When is Thanksgiving in 2024? | USA Federal Holidays (2024)

Thanksgiving is on Thursday, 28 November in 2024

Thanksgiving, or Thanksgiving Day as it is called by many is celebrated on the fourth Thursday in November each year.

  • Is Thanksgiving a Federal Holiday?
  • Thanksgiving Day Traditions
  • Things to do on Thanksgiving
  • Thanksgiving Food
  • Thanksgiving Recipes

Is Thanksgiving Day a Federal Holiday?

It is at the end of the harvest season and is an annual Federal holiday to express thanks for material and spiritual possessions. The period from Thanksgiving Day through to New Years Day is often called the holiday season in America. Most people celebrateThanksgiving bygathering at home withfamily or friends for aholiday feast.

When is Thanksgiving in 2024? | USA Federal Holidays (1)


🍂Thanksgiving Day Traditions

One of the most important holidays in the United States is Thanksgiving. This day involves family getting together from all over the country and world for a time of special togetherness.

In addition to this family time, there are numerous activities and traditions which go along to make this day one of the most eventful days of the entire year. All offices are closed for at least the Thursday of Thanksgiving, and the Friday after Thanksgiving, known as Black Friday.

Many schools also have the Wednesday before Thanksgiving off, in order for students to travel home to visit their families during this time.

🍂Thanksgiving Day A Time for Family

Of all the holidays on the American calendar, Thanksgiving and Christmas are the ones with the most connection with family and family time. It is common for family members who live far away to fly or drive back to their hometown for a large family gathering. Typically, the main event of Thanksgiving, the dinner, will take place at the house of the eldest member in the family. That is why many Americans will go the house of their grandparents.

Once all of the members of the family have arrived, they often spend time at the house, instead of going out and doing things.

🍂Things to do on Thanksgiving:

Activities that a family might do include some of the following:

🦜 Talk to each other.
What the? Imagine sitting down and just talking! It is rare that the entire extended family gets together, so this is an opportune time to catch up on everything that has happened over the past year. This may be via Zoom or Facetime, depending on your situation!

🤳 Share photos of the past year.
(for those not on facebook the need to catch up on whats been happening can be sped up by showing photos – on i-phones and i-pads) This is another way to communicate what each family member has been up to the past year or so. Photos of friends, boyfriends or girlfriends, places of travel, and pets are some of the most common subjects of photos shown to family during this holiday.

🎲 Play board games.
Some of the most popular games include Monopoly, Checkers, Trivial Pursuit, Janga, Sequence, and Cranium. These games can be a fun way to get family members who have not spent much time to talk and enjoy each other’s company while doing something together.

📽️ Watch movies or TV.
Watching television is a very normal thing for family members gathering for Thanksgiving to do, and there are annual televised events such as the parades in New York City or the football games all over the country.

⛹️ Go outside in the backyard.
Since most family gatherings happen at the largest house, and most large houses in the United States have a sizable back yard, many activities can be enjoyed in this natural space.

🏈 Play a sport like football or basketball.
This is another true activity of Thanksgiving. Since both the football and basketball seasons are well underway in the US, these are the most popular sports that are played during Thanksgiving. Some families even have annual football matches, pitting one half of a family against the other. For those who do not feel like getting dirty, a simple game of tossing the football back and forth is a great way for certain members of the family to bond and have conversation.

🦃 Eating traditional Thanksgiving foods.
Of course, one of the main attractions of Thanksgiving is the large amount of delicious food served up.

🛍️Going shopping on Black Friday.
The last Friday in November is known as Black Friday, and it is the largest shopping day in the entire year.

🍗Thanksgiving Food

For most Americans, the main attraction of Thanksgiving is the large selection of delicious high quality food cooked up by certain members of the family.

While the most famous food associated with Thanksgiving is turkey, there are several others which may show up at the dinner table:

🍒 Cranberry sauce:
This is a delicious sauce from cranberries. It is sweet and tangy in flavor. See below for a recipe to make your own cranberry sauce.

🥖 Dinner rolls
These are the classic bread item for Thanksgiving.

🥬 Steamed vegetables
Usually there is a range of vegetables available, such as carrots, peas, green beans, lima beans, and zucchini.

🌽 Corn on the cob.
Often steamed as well, this dish dates back to the original Thanksgiving between the English settlers in Massachusetts and the Native Americans of the land.

🥧 Apple pie.
A truly a classic American dessert, apple pie is often served with vanilla ice cream and whipped cream. This is eaten after the meal.

🎃 Pumpkin pie.
Since pumpkins are in season during this time of year, it is traditional to use all the excess pumpkins to make pies. Also, the seeds which are extracted are often baked and seasoned, making a yummy snack food.

🥔 Baked potatoes
A classic must have Thanksgiving food! It is often served with butter, sour cream, chives, bacon bits, cheese, and salt and pepper.

