When is Black Friday 2016?

Black Friday 2015 might not seem like that long ago to some, but think again because Black Friday 2016 is fast approaching!

This year the mega discount day falls on Friday 25 November in the UK.

Get the best deals on Black Friday

What is Black Friday?

What was previously a solely American event crossed to our shores for the first time in 2010 and really took off in 2014.

Black Friday started in the United States in the 1950s and 1960s and it always falls on the first Friday before Thanksgiving, usually around four weeks before Christmas.

The event sees major discounts in high street shops, supermarkets and online.

It's a great time to buy high price items and pick up presents for Christmas.

While Black Friday sales used to be confined to the day itself, in the past few years more and more outlets and online shops have been releasing deals from the previous Monday - giving shoppers a whole week of savings.

Watch the Amazon warehouse prepare for Black Friday

What happened last year?

Last year a staggering 1.4 million people went into debt to buy something on Black Friday and the average spend on Black Friday in store was £41 and £92 online.

Shoppers in the UK spent £1.1 billion last year on Black Friday with a staggering total of £3.3 billion being spent over the course of the weekend.

In 2014 the event got so out of hand that police were called to some supermarkets in the UK to control the crowds and three people were arrested.

Xavier Garambois, vice-president of EU retail at Amazon, told the BBC: "The public's appetite for Black Friday has been bigger than ever, kicking off the Christmas shopping period in earnest and establishing Black Friday as a fixture on the UK Christmas shopping calendar."

Keep up to date with all things Black Friday on our dedicated Aol Money page here.