales now run for a week or more in most markets, so the Friday itself is not always the cheapest day.

How the days are counted

The count is in whole calendar days from today to the date you pick, calculated in UTC so it never drifts with time zones or daylight saving. If the date has already passed, the count shows how many days ago it was.