🥗 Salad.
A mixed salad is a great healthy choice on the dinner table. Lettuce, cabbage, carrots, tomatoes, green peppers, and other favorite salad items are combined together with salad dressing.

🍗Thanksgiving Recipes

🦃 Turkey Stuffing
Makes about 4 servings

Ingredients:
1 cup plain breadcrumbs
4 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 large onion, coarsely chopped
1 small apple, peeled, cored and chopped
1 tsp dried tarragon
1 tsp thyme
Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:
1. In a large bowl, combine all ingredients.
2. Stuff your Thanksgiving turkey or chicken.

🍒 Cranberry Sauce

A great homemade accompaniment for your Thanksgiving dinner.

Ingredients:
½ cup sugar
1 ½ cup mixture of water and orange juice
1 tsp grated orange zest
4 cups fresh cranberries

Instructions:
1. In a saucepan, combine sugar, zest and water/orange juice and boil for about 5 minutes.
2. Add the fresh cranberries and lower the heat.
3. Simmer for about 5 to 6 minutes or until the berries are tender and the skins have popped.
3. Pour mixture into a bowl and put in the fridge until the sauce has thickened and jelled.
Leftovers

One of the traditions of American Thanksgiving is to make too much food. Even with ten or more family members gathering to observe this holiday, those who are cooking always make far too much. The extra food is packed and saved as leftovers, and eaten for days or weeks to come after the holiday. Here are some recipe ideas for using up your leftover turkey…

🦃 Leftover Turkey Curry with Rice
Serves 4

Ingredients:
3 cups leftover cooked turkey, diced
1-2 tbsp curry paste (depending on your taste)
1 large onion, chopped
1 can crushed pineapple, undrained
2 tbsp flour
1 tsp fresh ginger root, grated
2 cups chicken or vegetable broth
1 tbsp oil

1 cup rice (optional) cooked

Instructions:

Rice – If you are going to have rice with your curry then cook start cooking this first so when you have cooked your turkey curry the rice will be ready about the same time.

1. Heat the oil in a large non-stick skillet and add the onions and fresh ginger.
2. Fry until the onions are softened.
3. Then add the curry paste and cook for a minute.
4. Add the flour, broth and pineapple.
5. Bring to a boil and simmer uncovered for about 5 minutes.
6. Mix in the turkey and cook for about 10 minutes until the turkey is heated through.

Serve immediately with rice.

🦃 Leftover Turkey Gobbler Hot Pot with Bacon
Serves 4

Ingredients:
1 garlic clove, finely minced
1 lb leftover turkey, diced
8oz bacon, diced
½ tsp thyme
2 cups milk
1 tbsp all-purpose flour
2 red onion, sliced
1 lb potatoes, peeled and very thinly sliced
Fresh parsley, chopped
Salt and pepper

Instructions:
1. Preheat the oven to 375°F.
2. Fry the onion and garlic in a non-stick frying pan in a bit of vegetable oil.
3. Then add the turkey and bacon and stir-fry for a few minutes.
4. Sprinkle with flour and keep on cooking for a further minute while stirring.
5. Slowly add the milk and thyme and mix well. Allow to gently simmer for about 15 minutes.
6. Add the parsley and season well with salt and pepper.
7. Place the mixture into an ovenproof dish and top with the thinly sliced potatoes.
8. Bake in the oven for about 30 minutes or until the potatoes are tender.

Enjoy with fresh vegetables on the side.

🦃 Left-Over Turkey Melt for 1 (that’s YOU!)

Serves 1

Ingredients:
2 large slices (1/4 inch thick) cooked turkey
¼ cup left-over turkey stuffing
1 tbsp cranberry sauce
¼ cup turkey gravy (leftover from your Thanksgiving Dinner)
1 slice (1/8 inch thick) Cheddar cheese

Instructions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2. Cut a piece of aluminum foil and place one slice of turkey into the middle.
3. Top with the stuffing, then the cranberry sauce.
4. Place the slice of cheese over the cranberries and top with the remaining turkey slice.
5. Wrap the foil slightly around the “sandwich” and bake on a baking sheet in the oven for about 15 minutes. Meanwhile, heat up the gravy in a little saucepan until hot.
6. Remove the sandwich from the foil and arrange on a dinner plate.
7. Pour the gravy over the turkey melt and enjoy!

Christmas is just around the corner!

Even though the Thanksgiving holidays are shorter than most would like, it is not long before the family meets again for Christmas. From Thanksgiving until the end of the year is considered to be “the holiday season,” with many family members getting together during this time.
The Monday after Thanksgiving, everyone is back to work for a few weeks before the Christmas and New Year holidays in December.

Thanksgiving Day is celebrated on the fourth
Thursday in November each year.

