Black Friday 2026: Dates, Cyber Monday and Retailer Plans

Black Friday 2026 is on Friday, November 27, and Cyber Monday is on Monday, November 30. The dates are fixed by Thanksgiving. Retailer plans are not. Big chains now spread Black Friday deals over several weeks, often with early access for paid members. This guide lists what Walmart, Target, Amazon and Costco have officially announced for 2026, what they did last year, and what the National Retail Federation expects shoppers to spend.

Data checked on October 16, 2026. Retailer information comes only from the companies' own newsrooms and websites: corporate.walmart.com, corporate.target.com, aboutamazon.com and costco.com. Forecasts and shopper counts come from the National Retail Federation (nrf.com). If a retailer has not announced its 2026 plans, we say so and give last year's official dates instead. We will update this page as announcements come in.

When is Black Friday 2026?

Black Friday is always the Friday after U.S. Thanksgiving, which is the fourth Thursday in November. In 2026, Thanksgiving falls on November 26, so the key dates of the holiday shopping weekend are:

Day	2026 date	2025 date
Thanksgiving Day	Thursday, November 26	Thursday, November 27
Black Friday	Friday, November 27	Friday, November 28
Small Business Saturday	Saturday, November 28	Saturday, November 29
Cyber Monday	Monday, November 30	Monday, December 1
Giving Tuesday	Tuesday, December 1	Tuesday, December 2

Black Friday 2026 comes one day earlier in the calendar than in 2025. That gives shoppers 28 days from Black Friday to Christmas Eve, one more than last year.

Black Friday and Cyber Monday fall on the same dates in Canada, the United Kingdom and Australia, even though those countries do not celebrate Thanksgiving on that weekend. Canadian Thanksgiving was on Monday, October 12, 2026. Many international retailers follow the U.S. calendar for their sales.

Retailer plans for Black Friday 2026: what has been announced

As of October 16, 2026, none of the four largest general retailers covered here had announced Black Friday 2026 dates. Here is where each one stands, based on official sources only.

Retailer	2026 Black Friday dates announced?	What is confirmed for 2026	Last year's official schedule (2025)
Walmart	No	Stores closed on Thanksgiving and Christmas	Event 1: Nov. 14-16; Event 2: Nov. 25-30; Cyber Monday: Dec. 1 (online)
Target	No	Target Circle Deal Days held Oct. 6-7	Weekly deals from Nov. 2; Early Black Friday Sale Nov. 6-8; Black Friday week Nov. 23-29
Amazon	No	Prime Day held June 23-26; Prime Big Deal Days held Oct. 6-7	Black Friday Week from Nov. 20; Cyber Monday event Nov. 29-Dec. 1
Costco	No	Black Friday page live with no dates; warehouses closed Thanksgiving Day	Costco does not publish a Black Friday press release; deals appear on costco.com

Walmart Black Friday 2026

Status on October 16, 2026: dates not announced. Walmart's holiday announcement of October 7, 2026, covers new services but gives no Black Friday dates. It does confirm one thing shoppers often ask about: "Stores will be closed again on Thanksgiving and Christmas this year." In 2026 that means Walmart stores are closed on Thursday, November 26, and Friday, December 25.

The same announcement lists what is new for the 2026 season:

• Express Pickup: orders placed in the Walmart app can be ready for curbside pickup in as little as one hour. Walmart+ members get unlimited Express Pickup with no fee. It launched at 500 stores and is expanding nationwide "in the coming weeks, in time to shop for the Thanksgiving meal."
• Shop to Light: when a customer searches for an item in the Walmart app in a store, an LED light on the shelf flashes to show where it is.
• Delivery options: drone delivery, 30-minute-or-less, one-hour express, three-hour on-demand and scheduled delivery, subject to availability.
• Accessibility: American Sign Language interpreting services in U.S. stores through Sorenson.

Walmart's Black Friday schedule in 2025 and 2024

Walmart announced its 2025 plans on October 27, 2025, and its 2024 plans on October 28, 2024. If it follows the same pattern, the 2026 announcement would come in late October. Walmart has not confirmed this.

