Black Friday 2026

Black Friday is the shopping day on the Friday after U.S. Thanksgiving. In 2026 that is Friday, November 27 - the day after Thanksgiving on Thursday, November 26. The modern retail meaning took shape in Philadelphia in the early 1960s, when the phrase described heavy traffic and crowded streets; retailers later reframed it around holiday sales. The popular books-go-from-red-to-black profit story spread afterward and is not considered the original source of the name. Black Friday is not a U.S. federal holiday. This page invents no deals. The same Friday is also Native American Heritage Day (Pub. L. 111-33) - label carefully, no sermon.

Black Friday vs Thanksgiving week neighbors

Thanksgiving is the required day before. Small Business Saturday and Cyber Monday follow on the weekend shopping calendar. Native American Heritage Day is the same-Friday label. National Shopping Day is the collision label for the same 2026 civil date. Date hub: November 27 hub. Month hub: November national days.

A short, defendable timeline

Early-1960s Philadelphia usage. The modern retail nickname took shape when Philadelphia police and press used Black Friday for post-Thanksgiving traffic and crowded streets in the early 1960s. That crowd/traffic framing is the defendable origin story for this page. Retailers later reframed the day as the holiday sales kickoff. The shopping-calendar meaning is what most readers mean now.

In the black as later folk etymology. The popular story that retailers named the day for books moving from red ink to black ink spread afterward. It is not considered the original source of the name - do not keep it as origin here. No single founder invented the holiday.

Same-Friday Heritage Day. Pub. L. 111-33 recognizes Native American Heritage Day on the Friday after Thanksgiving. Label the overlap carefully; do not turn this shopping page into a Heritage Day sermon. Thanksgiving is the federal holiday. Black Friday is the retail nickname for the next day. Schools and workplaces may close or stay open depending on local practice - that is not the same as inventing federal status for Friday. This page does not invent 2026 deals or freeze upcoming dates on November 27 every year.

How to shop smart on Black Friday

1. Make a list and set a budget before the emails and ads pile up.
2. Compare prices across merchants you already trust - not every doorbuster label is a bargain.
3. Check return and shipping policies before you pay.
4. Prefer trusted merchants over unknown flash sites.
5. Consider Small Business Saturday next day for local and independent shops - and invent no deal lists here.

Facts

• Black Friday got its name because it's when retailers' books go from red (loss) to black (profit)
• Over 165 million Americans shop on Black Friday weekend
• The term 'Black Friday' was first used in 1961 in Philadelphia
• Online Black Friday sales have grown by 20% annually since 2010
• The average Black Friday shopper spends about $300

Upcoming dates

• Friday, November 27, 2026
• Saturday, November 27, 2027
• Monday, November 27, 2028
• Tuesday, November 27, 2029
• Wednesday, November 27, 2030