Small business holiday marketing calendar (with dates for 2026 to 2028)
Planning promotions around a handful of dates is easier than inventing something every week. Below are common US dates that many local businesses plan around. Whether a date matters to you depends on your customers, so treat this as a menu, not a rule.
Key dates
| Holiday | 2026 | 2027 | 2028 |
|---|---|---|---|
| MLK Day | Mon, Jan 19 | Mon, Jan 18 | Mon, Jan 17 |
| Presidents' Day | Mon, Feb 16 | Mon, Feb 15 | Mon, Feb 21 |
| Easter Sunday | Sun, Apr 5 | Sun, Mar 28 | Sun, Apr 16 |
| Mother's Day | Sun, May 10 | Sun, May 9 | Sun, May 14 |
| Memorial Day | Mon, May 25 | Mon, May 31 | Mon, May 29 |
| Father's Day | Sun, Jun 21 | Sun, Jun 20 | Sun, Jun 18 |
| Labor Day | Mon, Sep 7 | Mon, Sep 6 | Mon, Sep 4 |
| Daylight saving time ends | Sun, Nov 1 | Sun, Nov 7 | Sun, Nov 5 |
| Thanksgiving | Thu, Nov 26 | Thu, Nov 25 | Thu, Nov 23 |
| Black Friday | Fri, Nov 27 | Fri, Nov 26 | Fri, Nov 24 |
| Small Business Saturday | Sat, Nov 28 | Sat, Nov 27 | Sat, Nov 25 |
| Cyber Monday | Mon, Nov 30 | Mon, Nov 29 | Mon, Nov 27 |
Dates are calculated from standard rules (for example, Thanksgiving is the fourth Thursday of November). Check any date you are building a campaign around.
How to use it
- Circle the 4 to 6 dates your customers actually care about.
- For each, decide the offer, or whether a simple hours notice is enough.
- Work back from the date to when you need to start posting. See when to start holiday promotions.
- Put it all in your calendar. The free calendar tool does that and exports a file.
Not every holiday needs a promotion
For many holidays, the most useful post is plain: your hours and whether you are open. Promotions work best when they fit your business and when you can afford the discount.
What this list leaves out
It does not include holidays that move on other calendars, regional events, or local happenings such as school starts and festivals. Add those yourself.