Thanksgiving 2016: Everything you need to know about the US holiday

46 million - the number of turkeys killed, 4,500 - the number of calories consumed.

Thanksgiving is here – the day when Americans eat turkey, pumpkin pie and celebrate everything about US. The day is so popular it has spread to the UK, with traditions adopted across the Atlantic by expats.

When is Thanksgiving 2016?

It is celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November. This year, Thanksgiving falls on Thursday 24 November – and thousands of Americans have already travelled across the US to spend the day with their families and friends.

Thanksgiving has been celebrated on the last Thursday of the month since President Abraham Lincoln's 1863 proclamation.

Thanksgiving by the numbers

48.7 million: The number of Americans who will travel 50 miles or more this Thanksgiving holiday.

1621: The year of the very first Thanksgiving.

Three: The number of days the first Thanksgiving lasted.

46 million: The estimated number of turkeys killed annually for Thanksgiving.

4,500: The number of calories consumed by the average American during a Thanksgiving meal.

3.5 million: How many people will watch the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York.

1924: When the Thanksgiving parade tradition began.

300,000: The cubic feet of helium needed top blow up the parade's 15 large balloons.

50 million: The number of people who will watch the parade on television.

8,000: How many people will participate in the Thanksgiving Day parade.

88: The percentage of Americans that will eat turkey at Thanksgiving.

7.4 million: The number of items sold by Amazon in the UK alone on Black Friday in 2015, which takes place the day after Thanksgiving in the US.

1989: The first year a turkey was officially pardoned by a president, according to the American Presidency Project.

27 million: The number of passengers flying on US airlines during the Thanksgiving period.

When is the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade?

Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade takes centre-stage in New York City, with enormous balloons, a pageant of floats and marching bands. It starts at 9am (local time) on Thursday 24 November and finishes around noon.