Walmart Black Friday 2026: What Is Confirmed and What Is Not Yet
Walmart Black Friday 2026 questions are everywhere right now. “When is black friday” showed up in the US Google Trends list on October 22, next to coverage of Walmart’s sale. I wanted one clear answer, so I read Walmart’s newsroom post, the holiday releases from Target and Lowe’s, and a few deal sites. However, the answers did not match.
The quick answer: Black Friday falls on November 27, and Walmart stores stay closed on Thanksgiving. However, Walmart has not announced its 2026 sale dates yet. Also, some pages I opened list November 14 to 16 and November 25 to 30 as this year’s schedule. In fact, those are last year’s dates.
What is confirmed for Walmart Black Friday 2026
First, I split what I found into things I could verify and things I could not. Also, Walmart’s own post does not mention any sale dates, so that part stays empty for now.
| Item | What we know | Where it comes from |
|---|---|---|
| Black Friday | Friday, November 27 | Calendar: Thanksgiving is the fourth Thursday, November 26 |
| Cyber Monday | Monday, November 30 | Calendar |
| Walmart stores on Thanksgiving | Closed, and closed on Christmas too | Walmart newsroom, October 7, 2026 |
| Walmart sale dates | Not announced | Nothing in Walmart’s October 7 post |
| Walmart+ early access | Not stated for 2026 | Nothing official yet |
| Black Friday store hours | Not stated for 2026 | Last year stores opened at 6 a.m. local time, per Mashable |
Overall, Walmart’s October 7 post is all about services. For example, Express Pickup can have an order ready in as little as one hour, it runs in 500 stores now, and Walmart says it will reach every store in the coming weeks. In addition, members get it free. Also, a new Shop to Light feature flashes an LED on the shelf when you search for an item in the app. Because the post says nothing about sale dates, I read the silence as a sign that the deal announcement comes later, though that is only my guess.
Why deal sites show the wrong Walmart Black Friday 2026 dates
The 2025 schedule keeps getting copied
First, a look back. Walmart announced its events on October 27, 2025. Here is what it ran, based on Walmart’s 2025 release as summarized by TrendsFAQ and matched by Mashable.
| 2025 event | Dates | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Black Friday Deals, event 1 | November 14 to 16 | Stores and online |
| Black Friday Deals, event 2 | November 25 to 30 | Online only November 25 to 27, stores from November 28 |
| Cyber Monday | December 1 | Online only |
| Walmart+ early access | 5 hours early online | From 7 p.m. ET the evening before each event |
For instance, two deal-tracking pages I opened put those exact dates under a “2026” heading. In fact, one of them even said Walmart would stay closed on “Thanksgiving Day 2025” while the page title said 2026. So if you set a reminder for November 14 based on those pages, you are working from a schedule that does not exist yet. Instead, I would rather say “not announced” than hand readers a date that looks official.
What a fair guess looks like
Mashable expects, for now, the main sale to run from November 24 through 29, with a Cyber Monday sale online on November 30. Also, that lines up with the calendar. Black Friday was November 28 in 2025 and is November 27 this year, so the same weekday pattern would put online deals on Tuesday, November 24 and in-store deals on November 27. Still, treat that as a pattern, not a promise. Because Walmart announced on October 27 last year, the real dates may show up within days, or not.
Who has already announced
However, two big retailers did publish dates, and they tell you more about the season than Walmart’s silence does.
| Retailer | What it announced | Release date |
|---|---|---|
| Target | Deal of the Day from November 1 to December 24, early Black Friday deals November 5 to 7, then new limited-time offers every weekend | October 21, 2026 |
| Lowe’s | Black Friday deals from October 29, 12 Days of Deals from November 16, Doorbusters for everyone on November 27, stores closed on Thanksgiving | October 8, 2026 |
| Walmart | Stores closed on Thanksgiving, no sale dates | October 7, 2026 |
Lowe’s also gives MyLowe’s Rewards members online access to Doorbusters one day early, so November 26 for them. That detail matters because the event most people call Black Friday now starts weeks before the day itself. For example, Target begins about three weeks ahead, and Lowe’s starts four weeks ahead. Therefore, if you need tools, appliances or gifts, you can already compare prices. Waiting for Walmart costs nothing, yet having a baseline price helps a lot.
A Walmart Black Friday 2026 timeline for the next five weeks
| Date | What happens | Status |
|---|---|---|
| October 29 | Lowe’s Black Friday deals begin | Confirmed |
| November 1 | Target Deal of the Day begins | Confirmed |
| November 5 to 7 | Target early Black Friday deals | Confirmed |
| November 16 | Lowe’s 12 Days of Deals begin | Confirmed |
| November 26 | Thanksgiving. Walmart and Lowe’s stores close | Confirmed |
| November 27 | Black Friday. Lowe’s Doorbusters open to everyone | Confirmed |
| November 30 | Cyber Monday | Calendar |
| Walmart sale dates | Unknown | Not announced |
What I would do before the Walmart Black Friday 2026 dates drop
Write down today’s prices
First, pick the five things you would really buy and note their price at Walmart and one other store. Mashable’s 2025 recap mentioned a 75-inch Hisense QLED at $378 and AirPods at $69. Deals like that look great, but without your own baseline you cannot tell a doorbuster from a normal price.
Wait on Walmart+ until Walmart confirms early access
Also, Mashable lists Walmart+ at $98 a year or $12.95 a month, plus a $1 trial for 30 days. Last year members got five hours of early online access. So if Walmart repeats that, a single month might cover the event. Still, early access for 2026 is not stated, so I would not pay for it yet. Check the trial terms too before you count on them.
Plan the Thanksgiving shopping around the closure
Because stores close on November 26, and Express Pickup is meant to reach every store in time for the Thanksgiving meal, ordering by November 25 sounds safer than a last-minute run. However, the one-hour promise helps only if your store has the service, so check the app first.
Skip “leaked ad” pages for now
Meanwhile, Walmart’s ad has not arrived. For reference, last year a sneak peek of the Black Friday ad scan showed up on November 7, according to one deal site. Until Walmart publishes its own page, any page with exact 2026 times and doorbuster lists is guessing. Instead, I read Walmart’s newsroom before trusting any date, the same habit I used for the Warm Home Discount letters.
Quick answers
When is Black Friday 2026?
Friday, November 27, 2026. Then Cyber Monday follows on November 30.
Is Walmart open on Thanksgiving 2026?
No. Walmart says its stores will be closed on Thanksgiving and Christmas this year.
When does Walmart’s Black Friday sale start?
So far, Walmart has not said. As of October 22, its own newsroom had no 2026 sale dates. Last year the first event began on November 14.
What time do Walmart stores open on Black Friday?
Not announced. However, stores opened at 6 a.m. local time last year, so check your local store before you go.
Will Walmart+ members get early access again?
Walmart has not stated it for 2026. However, in 2025 members shopped online five hours early.
The short version
Black Friday is November 27, and Walmart stores stay closed on Thanksgiving, but Walmart has not announced its 2026 sale dates, so ignore pages that recycle last year’s schedule. Meanwhile, Target and Lowe’s have already started, so note your baseline prices now.