Countdown to US Thanksgiving — fourth Thursday in November.
Thanksgiving isn't an Australian holiday — it's primarily observed in the United States (fourth Thursday in November) and Canada (second Monday in October) — but with American streaming content, multinational workplaces, and plenty of Australians with American family connections, it shows up on more radar screens than it used to.
This counter tracks the US Thanksgiving date (fourth Thursday in November). If you're looking for the Canadian Thanksgiving, that's the second Monday in October — check the date calculator for that.
For Australians hosting or attending an American-style Thanksgiving dinner: turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, sweet potato casserole, cranberry sauce, and pumpkin pie are the traditional centrepieces. Turkey is available at major Australian supermarkets and butchers, though usually more readily around Christmas than November.
US Thanksgiving is the fourth Thursday in November. In 2024 it falls on November 28. In 2025 it falls on November 27.
Canadian Thanksgiving is the second Monday in October — significantly earlier than the American date. In 2024 it falls on October 14.
No. Thanksgiving is not observed as a public holiday in Australia. It's an American and Canadian holiday.
The American Thanksgiving tradition is traced to a harvest feast shared between English Pilgrims and members of the Wampanoag people in 1621 in Plymouth Colony. It became a national holiday in the United States in 1863 when Abraham Lincoln proclaimed it. The Canadian version has separate historical roots tied to explorer Martin Frobisher's 1578 expedition.