Event	2025 dates	Walmart+ early access (2025)
Black Friday Deals Event 1	November 14-16, online and in stores	November 13, 7 p.m. ET
Black Friday Deals Event 2	November 25-30 (online only Nov. 25-27; online and in stores Nov. 28-30)	November 24, 7 p.m. ET
Cyber Monday	December 1, online only	November 30, 7 p.m. ET

Source: Walmart newsroom, October 27, 2025.

In 2024, Walmart's first event began online on Monday, November 11 (12 p.m. ET for Walmart+ members, 5 p.m. ET for everyone) and in stores on Friday, November 15 at 6 a.m. local time. The second began online on Monday, November 25 and in stores on Friday, November 29. That year Walmart also offered a one-year Walmart+ membership for $49 as a Black Friday deal. The pattern over both years is the same: two Black Friday events, an online Cyber Monday event, and a head start of several hours for Walmart+ members.

Target Black Friday 2026 and Target Circle Week

Status on October 16, 2026: Black Friday dates not announced. Target's newsroom has no 2026 Black Friday announcement yet. Its most recent sales event was Target Circle Deal Days in early October.

What happened to Target Circle Week?

For several years, Target held a weeklong October sale for members of its free Target Circle loyalty program, called Target Circle Week. In 2026, Target replaced it with a shorter event under a new name, Target Circle Deal Days. Here are the official dates:

Year	October member event	Dates
2023	Target Circle Week	October 1-7
2024	Target Circle Week	October 6-12
2025	Target Circle Week	October 5-11
2026	Target Circle Deal Days	October 6-7 (early access October 5 for Target Circle 360 members)

Sources: Target newsroom releases from 2023, 2024, 2025 and September 15, 2026.

Target also held Target Circle Deal Days earlier in 2026: March 25-27 and June 23-26. The October event offered up to 40% off thousands of items in apparel, home decor, kitchen gadgets, beauty, toys and tech. New members who joined Target Circle between September 27 and October 5 got 15% off their first purchase. Target Circle 360, the paid tier, costs $99 a year, or $49 a year for Target Circle Card holders and verified teachers, college students, military members and government assistance recipients.

Target's Black Friday schedule in 2025

• Weekly holiday deals began on Sunday, November 2, 2025, with previews in the Friday weekly ad.
• Early Black Friday Sale: November 6-8, 2025.
• Black Friday week: Sunday, November 23 through Saturday, November 29, 2025, with more deals added on November 27-29. Target Circle 360 members got early access to select deals.

In 2024, Target ran its Early Black Friday Sale on November 7-9 and offered a Holiday Price Match Guarantee from November 7 through December 24. Target has not yet published its 2026 price match dates.

Amazon: Prime Day 2026, Prime Big Deal Days and Black Friday

Status on October 16, 2026: Black Friday dates not announced. Amazon has held both of its 2026 members-only sales so far:

• Prime Day 2026 ran from June 23 to June 26, 2026, starting at 12:01 a.m. on June 23. It was a four-day event for Prime members.
• Prime Big Deal Days 2026, Amazon's fall sale, ran on October 6-7, 2026, starting at 12:01 a.m. PDT.

Both events require a Prime membership. Amazon's Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals have been open to all customers in past years.

Amazon's Black Friday schedule in 2025

In 2025, Amazon's Black Friday Week began on November 20 at 12:01 a.m. PST, eight days before Black Friday itself. A separate Cyber Monday event started on November 29 and ran for three days, through Cyber Monday on December 1. Taken together, the 2025 deals ran for twelve days, November 20 to December 1.

Costco Black Friday 2026

Status on October 16, 2026: no dates or deals posted. Costco's Black Friday page on costco.com is titled "Learn all about Black Friday 2026 at Costco." It promises savings on electronics, appliances, clothing, jewelry, toys and more, and invites members to subscribe to email offers to hear about Black Friday deals first. It does not give any dates.

