Black Friday 2026 is Friday, November 27 — the day after Thanksgiving — and Cyber Monday follows on Monday, November 30. But if you wait until November 27 to start shopping, you will have missed most of it. The holiday sale has quietly turned into a month-long event, and this week the last big holdout published its dates: Amazon announced on November 9 that its Black Friday Week and Cyber Monday events will run November 19 through 30, with deals dropping twice on both Black Friday and Cyber Monday, at midnight and 8 a.m. Pacific time. Here is the full calendar for every major store, as confirmed by the retailers themselves.
Amazon: November 19 To 30
Amazon's Black Friday Week and Cyber Monday deal events kick off at 12:01 a.m. Pacific time on Thursday, November 19, and run through Monday, November 30, according to the company's November 9 announcement and its updated Black Friday FAQ. Deals will drop twice on both Black Friday and Cyber Monday — at midnight and 8 a.m. Pacific, which is 3 a.m. and 11 a.m. Eastern — with savings of up to 60% off. Early Black Friday deals are already live in Amazon's Holiday Shop right now, including a buy-one-get-one sale on board games and early book deals. Amazon held its Prime Big Deal Days event on October 6 and 7, so this is the second big push of the season.
Walmart: First Event Starts Tomorrow
Walmart is running its Black Friday season in three windows. The first, its Early Black Friday event, runs November 12 to 15 — starting tomorrow. The main Black Friday deals run Monday, November 23, to Sunday, November 29, and the Cyber Monday deals run November 30 to December 2. Walmart's stores open at 6 a.m. on Black Friday itself. We covered Walmart's three sale windows in detail yesterday, including the 6 a.m. store opening — the short version is that the November 12 event is the one to watch if you want the early doorbusters before the crowds arrive.
Target, Best Buy And The Rest
Target started earliest of all. Its Deal of the Day has run every day since November 1 and continues through December 24, and its Early Black Friday deals ran November 5 to 7. Target's Holiday Price Match Guarantee runs November 1 to December 24, and its stores are closed on Thanksgiving, November 26, then open at 6 a.m. local time on Black Friday, November 27. Best Buy's Early Black Friday deals and doorbusters are live now, after its DoorBOOsters event started October 30. For gamers, the PlayStation Store's Black Friday sale is already live and runs through November 30, and Steam's autumn sale runs November 26 to 30. Xbox and Nintendo have not announced their Black Friday gaming deals yet.
The Deals Already Live Right Now
You do not have to wait for any of these dates to start saving. Amazon's early Black Friday deals are live in its Holiday Shop today, including a buy-one-get-one sale on board games and early book discounts, and Best Buy's Early Black Friday deals and doorbusters are live as well. Gamers can already shop the PlayStation Store's Black Friday sale, which runs through November 30. Target's Deal of the Day has been running since November 1, with a new deal every morning and the next day's deal previewed a day ahead — so if you check it daily, you will catch the price drops that never make the headlines. The point of the calendar is not to make you wait. It is to tell you which window holds the deal you actually want.
How To Shop The Calendar Without Overpaying
A calendar this spread out rewards a plan and punishes impulse. First, make the list now and check prices before the sale starts — a deal is only a deal against the price the item actually sold for last week. Second, use the price-match guarantees: Target will match its own lower price through December 24, so an early buy is not a gamble. Third, remember the drop times. Amazon's best deals land at midnight and 8 a.m. Pacific on Black Friday and Cyber Monday, which is 3 a.m. and 11 a.m. Eastern — set the alarm for the 11 a.m. drop, not the 3 a.m. one, unless the item is likely to sell out. And fourth, do not let the early sales rush you. With deals running from now until December 2, the item you want will almost certainly be discounted again — the stores are competing with each other all month, and that competition is the shopper's best friend.
The pattern this year is the same one that has been building for a decade: Black Friday is no longer a day, it is a season. Amazon opens November 19, Walmart opens tomorrow, Target has been running daily deals since November 1, and Best Buy is already in its early sale. The retailers have published their dates, the calendars are set, and the only thing left is the list. Make it tonight — the first window opens in the morning.
