Quick answer · Black Friday
Is Black Friday a Holiday? What’s Open on Thanksgiving and Black Friday 2026
No: on Friday, Nov. 27, mail runs, banks open and the stock market trades until 1 p.m. Thanksgiving, Nov. 26, closes all of them. But 20 of the 27 states we checked close their own offices on Friday too. Each answer from the official holiday list.
CheckedNov. 42026
The short answer
No. Black Friday, Friday, Nov. 27, 2026, isn’t a federal holiday. Post offices deliver mail, banks open, and the stock market trades until 1 p.m. Eastern.
Thanksgiving, Thursday, Nov. 26, is a federal holiday: post offices, banks, the stock market and UPS all close.
The exception is state government. 20 of the 27 states we checked close their offices on Friday too, including California, Texas, Florida, Pennsylvania and Illinois. New York, New Jersey, Ohio and Massachusetts stay open.
At a glance
- Thanksgiving
- Thursday, Nov. 26, 2026: a federal holiday
- Black Friday
- Friday, Nov. 27: not a federal holiday
- Closed Thursday
- Post offices and regular mail, banks and the Federal Reserve, stock and bond markets, UPS, federal and state offices
- Open Friday
- Post offices and mail, banks, federal offices, UPS and The UPS Store
- Stock market Friday
- NYSE closes early at 1 p.m. ET; SIFMA recommends a 2 p.m. close for bonds
- State offices closed Friday
- 20 of 27 states we checked, including California, Texas, Florida, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Georgia, North Carolina and Michigan
- State offices open Friday
- Arizona, Massachusetts, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Wisconsin
- Next year
- Thanksgiving, Nov. 25, 2027; Black Friday, Nov. 26, 2027
- Last checked
- Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2026, against the sources at the end of this page
What’s open on Thanksgiving and Black Friday
Two days, two different answers. Thursday is a federal holiday, so nearly everything run by the government or a bank shuts. Friday is a normal federal workday with a short day on Wall Street.
| What | Thanksgiving, Thu., Nov. 26 | Black Friday, Fri., Nov. 27 |
|---|---|---|
| Post offices and mail | Closed, no regular delivery | Open, regular delivery |
| Federal offices | Closed | Open: a regular workday on the federal list |
| Federal Reserve and banks | Closed, including Chase and Wells Fargo branches | Open |
| Stock market (NYSE) | Closed | Open until 1 p.m. ET (eligible options until 1:15 p.m.) |
| Bond market | Closed | Early close at 2 p.m. ET, as SIFMA recommends |
| UPS | No pickup or delivery; The UPS Store may be closed | Pickup and delivery; The UPS Store open |
| State offices | Closed in every state we checked | Closed in 20 of 27 states (table below) |
| Big stores | Walmart, Target, Costco, Best Buy, Home Depot and Lowe’s closed (store by store) | Open, many early (sale dates) |
The states where Black Friday is a holiday
Each state sets its own calendar for state offices, which in most states includes the DMV or driver’s license office. Here are 27 states, each from its own personnel office, holiday page or law.
Twenty close on Friday. Seven don’t: Arizona, Massachusetts, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, Ohio and Wisconsin.
| State | State offices on Fri., Nov. 27 | What the state calls it |
|---|---|---|
| Arizona | Open | Not on the state’s 2026 holiday calendar; Thanksgiving is the only November holiday besides Veterans Day |
| California | Closed | “Day after the 4th Thursday in November” |
| Colorado | Closed | A governor’s holiday: state offices close and permanent employees get paid leave |
| Delaware | Closed | Day After Thanksgiving |
| Florida | Closed | Friday after Thanksgiving, written into state law |
| Georgia | Closed | “State Holiday”, set each year by the governor |
| Illinois | Closed | Thanksgiving, Thursday and Friday |
| Indiana | Closed | Lincoln’s Birthday, observed the day after Thanksgiving |
| Kentucky | Closed | Day after Thanksgiving |
| Maryland | Closed | American Indian Heritage Day |
| Massachusetts | Open | Only Thanksgiving Day is a legal holiday |
| Michigan | Closed | Day after Thanksgiving |
| Minnesota | Closed | Thanksgiving Friday, for executive branch agencies |
| Missouri | Open | Not on the state’s holiday list |
| Nevada | Closed | Family Day |
| New Jersey | Open | Not on the state’s holiday list |
| New York | Open | Not a holiday for state employees |
| North Carolina | Closed | Thanksgiving, Thursday and Friday |
| Ohio | Open | Not a state holiday; the Ohio Supreme Court closes anyway |
| Oklahoma | Closed | Thanksgiving holiday, Thursday and Friday, by executive order |
| Pennsylvania | Closed | Day after Thanksgiving |
| South Carolina | Closed | Day after Thanksgiving Day |
| Tennessee | Closed | Thanksgiving Friday; the governor swaps it for Columbus Day |
| Texas | Closed | Day after Thanksgiving |
| Virginia | Closed | Day after Thanksgiving, written into state law |
| Washington | Closed | Native American Heritage Day |
| Wisconsin | Open | Not one of the state’s nine paid holidays |
A few states give the day a name of its own: Native American Heritage Day in Washington, American Indian Heritage Day in Maryland, Family Day in Nevada. Indiana moves Lincoln’s Birthday there, and Tennessee trades Columbus Day for it.
