Overview
- The 2025 observance is Thursday, November 27, and it is a U.S. federal holiday.
- Congress fixed the timing in 1941, following national proclamations by George Washington in 1789 and Abraham Lincoln in 1863.
- Traditions center on family gatherings with turkey, along with American football and New York’s Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.
- The holiday typically launches the shopping season, with major Black Friday sales the next day.
- Heavy travel is expected, and some reports caution that government staffing shortages could disrupt flights this year.