8 Fridays until Christmas
Christmas: Fri, Dec 25, 2026Today not countedCounted on your own date
There are 8 Fridays left before Christmas 2026, counting from Thursday, October 29, 2026. The first is October 30 and the last is December 18. Christmas Day itself is a Friday in 2026, and it isn't counted.
Paid every other Friday? Pick your next payday and the table marks the rest.
Paid weekly? Then every Friday in the table is a payday.
Fridays left before Christmas 2026
| # | Friday | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Friday, October 30 | |
| 2 | Friday, November 6 | |
| 3 | Friday, November 13 | |
| 4 | Friday, November 20 | |
| 5 | Friday, November 27 | Black Friday |
| 6 | Friday, December 4 | |
| 7 | Friday, December 11 | |
| 8 | Friday, December 18 | Last Friday before Christmas |
How the Fridays are counted
A Friday counts if it comes after today and before Christmas Day. Today isn't counted, even when it's a Friday; that's the same rule the Christmas countdown uses for days, so on a Friday the count starts with next week's. Christmas Day isn't counted either. That matters in 2026, because December 25 is a Friday. Count it and you get one more.
The page goes by the date on your own device, so the number drops at your midnight, not someone else's. Every Friday is counted, holiday or not.
Paydays before Christmas
Paid weekly, you have a payday on every Friday in the table, 8 in all. Paid every other Friday, you get 4 or 4, depending on which week your schedule falls on. Choose your next payday above and the table marks them. If one of your paydays lands on Christmas Day, ask payroll which day it moves to. When a payday falls on a bank holiday, the money usually goes out the business day before.
One Friday in the list has a name of its own: Friday, November 27 is Black Friday, the day after US Thanksgiving. The Black Friday countdown counts the days to it.
The Friday before Christmas
In 2026 it's Friday, December 18, a week before Christmas Day. A lot of offices hold their Christmas party that night, which is why the UK calls it Mad Friday. It moves around from year to year:
| Year | Christmas Day | Last Friday before |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Friday | Friday, December 18 |
| 2027 | Saturday | Friday, December 24 (Christmas Eve) |
| 2028 | Monday | Friday, December 22 |
| 2029 | Tuesday | Friday, December 21 |
| 2030 | Wednesday | Friday, December 20 |
Questions people ask
How many Fridays are left until Christmas?
As of Thursday, October 29, 2026, there are 8 Fridays left before Christmas Day 2026. The first is October 30 and the last is December 18. Today and Christmas Day aren't counted.
Is Christmas 2026 on a Friday?
Yes. December 25, 2026 is a Friday, so Christmas Eve is a Thursday and the weekend after Christmas is December 26–27. Christmas 2027 falls on a Saturday.
If today is a Friday, does it count?
No. The count starts with the next Friday, the same way a countdown of days starts with tomorrow. If you want to include today, add one.
How many paydays are left before Christmas?
If you're paid every Friday, 8: one for each Friday left before Christmas 2026, as of Thursday, October 29, 2026. If you're paid every other Friday, it's 4 if your next payday is October 30 and 4 if it's November 6.
When is the Friday before Christmas 2026?
Friday, December 18, 2026, exactly a week before Christmas Day. In the UK the last Friday before Christmas is often called Mad Friday, because so many office Christmas parties are held that night.
How many Fridays are in December 2026?
Four: December 4, December 11, December 18 and December 25. The last of them is Christmas Day.
More Christmas counts
The Christmas countdown has the days, hours and minutes. For the nights left, the way kids count them, see how many sleeps until Christmas, and for Saturdays and Sundays, how many weekends until Christmas. Every other count on the site is on the list of all countdowns.