Publix Thanksgiving Hours 2026
Publix Thanksgiving hours come down to one closed day. Every Publix store shuts on Thursday, November 26, 2026, and so do its pharmacies and Publix Liquors stores.
Wednesday, November 25, and Black Friday aren’t on the company’s list of early closing days, so stores keep their normal hours on both.
That makes Wednesday the last chance to shop, refill a prescription or collect a holiday dinner before the holiday.
Closed all day on Thursday, November 26
Thanksgiving is one of the three days a year every Publix closes. In its newsroom Q&A, the company says it has done so since its founding, “in observance of the holiday and to allow our associates time with family and friends.”
Last year’s coverage said the same. FOX 13 Tampa Bay listed Publix among the stores closed on Thanksgiving 2025, citing the company’s website, while Harris Teeter opened from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Publix doesn’t open for a few morning hours the way some grocers do. Stores close on Wednesday night and reopen on Friday morning, and curbside pickup stops with them, since Publix staff bring those Instacart orders out to your car.
Our calendar of Publix closings through Easter 2027 covers the rest of the season.
Normal hours on Wednesday and Black Friday
Neither day is on the short list of days Publix closes early.
At Publix’s Southgate Shopping Center store in Lakeland, Florida (#1270), that means 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Wednesday and on Friday, the same as every other day of its week.
The Lakeland pharmacy keeps its weekday 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. on both days, and the Publix Liquors store in the same shopping center runs 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. The weekend after the holiday is normal too, with the pharmacy back on its shorter Saturday and Sunday hours.
Not every Publix closes at 10 p.m., so check your own store’s page in the Publix store locator before a late Wednesday run. Our breakdown of closing times at other Publix stores shows how often 9 p.m. turns up by state.
We’d still finish the big shop by Tuesday, November 24. Wednesday is open as usual, but it’s also the last day for holiday dinner pickups at the deli and the last pharmacy visit before the break.
Holiday dinners must be picked up by Wednesday
With every store shut on Thursday, Wednesday is the last day to collect a Publix holiday meal. The Thanksgiving ordering page sets the order deadline at Monday, November 23, which leaves the 48 hours Publix needs before pickup.
The meals come cold from the deli, and Publix says some items take two to three hours to heat. Our guide to what’s in the Publix turkey dinner covers the sides, last year’s prices and the pickup itself.
Pharmacy and Publix Liquors over the long weekend
Publix pharmacies close with the stores on Thanksgiving, and Publix Liquors stores do too, as the USA TODAY Network noted in its holiday hours coverage.
At the Lakeland store, the pharmacy is closed for 36 hours in a row, from 9 p.m. on Wednesday to 9 a.m. on Friday. If a prescription will run out in that window, refill it by Wednesday evening. Our page on weekend hours at Publix pharmacies has the regular schedule.
The CDC says a flu shot takes about two weeks to build protection, which makes Thursday, November 12, the date to aim for before Thanksgiving. Our Publix flu shot guide has the walk-in and booking details.
For a prescription you need on the day itself, most CVS stores opened from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. last Thanksgiving, and Walgreens kept only its 24-hour locations open, FOX 13 Tampa Bay reported.
Grocery stores that opened last Thanksgiving
Several grocery chains did open on Thanksgiving 2025, according to FOX 13 Tampa Bay. These are last year’s hours, and each chain posts its own 2026 times in November.
- Kroger, open until 5 p.m.
- Harris Teeter, 6 a.m. to 2 p.m., with its pharmacies closed
- Sprouts Farmers Market, 7 a.m. to 2 p.m.
- Whole Foods Market, open with modified hours
Walmart, Target, Aldi, Costco, Sam’s Club, Trader Joe’s and Lidl were all closed, and Walmart reopened on Black Friday, according to a Gray News roundup published by stations across the region.
