Turks and Caicos Public Holidays: New Holiday Added, Thanksgiving Now in August

Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands — The Turks and Caicos Government has announced several changes to the country's public holiday schedule for 2026. The most notable change is the introduction of Constitution Day as a public holiday and the demotion of Thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving in the Turks and Caicos Islands will now take place in August on the Sunday before Constitution Day rather than in November. The change effectively removes Thanksgiving from the country's list of public holidays and will take effect next year, when Thanksgiving will fall on Sunday, August 30, 2026.

Formally known as the National Day of Prayer and Thanksgiving, this holiday has been observed annually on the last Friday in November (coinciding with American Thanksgiving) since 2014.

Constitution Day will become an official public holiday in 2026, when it will be observed on August 31.

Changes were passed by the government with little public notice. Some of its own representatives made public that they were unaware of the changes until the morning they were announced in the House of Assembly.

While this brings the total number of holidays up to 13, the effective number of public holidays in the Turks and Caicos Islands will remain at 12, as one is on a Sunday.

Constitution Day recognizes the adoption of the 1976 Turks and Caicos Islands Constitution and will take place annually on the last Monday in August. The 1976 Constitution granted the country expanded self-government and ministerial government. It was not the first constitution for the country—the first constitution order was passed in 1959.

The Turks and Caicos Islands Constitution has been amended numerous times throughout its history, most recently in 2011. In 2009, parts of the constitution were suspended for two years following an inquiry by the United Kingdom that revealed widespread systemic corruption in local government.