# Holiday Hours on Google Maps for Walk-in Shops Source: https://nextupwalkin.com/blog/holiday-hours-google-business-profile > Set Google Business Profile special hours for Thanksgiving through New Year’s so walk-ins see when you are open and can join from Maps. [Back to blog](https://nextupwalkin.com/blog) Growth # Holiday hours on Google Maps for walk-in shops Thanksgiving is Thursday, November 26, 2026, and the next six weeks are when walk-in customers check Maps before they drive. Wrong hours send them to a locked door. This guide from NextUp Walk-in covers Google Business Profile special hours for the 2026 holidays, where a join-the-line link belongs, and how to keep the door, the site and Maps saying the same thing. [Start free, no card](https://nextupwalkin.com/signup?plan=free&from=holiday-hours-google-business-profile) [See it live](https://app.nextupwalkin.com/s/demo) [Blog](https://nextupwalkin.com/blog) [By Nicholas Chadwick](https://nextupwalkin.com/about)·November 7, 2026· 8 min read ## Why special hours matter for walk-ins **A walk-in customer trusts Maps more than your door sign.** They check the hours from the sidewalk or the car, then drive over. If Maps still shows Tuesday hours on Thanksgiving, they hit a locked door and leave a review about it. Special hours fix that without rewriting your regular week. Google’s own help page on [how to set Special hours](https://support.google.com/business/answer/6303076?hl=en) (checked Nov 7, 2026) is for holidays, events and other short changes of up to six days in a row. Pair this with the floor plan in [the holiday rush plan for walk-in shops](https://nextupwalkin.com/blog/holiday-rush-walk-in-shop-plan). Hours on Maps bring people in; the line, the TV and the door tablet keep the lobby calm once they arrive. 2026 holiday dates to set as Special hours Dec 24 Thursday Christmas Eve Early close and last-call time Dec 25 Friday Christmas Day Closed, unless you truly open Dec 31 Thursday New Year’s Eve Hours, and when the last guest can join Jan 1 Friday New Year’s Day Closed or late open, posted the same day Nov 26 Thursday Thanksgiving Closed, or your real open window Nov 27 Friday Black Friday Extra hours, or the last join time Nov 28 Saturday Small Business Saturday Busy-day hours guests will actually get U.S. calendar for 2026. Google Special hours steps are as described in Google’s help page, checked Nov 7, 2026. ## The 2026 dates to set now **Thanksgiving is Thursday, November 26.** Christmas Day is Friday, December 25. New Year’s Eve is Thursday, December 31. Christmas Eve and New Year’s Day sit next to them, so guests ask about those hours too. Decide every date now, even the ones that match your usual hours. Google’s help page says it is a good idea to confirm hours for official holidays so customers see that the special hours are accurate (as of Nov 7, 2026). Post the same hours on the door and your website the same day you save them in Google Business Profile. Three places, one truth. Example: days before a holiday when shops set hours Hover or tab to a column for the numbers. Example: days before a holiday when shops set hours Shops that already posted hours 21+20 1445 770 385 Day of95 Example only, not measured shop data. Use it as a reminder to set Special hours early, then check your own last-year busy days. ## How to set Special hours **Keep regular hours alone. Add Special hours for each holiday date.** The steps below follow Google’s help page as of Nov 7, 2026; Google’s menus can change, so use the help link if your screen looks different. - **Open your Business Profile** and choose Edit profile, then Hours. - **Next to Special hours, choose Edit.** - **Pick each holiday date** (Review a suggested date, or Add a date). - **Mark Closed,** or uncheck Closed and enter the open and close times guests will get. - **Save,** then search for your shop on a phone and confirm what Maps shows. For special hours to show, Google says your profile must use “Open with main hours,” not a long temporary closure (Google Business Profile Help, Nov 7, 2026). The full setup for categories, photos and reviews is in [Google Business Profile for a walk-in shop](https://nextupwalkin.com/blog/google-business-profile-walk-in-shop). ## Special hours vs temporarily closed **Special hours cover short changes.** Google’s help page limits them to temporary adjustments or closures of up to six consecutive days (checked Nov 7, 2026). If you will be closed for seven or more days in a row, or you do not know when you reopen, Google says to mark the business as [Temporarily closed](https://support.google.com/business/answer/15300196?hl=en) instead. That is the right tool for a long winter break, not a stack of Special hours that stretch past a week. For a single early close on Christmas Eve, Special hours are enough. For a two-week shutdown after New Year’s, use Temporarily closed and turn it off when you reopen. Where the join link goes on your Google profile Special hours One-off holiday dates Set them without changing regular hours Booking link Join or book action, when Google offers it Paste your NextUp Walk-in join URL if the field appears Website Your public page when Booking is not offered Same join URL works here; tap it once a month Posts Short-lived holiday news Name the dates and include the join link Google’s Booking and website fields vary by category and region. Book on Google through the NextUp app is not switched on. ## Put a join-the-line link next to the hours **Hours tell people when you are open. A join link lets them wait without crowding the door.