This year's Black Friday falls on November 27
This year, Black Friday in Ukraine and worldwide will take place on November 27, 2026. Ukrainian retail chains will launch sales ahead of this date as there is no single schedule for promotional campaigns. This was reported by RBC-Ukraine (Юлія Люшньова) citing HISTORY, according to the portal PromPolitInform.
In 2026, the main date for large-scale sales falls on November 27. It is connected with the American holiday of Thanksgiving, celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November, which this time lands on the 26th.
In Ukraine, this day holds no official holiday status, yet domestic retail outlets actively use it to run seasonal promotional campaigns. Discounts in individual stores may start several days prior to the event or span an entire week.
History of the term’s emergence in Philadelphia
The tradition itself originated in the United States of America, but the original meaning of the name did not relate to commerce and discounts. In the 1950s, police departments in the city of Philadelphia began using this phrase to describe traffic gridlock on the streets.
Crowds of tourists and shoppers arrived in the city ahead of a traditional football match between the US Army and Navy teams. Law enforcement officers were forced to work overtime due to massive traffic jams and widespread shoplifting.
Attempts to change the name and the accounting version
By 1961, the term had become firmly established in the city, prompting local business owners to attempt replacing it with Big Friday. However, the new initiative failed to gain support among residents and merchants.
In the 1980s, a second explanation emerged linking Black Friday to business profits. Losses in accounting records were traditionally marked in red ink, while profits were marked in black.
This gave rise to a popular theory that stores shifted from losses to profits precisely on this day. Despite this explanation appearing much later than the events in Philadelphia, the sales tradition eventually spread across the globe.
Photo: RBC-Ukraine
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