When is Black Friday?
In 2026, Black Friday falls on Friday, November 27, 2026. It is an observance rather than a federal holiday, so federal offices and most businesses follow their normal schedules.
History of Black Friday
The Friday after Thanksgiving became an important shopping day as retailers promoted the start of the Christmas season and many workers had time off. Philadelphia police used the term “Black Friday” in the mid-twentieth century for the traffic and crowds that filled the city before the Army–Navy football game.
Retailers later popularized a more positive explanation that the day moved accounts from red ink to black. Extended store hours, doorbuster promotions and national advertising turned it into a major commercial event. Online shopping and month-long promotions have since blurred the boundaries of the single day.
Contemporary newspaper evidence supports the Philadelphia explanation more clearly than the bookkeeping story. Police and transit workers faced heavy traffic, shoplifting concerns and long shifts as suburban shoppers and football visitors crowded the city. Merchants initially disliked the negative label and tried alternatives before retailers elsewhere embraced it. The “red to black” account is best understood as a later promotional reinterpretation, not the documented origin of the name.
How Black Friday is observed
Black Friday is not a federal holiday, although some workplaces close on the Friday after Thanksgiving. Retail hours, promotions and employee schedules vary widely.
Traditions of Black Friday
Retail sales
Stores advertise limited-time prices and special opening hours. Many shoppers compare deals in advance rather than treating every promoted discount as automatically valuable.
Early-morning shopping
Doorbuster culture made very early openings a hallmark of Black Friday. Some retailers have reduced overnight hours or remain closed on Thanksgiving itself.
Online deal hunting
Web sales now run alongside store promotions, often beginning days or weeks earlier. Shoppers increasingly use price histories, alerts and pickup options.
Dates and observance rules are checked against the official USAGov holiday and observance guidance. State, local, school and private-employer schedules may differ.
History sources: Library of Congress, National Retail Federation: holiday retail research.
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