** On a holiday week that is the difference between a full lobby and guests waiting in the car. Copy your public join URL from Get Found Online in the NextUp app dashboard. It follows the same pattern as the live demo at [app.nextupwalkin.com/s/demo](https://app.nextupwalkin.com/s/demo): your own path under /s/ for that location. - **If Google shows a Booking link** for your category and region, paste the join URL there (see Google’s help on [local business links](https://support.google.com/business/answer/6218037?hl=en), checked Nov 7, 2026). - **If Booking is not offered, use the website field** with the same URL. - **Do not promise Book on Google.** Book on Google through the NextUp app is not switched on; the link opens your join page outside Google. - **Tap the link from Maps once a month** and on the day you set holiday hours, so you know it still opens the live wait. Google’s [business links policies](https://support.google.com/business/answer/13769188?hl=en) say the link must lead to a page for that location where the customer can finish the action. Your join page is that page: they see the wait and add a name. 9:41 A guest opens your join link from Maps, sees the live wait and adds a name from the car. The door tablet takes the same line for guests who walk straight in. See it on your own line [Start free, no card](https://nextupwalkin.com/signup?plan=free&from=holiday-hours-google-business-profile) [Start a 14-day trial, or pick Free at sign-up](https://nextupwalkin.com/signup?from=holiday-hours-google-business-profile) Free needs no card: pick it at sign-up. The 14-day trial has every Pro feature, once per business. A card is needed to start, but nothing is charged until the trial ends, when the plan is charged unless you cancel first. ## Match the door, the site and Maps **One wrong listing undoes three correct ones.** If Maps says closed at 4 and the door sign says 6, guests trust Maps and leave early, or they argue at the counter. Count every place that lists your shop: Google, Apple Maps, your site, Instagram and any directory. Fix name, address, phone and holiday hours so they match. The explorer below turns that into a short checklist. A Google Post that names the holiday dates and includes the join link helps people who already follow the listing. Keep it specific: “Closed Thanksgiving, open Friday 9-6, join from the link.” How many listings need fixing? Count the places that show your shop: Google, Apple Maps, Yelp, your site and any directory. Then count how many match your name, address, phone and hours exactly. Places that list your shop**6**Places that match exactly**3**Minutes to fix one listing**15 min** Listings that match 50% 3 of 6 Listings to fix 3 Time to fix them 45 min Matching and mismatched listings - Match - Need fixing Hover or tab to a slice. Matching and mismatched listings Listings Match3 Need fixing3 Example arithmetic on the counts you entered. Fixing the details does not guarantee an assistant names you. It removes conflicting facts it could otherwise read. ## After they join: the lobby still needs a plan **Accurate hours get the visit started. The line keeps it calm.** Guests who join from Maps still need a live wait, a TV that shows who is up, and a door tablet for anyone without a phone. The rush-day routine, wait math and gift-card timing live in [the holiday rush plan](https://nextupwalkin.com/blog/holiday-rush-walk-in-shop-plan). Reviews after a good holiday visit are covered in [how to get more Google reviews from walk-ins](https://nextupwalkin.com/blog/how-to-get-more-google-reviews-walk-in). If the line fills early on a rush day, close new walk-ins in the dashboard rather than letting Maps send more people to a door you cannot serve. Use Special hours when you plan that early close ahead of time. ## How NextUp Walk-in fits Free shows “Powered by NextUp Walk-in” on the check-in page. The Walk-in plan is $29 a month for your first location and includes 3 team members per location. Pro is $59. Every paid plan starts with a 14-day free trial, once per business. A card is needed to start, but nothing is charged until the trial ends, when the plan is charged unless you cancel first. See [Get Found Online](https://nextupwalkin.com/features/get-found-online?from=holiday-hours-google-business-profile), [TV display](https://nextupwalkin.com/features/tv-display?from=holiday-hours-google-business-profile), [door tablet](https://nextupwalkin.com/features/check-in-kiosk?from=holiday-hours-google-business-profile), [barbershops](https://nextupwalkin.com/industries/barbershops?from=holiday-hours-google-business-profile), [hair salons](https://nextupwalkin.com/industries/hair-salons?from=holiday-hours-google-business-profile), [nail salons](https://nextupwalkin.com/industries/nail-salons?from=holiday-hours-google-business-profile), [pricing](https://nextupwalkin.com/pricing?from=holiday-hours-google-business-profile). See