Costco does not issue Black Friday press releases the way Walmart, Target and Amazon do. Its deals appear on costco.com and in its member emails. What is certain:

• Costco is closed on Thanksgiving Day, Thursday, November 26, 2026. Thanksgiving is one of seven days on Costco's official list of U.S. warehouse closures.
• Costco has not yet posted holiday hours for the day before Thanksgiving or for Black Friday. See our Costco hours guide for regular hours, gas station and pharmacy times, and holiday closures.
• You need a membership to shop most Costco deals. Gold Star costs $65 a year and Executive $130 a year. See our Costco membership price guide for the details and whether the Executive upgrade pays for itself.

NRF forecast: how much will Americans spend this holiday season?

On October 15, 2026, the National Retail Federation released its annual holiday forecast. It expects retail sales in November and December 2026 to grow 4.2% over 2025, to a total of $1.013 trillion. In 2025, holiday sales rose 3.1% over 2024, to $972 billion.

Measure	2025 (actual)	2026 (NRF forecast)
Holiday retail sales growth	+3.1%	+4.2%
Total holiday retail sales	$972 billion	$1.013 trillion

Source: NRF, October 15, 2026. NRF defines the holiday season as November 1 through December 31. Its figures exclude automobile dealers, gas stations and restaurants, and they are not adjusted for inflation.

NRF also noted that retailers are taking "a measured approach to seasonal hiring" because of higher gas prices, persistent inflation, higher interest rates and elevated consumer debt.

How many people shop over Thanksgiving weekend?

NRF and Prosper Insights & Analytics survey shoppers each year about the five days from Thanksgiving through Cyber Monday. The 2025 survey, released December 2, 2025, counted a record 202.9 million shoppers, up from 197 million in 2024.

Day (2025)	In-store shoppers	Online shoppers
Black Friday	80.3 million (81.7 million in 2024)	85.7 million (87.3 million in 2024)
Saturday	62.7 million (61.1 million in 2024)	63 million (53.9 million in 2024)
Cyber Monday	n/a	75.9 million (64.4 million in 2024)

Source: NRF, December 2, 2025.

Black Friday is still the busiest shopping day both in stores and online. Cyber Monday is the second busiest day for online shopping, and its audience grew sharply in 2025.

How to plan for Black Friday 2026

• Start earlier than Black Friday. In 2025, Amazon's deals started November 20, Walmart's first event started November 14, and Target's weekly deals started November 2. If the big chains repeat that pattern, many of the deals will be available well before November 27.
• Check membership early access. Walmart+ members, Target Circle 360 members and Prime members got a head start on many deals in 2025. If you plan to join for the holidays, compare the cost with what you expect to save.
• Make a list and set price alerts. Write down the items you want and their current prices now, so you can tell whether a Black Friday price is really lower.
• Know the closures. Walmart and Costco are closed on Thanksgiving Day 2026. Online shopping is available all day.
• Check price-match and return rules. Policies change from year to year, and retailers usually post their holiday rules in late October or early November. Read them on the retailer's own site before you buy.
• Watch your budget. NRF says inflation and higher gas prices are putting pressure on household budgets this year. Setting a spending limit before the sales start makes it easier to stick to.

What we are waiting for

We will update this page when these official announcements appear:

• Walmart's 2026 Black Friday Deals event dates and Walmart+ early access times (announced on October 27 in 2025 and October 28 in 2024);
• Target's 2026 Black Friday week, early sale dates and Holiday Price Match Guarantee window;
• Amazon's 2026 Black Friday Week and Cyber Monday dates;
• Costco's Black Friday deals and holiday warehouse hours on costco.com;
• NRF's 2026 Thanksgiving weekend shopping forecast.

Bottom line

Black Friday 2026 is Friday, November 27, and Cyber Monday is Monday, November 30. As of October 16, 2026, Walmart, Target, Amazon and Costco have not announced their Black Friday dates. Walmart has confirmed its stores will close on Thanksgiving, and Costco is closed that day as always. Target replaced Circle Week with two-day Target Circle Deal Days on October 6-7, and Amazon held Prime Day on June 23-26 and Prime Big Deal Days on October 6-7. Based on last year's official schedules, expect deals to start in early to mid-November. NRF forecasts holiday sales of $1.013 trillion, up 4.2%.

Photo: Powhusku / CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons