Thanksgiving is on its latest possible date in 2024. How often does that happen?

Thanksgiving is a day full of football and succulent feasts for millions of Americans, but why is the holiday occurring so late in 2024?

This year, the annual holiday is taking place on Nov. 28, less than one month before Christmas.

Here’s a lowdown on why its taking place so late in the month, and how often that occurs.

Why is Thanksgiving the fourth Thursday of November?

Most people associate Thanksgiving with Native Americans and Pilgrims in Plymouth, Massachusetts gathering for a feast, but the current holiday’s origins are a bit more modern.

According to the Center for Legislative Archives, President George Washington named the final Thursday of 1789 as a “Day of Publick Thanksgivin,” with subsequent presidents issuing similar proclamations on different days of the year.

President Abraham Lincoln issued a proclamation in 1863 declaring the last Thursday of November as the date for the holiday, where it remained until the administration of President Franklin Roosevelt, according to the Center.

Finally in Oct. 1941, Congress passed a resolution declaring the holiday would take place on the fourth Thursday of November, to avoid having it fall on the final day of the month, thereby expanding the holiday shopping season and giving retailers additional time to take advantage of Christmas-driven sales.

Roosevelt then signed the bill, establishing Thanksgiving as a federal holiday.

How often does Thanksgiving occur on Nov. 28?

Since Thanksgiving always takes place on the fourth Thursday of November, it follows roughly a 28-year cycle, which is only interrupted by century years and leap years.  

Therefore, Thanksgiving will fall on Nov. 28 roughly every five-to-six years. The next time this will occur is in 2030, but then won’t occur again until 2041.

When is the earliest Thanksgiving can occur?

The earliest date Thanksgiving can occur is on Nov. 22. This last took place in 2018, and will not occur again until 2029.