Black Friday: what it is, when it is in 2026 and how to prepare your email campaign
The Friday that kicks off the Christmas shopping season: origin, dates and a ready-to-use email calendar.
Black Friday is the day of big discounts held on the Friday after Thanksgiving, in November. It started in the United States and is now one of the biggest sales days of the year in Spain, Latin America and much of the world.
For many stores, it marks the start of the Christmas shopping season. Many shoppers take advantage of the deals to buy their gifts early.
When is Black Friday 2026?
In 2026, Black Friday falls on Friday, November 27. Thanksgiving is celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November in the United States, so this Friday always falls between the 23rd and the 29th of that month.
| Date | What happens |
|---|---|
| Thursday, November 26 | Thanksgiving in the United States |
| Friday, November 27 | Black Friday |
| Saturday 28 and Sunday 29 | Many stores keep their deals going |
| Monday, November 30 | Cyber Monday, focused on online shopping |
More and more stores extend their discounts to the whole week, known as Black Week, or even to the whole month.
Why is it called Black Friday?
The most widely accepted explanation comes from Philadelphia in the 1960s. The police used the name for the Friday after Thanksgiving because of the traffic chaos and the crowds of shoppers that filled the city.
Later, a more commercial explanation spread: it was the day stores went from being in the red to being in the black thanks to their sales.
The expression had already been used before with a different meaning. On September 24, 1869, the collapse of the gold market on Wall Street became known as Black Friday, but it has nothing to do with shopping.
Black Friday in numbers
According to Adobe, in 2025 online spending in the United States reached a record $11.8 billion on that Friday and $14.25 billion on Cyber Monday.
In Spain and Latin America, the date became popular in the 2010s. Today it shares November with other events, such as Singles’ Day or El Buen Fin in Mexico.
Black Friday email calendar
Email is the channel that works best for reaching people who already know you. Here is a simple sequence:
| When | Goal | |
|---|---|---|
| 3-4 weeks before | Waiting list or early access | Attract interested subscribers |
| 1 week before | Sneak peek of the deals | Build anticipation |
| Friday itself, first thing in the morning | Launch | Get the first sales |
| Friday afternoon or Saturday | Reminder featuring the best sellers | Reach those who didn’t open |
| Sunday or Monday | Last call or switch to Cyber Monday | Make the most of the urgency |
| The following week | Thank-you and post-purchase | Build loyalty with the new customer |
You don’t need to send all of them. Adjust the frequency to your list: it’s better to send fewer, relevant emails than to overwhelm your subscribers.
For a day-by-day calendar covering what to send by email and what by SMS, plus ready-to-use copy, see our guide to Black Friday email and SMS campaigns.
The email subject line decides whether it gets opened or stays in the inbox. Some ideas:
| Type | Example |
|---|---|
| Early access | “Your Black Friday access starts today (24 hours early)” |
| Clear discount | “Up to 40% off storewide, this weekend only” |
| Urgency | “Final hours: Black Friday ends at midnight” |
| Personalized | “The items on your wishlist, now on sale” |
| For Cyber Monday | “One last chance: online deals until Monday” |
Email marketing tips for this time of year
Prepare your list in advance. Clean out bouncing addresses and inactive contacts. A healthy list improves deliverability right when the most emails are being sent.
Check your authentication. Gmail, Yahoo and Microsoft require SPF, DKIM and DMARC from bulk senders. Check it before the peak dates.
Segment. Don’t send the same thing to everyone: regular customers, new subscribers and people who only buy during sales respond to different messages. Segmentation multiplies your results.
Think mobile. Most emails are opened on mobile: single-column design, large buttons and few heavy images.
Use real urgency. End dates and limited stock work if they’re true. In the European Union, when advertising a price reduction, the previous price must be the lowest price of the prior 30 days.
Run A/B tests. Test subject lines and calls to action on part of your list before the main send.
Measure and learn. Track the clicks, sales and revenue of each email to prepare better for next year.
Prepare your Black Friday campaign
Create your emails with the Mailrelay editor, segment your list and schedule them for the key day and time.
Common mistakes
Starting late. If your list isn’t growing in October, you won’t have anyone to tell in November.
Sending too much. Several emails a day drive up unsubscribes and spam complaints.
Promising discounts that aren’t real. Besides being illegal, it costs you your customers’ trust.
Forgetting about afterwards. A customer who buys that weekend is an opportunity for Christmas and the rest of the year.
How Mailrelay helps you
With Mailrelay, you design your Black Friday emails in the editor, segment your list, schedule each send for the exact time and measure the results of every campaign. You can also send SMS from the same platform.
The free account includes up to 80,000 emails a month and 20,000 contacts, with human support on every plan.
Send your newsletters with Mailrelay
Up to 80,000 emails a month and 20,000 contacts for free, with human support on every plan.
Frequently asked questions
These are the most common questions about this date.
When is Black Friday 2026?
Friday, November 27, 2026, the day after Thanksgiving in the United States.
Why is it called Black Friday?
The name is attributed to the Philadelphia police, who used it in the 1960s because of the chaos of shoppers and traffic on the day after Thanksgiving.
What is the difference between Black Friday and Cyber Monday?
Black Friday is on Friday and started in physical stores. Cyber Monday is the following Monday and focuses on online shopping.
Ideally, start 3-4 weeks before to attract interested people, send a heads-up a week before and send the launch first thing on Friday morning.
How many emails should you send on Black Friday?
It depends on your list, but 3 to 5 over the week is usually enough: sneak peek, launch, reminder and last call.
Retail calendar
These are the year’s main retail dates covered in our glossary, in order. Prepare each campaign a few weeks in advance.
| Date in 2026 | Retail date | Where it is celebrated |
|---|---|---|
| February 14 | Valentine’s Day | International |
| From October 9 | Big Billion Days | India |
| October 31 | Halloween | United States, Spain and Latin America |
| November 8 | Diwali | India |
| November 11 | Singles’ Day | China and international online retail |
| November 13–17 | El Buen Fin | Mexico |
| November 27 | Black Friday | International |
| November 30 | Cyber Monday | International, especially online |
| December 7 | Little Candles Day | Colombia |
| December 25 | Christmas | International |
| December 26 | Boxing Day | United Kingdom, Canada and Australia |