Banks: closed Thursday, open Friday
Banks follow the Federal Reserve, which closes on Thanksgiving and opens on Friday. Chase and Wells Fargo both list Thanksgiving Day as a branch holiday, and neither lists Nov. 27.
A transfer or bill payment set for Thursday won’t process that day. Depending on your bank, it goes through the business day before or Friday, Nov. 27.
Mail and packages
USPS: post offices close Thursday and there’s no regular mail. Friday is a normal delivery day.
UPS: no pickup or delivery on Thanksgiving. On Friday, pickup and delivery run and The UPS Store is open.
From Nov. 27 through Jan. 2, UPS stretches some guaranteed times for Air packages. UPS Next Day Air to a home, for example, can arrive any time before the end of the day.
The stock market closes early Friday
The NYSE closes Thursday and shuts at 1 p.m. Eastern on Friday, with eligible options trading until 1:15 p.m. SIFMA recommends that the bond market close at 2 p.m.
The same 1 p.m. close comes back on Thursday, Dec. 24, Christmas Eve.
Federal workers and Social Security
The federal government’s 2026 holiday list has Thanksgiving on Nov. 26 and nothing on Nov. 27. Federal employees who want Friday off take leave.
Social Security payments aren’t affected: none fall on Thanksgiving this year.
Next year
Thanksgiving 2027 is Thursday, Nov. 25, and Black Friday is Friday, Nov. 26, 2027.
How we checked
Federal answers come from the government’s holiday list (OPM), USPS, the Federal Reserve, the NYSE, SIFMA, UPS and the banks’ own holiday pages. Each state’s answer comes from that state’s personnel office, holiday calendar or statute, checked Nov. 4, 2026.
“Closed” means the state’s own offices. It doesn’t tell you about your county, city, courts or schools.
What we don't know yet
- FedEx. Its 2026 holiday schedule wouldn’t open for us; check fedex.com before you ship on Nov. 26 or 27.
- The other 23 states and Washington, D.C. We’ll add them as we check each one’s own calendar.
- Last-minute changes. Several states set the Friday holiday by governor’s order (Colorado, Georgia, Oklahoma and Tennessee among them), so a state could still add or swap a day.
When any of this is confirmed, it goes into the page and the update history below.
Questions people ask
Is Black Friday a federal holiday?
No. The federal government’s 2026 holiday list has Thanksgiving on Thursday, Nov. 26, and nothing on Friday, Nov. 27. Federal offices are open.
Is the post office open on Black Friday?
Yes. Friday, Nov. 27 isn’t a postal holiday, so post offices open and mail is delivered as usual.
Is the post office open on Thanksgiving?
No. Post offices close and there’s no regular mail delivery on Thursday, Nov. 26.
Are banks open on Black Friday?
Yes. The Federal Reserve is open on Nov. 27, and Chase and Wells Fargo don’t list it as a holiday. Branch hours can vary.
Are banks open on Thanksgiving?
No. The Federal Reserve and major banks close on Thursday, Nov. 26, and transfers don’t process that day.
Is the stock market open on Black Friday?
Yes, for a short day. The NYSE closes at 1 p.m. Eastern on Friday, Nov. 27, and the bond market at 2 p.m. under SIFMA’s recommendation.
Is the stock market open on Thanksgiving?
No. The NYSE is closed on Thursday, Nov. 26.
Does UPS deliver on Black Friday?
Yes. UPS picks up and delivers on Friday, Nov. 27, and The UPS Store is open. There’s no UPS pickup or delivery on Thanksgiving.
Is the DMV open on Black Friday?
It depends on your state. State offices, including driver’s license offices in most states, close in 20 of the 27 states we checked, among them California, Texas, Florida and Pennsylvania. In New York, New Jersey, Ohio and Massachusetts they’re open.
Do federal employees get Black Friday off?
No. It’s a regular workday on the federal government’s 2026 holiday list; federal employees who want the day off take leave.
When is Black Friday 2027?
Friday, Nov. 26, 2027. Thanksgiving is Thursday, Nov. 25, 2027.