it on your own line [Start free, no card](https://nextupwalkin.com/signup?plan=free&from=holiday-hours-google-business-profile) [Start a 14-day trial, or pick Free at sign-up](https://nextupwalkin.com/signup?from=holiday-hours-google-business-profile) Free needs no card: pick it at sign-up. The 14-day trial has every Pro feature, once per business. A card is needed to start, but nothing is charged until the trial ends, when the plan is charged unless you cancel first. [Google and InstagramThe Get Found Online page gives you the link, the QR code and the steps to add your line to Instagram, Google, Apple Maps and Yelp. Customers can see the wait before they drive over.](https://nextupwalkin.com/features/get-found-online?from=holiday-hours-google-business-profile) [TV displayThe live line, on the wall, in your colors. A soft chime, a name said aloud, a full-screen “You’re up!” and the wait on display, so nobody has to ask how long. Plug in an Apple TV or a streaming stick, pair it with a short code, and your waiting room starts talking.](https://nextupwalkin.com/features/tv-display?from=holiday-hours-google-business-profile) [Check-in kioskStand any iPad or Android tablet at the entrance and every walk-in is greeted the moment they arrive. A name, a tap, and they see their place and wait, then the screen clears for the next person. No desk, no clipboard, no QR code to hunt for.](https://nextupwalkin.com/features/check-in-kiosk?from=holiday-hours-google-business-profile) Hours on Maps, a live line one tap away The NextUp app - **A public join page** with the live wait, ready for your profile’s Booking or website field. - **Get Found Online** gives you the link and counts the joins it brings in. - **The lobby TV, door tablet and Staff Screen** are on every plan, Free included. - **Start on Free with no card:** 1 location, 1 team member and 50 check-ins a month. - **Card payments and tips** work on Free at NextUp Walk-in’s card fee. [Start free, no card](https://nextupwalkin.com/signup?plan=free&from=holiday-hours-google-business-profile) [Start a 14-day trial, or pick Free at sign-up](https://nextupwalkin.com/signup?from=holiday-hours-google-business-profile) Free needs no card: pick it at sign-up. The 14-day trial has every Pro feature, once per business. A card is needed to start, but nothing is charged until the trial ends, when the plan is charged unless you cancel first. The lobby TV shows who is up and a QR code to join, the same line your Maps link can open. Demo Barbershop, our public demo line. ## Set the hours before Thanksgiving week Post holiday hours on Maps this week, then put the join link beside them. The line, the TV and the door tablet are on every plan, Free included. Guests who find you on Google can wait anywhere instead of guessing at a locked door. [Start free, no card](https://nextupwalkin.com/signup?plan=free&from=holiday-hours-google-business-profile) [Start a 14-day trial, or pick Free at sign-up](https://nextupwalkin.com/signup?from=holiday-hours-google-business-profile) Free needs no card: pick it at sign-up. The 14-day trial has every Pro feature, once per business. A card is needed to start, but nothing is charged until the trial ends, when the plan is charged unless you cancel first. ## Questions ### When should I set holiday hours on Google Business Profile? Now. Add Special hours for Thanksgiving (Nov 26, 2026), Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day, even when a date matches your usual hours. Confirm what Maps shows on a phone the same day. ### Should I change my regular hours for the holidays? No. Use Special hours for short holiday changes so your regular week stays intact. Google’s help page (checked Nov 7, 2026) covers Special hours for holidays and other brief changes of up to six days in a row. For seven or more days closed, use Temporarily closed. ### Where do I put my NextUp Walk-in join link on Google? If your category and region show a Booking link, paste the join URL there. Otherwise use the website field. Book on Google through the NextUp app is not switched on, so the link opens your join page outside Google. ### Does my Google profile show the live wait from the NextUp app? No. The profile shows your hours and can link to your join page. The join page shows the live wait and lets guests add their name. ### Can I do this on the Free plan? Yes for the line and screens. The join page, lobby TV, door tablet and Staff Screen are on every plan, Free included. Free covers 1 location, 1 team member and 50 check-ins a month. A busy holiday week with several chairs usually needs a paid plan; every paid plan starts with a 14-day free trial. [Nicholas Chadwick](https://nextupwalkin.com/about)Founder, NextUp Walk-in Founder of NextUp Walk-in and a software engineer with 20 years of building systems that have to work under pressure. ## Ready to try it? NextUp Walk-in is a walk-in queue for barbershops, salons, restaurants, and service shops. Customers join from the phone they already have. No app required. The trial is 14 days, with every Pro feature. [Start your free trial](https://nextupwalkin.com/signup) [See how it works](https://nextupwalkin.com/product) [Back to blog](https://nextupwalkin.com/blog)