Thanksgiving in Guatemala 2026: Thursday November 26, the US Embassy closure and what a turkey costs

Thanksgiving is not a Guatemalan holiday, but it lands on a Guatemalan date anyway. In 2026 it falls on Thursday November 26. Guatemala’s Labour Code does not give anyone the day off for it; the US Embassy in Guatemala City closes to the public that day; and November 26 is also Garífuna Day on the Caribbean coast. If you are a US citizen, a traveller or a family that keeps the holiday, this page covers what is open, what is closed and what the turkey costs.

Quick summary: Date: Thursday November 26 2026 (US Embassy closure list). Guatemalan holiday? No, it is not among the paid days off in Article 127 of the Labour Code. US Embassy: closed to the public on November 26; Friday November 27 is not on its closure list. Turkey: whole raw Butterball, about 21 lb, Q22.00 per pound at Walmart Guatemala (about Q462 for 21 lb, our arithmetic); turkey breast 3 lb Q119.00 (Walmart) or Q132.21 (La Torre), all read on October 7 2026. Black Friday: DIACO issued shopper recommendations for it in 2025 (Chapin TV). Same day: Garífuna Day in Livingston.

Quick facts

Is Thanksgiving a holiday in Guatemala?

No. Article 127 of the Labour Code (Decreto 1441) is the list of paid days off. In the text published by the judiciary’s documentation centre, CENADOJ, it begins “Son días de asueto con goce de salario para los trabajadores particulares” (these are the paid days off for private-sector workers) and names January 1; Holy Thursday, Friday and Saturday; May 1; June 30; September 15; October 20; November 1; December 24 from noon; December 25; December 31 from noon; and the feast day of each town. Thanksgiving is not there. That CENADOJ edition is updated to April 30, 2014. Our Guatemala holidays page has the whole 2026 calendar.

So for private-sector workers, November 26 is not one of the legal days off. The US Embassy, on the other hand, closes for it.

The US Embassy on Thanksgiving week

The US Embassy in Guatemala publishes a list of the days in 2026 when it is closed to the public, marking each one as an American (A) or Guatemalan (G) holiday. For the last three months of the year it reads:

Friday November 27 is not on the list. The Embassy’s contact page gives the Consular Section’s hours as 7:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday to Thursday and 7:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. on Friday, “except on U.S. and Guatemalan holidays”. If you have a passport, notarial or visa appointment that week, Thursday is the day the Embassy is closed.

What a Thanksgiving turkey costs in Guatemala

We read the online catalogues of two supermarket chains on October 7, 2026. These are October prices; holiday stock and prices can change by late November, so treat them as a reference point, not a quote.

The whole bird. Walmart’s listing describes the Butterball as one that “contiene 21 libras aproximadamente” (weighs about 21 pounds) and says “Precio indicado por libra” (price shown per pound). At Q22.00 a pound, a 21-pound turkey comes to about Q462. That is our arithmetic; you pay for the actual weight.

La Torre. A search of La Torre’s online catalogue for turkey (pavo, pavo entero, pavo congelado, turkey, Butterball) on October 7 returned no whole turkey, only the turkey breast, gravy mix, oven bag and pan above. That was the online catalogue in early October; it says nothing about what the stores will stock in November.

Black Friday in Guatemala

On November 28, 2025, Chapin TV reported that DIACO, the government’s consumer-protection office, issued recommendations so shoppers would not be caught by misleading advertising during Black Friday that weekend. As Chapin TV reported them:

• Misleading advertising includes two-for-one offers that do not state conditions such as sizes or colours.
• Check that warranty certificates carry an expiry date and say where to redeem them, and that promotional gifts are clearly described.
• Prefer in-person purchases with an invoice, at formal businesses; buy online only on secure, recognised platforms.

In 2026 the day after Thanksgiving is Friday November 27. When we checked on October 7, 2026 we had not seen a 2026 Black Friday announcement from DIACO or a retailer. If a purchase goes wrong, see how to file a complaint with DIACO.

November 26 is also Garífuna Day

Thanksgiving shares its 2026 date with the Día Nacional del Pueblo Garífuna, celebrated in Livingston and Puerto Barrios with the Yurumein re-enactment. It is not on the Article 127 list either. Our Garífuna Day guide has the background and how to get to Livingston.

About restaurant dinners

This page names no restaurants. As of October 7, 2026 we had not captured a 2026 Thanksgiving-dinner announcement from any venue in Guatemala, and we only list a venue when we have its own dated announcement. We plan to check again in November.

Related

• Christmas in Guatemala, the next big date on the calendar.
• Garífuna Day, November 26.
• Guatemala’s public holidays and November ferias and events.
• Every event on the calendar.

Sources: US Embassy in Guatemala, 2026 list of holidays when the Embassy is closed to the public, and its contact page; Código de Trabajo, Decreto 1441, Art. 127 (CENADOJ edition updated to April 30, 2014); walmart.com.gt and latorre.com.gt online catalogues; Chapin TV, November 28 and 29, 2025. All read on October 7, 2026. Spanish quotations are left in the original with an English gloss outside the quotation marks.