When is Thanksgiving in 2024? | USA Federal Holidays (3)


Upcoming Dates for Thanksgiving

HolidayDate
Thanksgiving 2024Thursday, November 28, 2024
Thanksgiving 2025Thursday, November 27, 2025
Thanksgiving 2026Thursday, November 26, 2026
When is Thanksgiving in 2024? | USA Federal Holidays (2024)

FAQs

What is the holiday calendar for 2024? ›

Holiday
Monday, January 1, 2024New Year's Day
Monday, October 14, 2024Columbus Day
Monday, November 11, 2024Veterans Day
Thursday, November 28, 2024Thanksgiving Day
Wednesday, December 25, 2024Christmas Day
6 more rows

How many paid federal holidays are there in 2024? ›

In 2024, the 11 federal holidays will fall on the following dates: New Year's Day: Monday, January 1.

Is Good Friday a federal holiday in 2024? ›

Is Good Friday a Federal Holiday? No, Good Friday and Easter Monday are not Federal Holidays. All federal holidays are non-religious (other than Christmas Day).

Why is Thanksgiving late in 2024? ›

Thanksgiving always falls on the fourth Thursday in November. Given that there are five weeks in November, the holiday can sometimes arrive as early as November 22, or as late as November 28. In 2024, Thanksgiving Day is on Thursday, November 28.

How many bank holidays are there in 2024? ›

How many UK bank holidays will there be in 2024? In England and Wales, you'll enjoy a total of eight bank holidays.

Will Juneteenth be a national holiday in 2024? ›

NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim June 19, 2024, as Juneteenth Day of Observance.

Are there any holidays that fall on a Friday in 2024? ›

There are no holidays that fall on a Friday during calendar year 2024. If the holiday falls on a non-workday other than Friday (e.g., Saturday), the employee observes the holiday on the preceding workday. For example, the employee's work schedule is Sunday through Thursday.

Is the day after Thanksgiving a federal holiday? ›

Is Day After Thanksgiving a Public Holiday? This is a state public holiday. State government offices are closed.

What date will Easter Sunday be in 2024? ›

Easter is Sunday, March 31, 2024. The official end of the 40 days of Lent, Easter is an important day in the Christian faith and celebrates the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Is Juneteenth a paid federal holiday? ›

In 2021, the federal government recognized Juneteenth as a federal holiday, and California followed suit in 2022.

Is mail delivered on Good Friday 2024? ›

Good Friday: Friday, March 29, 2024

While Good Friday is a widely observed Christian holiday, it is not a federal US holiday. So USPS and local post offices will be open and operating normally on March 29, 2024.

What is the earliest date Thanksgiving falls on? ›

Three years later, it was changed to the fourth Thursday in November. The earliest Thanksgiving can occur is Nov. 22 and the latest is Nov. 28.

What was the real first Thanksgiving? ›

A Harvest Celebration

During the autumn of 1621, at least 90 Wampanoag joined 52 English people at what is now Plymouth, Massachusetts, to mark a successful harvest. It is remembered today as the “First Thanksgiving,” although no one back then used that term.

What holiday falls on the third Thursday of the month? ›

Grant chose the third Thursday for Thanksgiving Day.

What are the 12 federal holidays? ›

Holidays
  • New Year's Day January 1.
  • Martin Luther King's Birthday 3rd Monday in January.
  • Washington's Birthday 3rd Monday in February.
  • Memorial Day last Monday in May.
  • Juneteenth National Independence Day June 19.
  • Independence Day July 4.
  • Labor Day 1st Monday in September.
  • Columbus Day 2nd Monday in October.

What are the school holidays for 2024 in the USA? ›

Holidays
  • July 4, 2024: Independence Day; No School & District Offices Closed.
  • August 20, 2024: Fall Holiday; No School & All Employees off (except 12 mos. ...
  • September 2, 2024: Labor Day; No School & District Offices Closed.
  • October 3, 2024: Fall Holiday; No School & All Employees off (except 12 mos.

What is President's Day in 2024? ›

Presidents' Day: February 19, 2024.

What calendar year lines up with 2024? ›

The 2024 calendar will be a perfectly identical match to the 1996 calendar. The seven years that share the same calendar in the current 200-year timeframe include 1940, 1968, 1996, 2024, 2052, 2080 and 2120, according to timeanddate.com.

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Recommended Articles
Article information

Author: Stevie Stamm

Last Updated:

Views: 5425

Rating: 5 / 5 (60 voted)

Reviews: 83% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Stevie Stamm

Birthday: 1996-06-22

Address: Apt. 419 4200 Sipes Estate, East Delmerview, WY 05617

Phone: +342332224300

Job: Future Advertising Analyst

Hobby: Leather crafting, Puzzles, Leather crafting, scrapbook, Urban exploration, Cabaret, Skateboarding

Introduction: My name is Stevie Stamm, I am a colorful, sparkling, splendid, vast, open, hilarious, tender person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.