All American Thanksgiving Events and Celebrations

FTF’s A-Z guide to local festivals and Thanksgiving events, from traditional eats to marathons, is your Thanksgiving recipe for fun.

Did you know Thanksgiving, the quintessential American holiday, was first celebrated in 1621? Pilgrim settlers from Europe gave thanks for the bountiful harvest that would see them through the long winter. Throughout the years, we have continued the tradition by enjoying feasts with family and friends, acknowledging our gifts, and connecting with those who sustain us.

Why worry about testing fresh Thanksgiving recipes when there are so many fun activities outside in the leadup to the big day? Please note that many of the indigenous peoples’ celebrations over the Thanksgiving weekend have been cancelled due to public health concerns. With that in mind, here is a glimpse of some celebrations returning in person this year throughout the US.

Washington Thanksgiving Events

Run off all those extra holiday calories by entering the Seattle Marathon held the Sunday of Thanksgiving weekend. A fun Kids Marathon is held on Saturday and, this year, there will be both in-person and virtual options for kids. A full Marathon and Half Marathon will have their own courses, each with scenic views of the city and surrounding waterways. Visit Seattle Marathon for more information.

Virginia Thanksgiving Events

Charles City, Virginia lays claim to hosting the very first Thanksgiving in the nation’s history, at Berkeley Plantation on December 4, 1619. It was President Lincoln who declared that it should be celebrated on the fourth Thursday in November.

Over Thanksgiving weekend, “The Foods and Feasts of Colonial Virginia” will be presented at both Jamestown Settlement and the American Revolution Museum at Yorktown. Food will be the focus — how it was gathered, prepared and preserved by the colonists and the Powhatan Indians. For more information on this fascinating Thanksgiving event, visit the Virginia Tourism site.

Vermont Thanksgiving Events

In New England, Thanksgiving honored farming, family and religion. The original holiday recalled the feast that the Pilgrims and their Wampanoag neighbors enjoyed following suffering and famine.  Visit the Billings Farm & Museum in Woodstock, Vermont. A working dairy farm and living museum ca. 1890’s, Billings is a flurry of activity over the three-day holiday weekend.

Explore the farm manager’s family living quarters. Learn all about the observance of Thankgsgiving, the preparation of the holiday meal, and the emphasis on harvesting crops. Then, watch a cider pressing and a milking demonstration, get a pie-baking lesson, and top it off with a horse-drawn wagon ride. There are plenty of activities for families of all ages. Visit Billings Farm for details.

Texas Thanksgiving Events

The Lone Star state’s November star is Houston, where the 74th Annual H-E-B Holiday Parade will be roaring south on Milam while up to 200,000 spectators line the route on lawnchairs and blankets. For those who don’t know, H-E-B is Texans’ favorite supermarket chain, founded and still run by a charitable and much loved family.

Houston’s Thanksgiving Day Parade began in 1949 with the arrival of Santa at Union Station. Watch as fantastic floats, colorful marching bands, high-flying balloons and other uniquely Houston entries such as cheerleaders and costumed characters pass by. For more information, visit Houston on Parade.

Pennsylvania Thanksgiving Events

Philadelphia, the birthplace of America, is also the original home of the Thanksgiving Day Parade. Now it’s more than a century tradition. Philly’s 1.4-mile parade will kick-off at 20th Street and JFK Boulevard and proceed to the Benjamin Franklin Parkway. Look for live entertainment, marching bands and favorite characters Mr. Potato Head, Strawberry Shortcake, Smurfette and more. Santa makes his first appearance of the holiday season. See Visit Philadelphia for more information on holiday events.

New York Thanksgiving Events

It’s time for turkeys, football and our annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade where-to-watch-it guide. This famous parade combines animation, artistry, 2,000 performers and technical know-how. For many, the Giant Balloon Inflation from noon-6pm on the day before Thanksgiving, is the most fun of all. Enter the restricted areas surrounding the Museum of Natural History on Columbus Avenue and 72nd Street. This year’s 25 huge balloons are inflated on the streets around the American Museum of Natural History.

Keep your eyes open for Pokeman’s Pikachu with Eevee, Grogu from “The Mandalorian” and, yes, a giant acorn marching. Families also love the floats in addition to musical guests, marching bands, celebrities, and Broadway shows. A tradition since 1924 (with no change in sponsorship), the parade kicks off at 8:30am at Central Park West and 77th Street and heads south to Macy’s Herald Square. By the way, Macy’s was the first department store to feature Christmas window displays (1870s) and they’ll be open the week before Thanksgiving. Macy’s Parade for information.

Enjoy a great Thanksgiving dinner, but try to leave some room for The Annual Post-Thanksgiving “Original Multi-Ethnic Eating Tour” sponsored by Big Onion Walking Tours on the Friday after Thanksgiving. Meet in front of the fabulous new Essex Market on the Lower East Side. Tour by foot and sample tasty treats from this melting pot of a neighborhood, including 10 different noshes (snacks) from the Dominican, Jewish, Italian and Chinese communities. Reservations required; pick up a package of Alka Seltzer to carry with you.

Michigan Thanksgiving Events

Detroit leads the state with its 97th annual America’s Thanksgiving Parade. This beloved tradition begins at 8:50am at Woodward Avenue and Kirby. The parade, which dates back to 1924, celebrates with a new theme each season and draws hundreds of thousands of spectators and 1,500 volunteers.

The family will enjoy a backstage tour of how the 75 parade floats are designed, where the costumes come from, and how it’s all organized. Visit the Parade Company Studio Tours website to book ahead for a Paradeland group tour at your convenience. Advance reservations, face masks and social distancing are required. There are also a variety of Turkey Trots: 10K, 5K, 1 mile events to run off that food.

Massachusetts Thanksgiving Events

Massachusetts is, remember, where it all began, so this state gets two listings. Old Sturbridge Village features a variety of demonstrations, performances, and hands-on activities through Nov. 28; closed Thanksgiving Day. To mark this special holiday in New England, Old Sturbridge Village launches their Christmas by Candlelight event on the Friday after Thanksgiving. Enjoy various activities which might include cooking at the hearth, traditional baking and demonstrations of 19th-century table manners. Hear the minister talk about the true meaning of the holidays in the Village’s historic Center Meetinghouse. Special programs run on select days through New Year’s Eve.

During the weekend before Thanksgiving, Plymouth, Massachusetts hosts its 27th annual celebratory parade. Many families want to see the site of the First Thanksgiving with their own eyes, so you can see it in-person Nov. 18, 2023 or watch the broadcast Thanksgiving event live in 25 TV markets. Admire how the original Thanksgiving event is brought to life by re-enactors dressed as pilgrims, Native Americans, soldiers, patriots and pioneers. Real life visitors should take tours of the waterfront, participate in the candlelighting ceremony, attend a Drum and Bugle Corps Concert, shop the craft village and more.

Illinois Thanksgiving Events

Home to the annual Turkey Trot, Chicago is alive with the spirit of Thanksgiving and charity. About 5,000 runners join this race (in the 45th annual race November 23, 2023, there is a choice of a 5k or 8k course) to help collect food for the less fortunate.

In years past, the Turkey Trot has collected 10,000 pounds of food! The Turkey Tailgate Zone offers pre and post-race fun for the entire family. Enjoy pre and post-race activities like Corn Hole, Football Toss, and more while sipping on warm apple cider.

California Thanksgiving Events

For decades, a famous Native American festival of dance, music, arts and food has been at the heart of the annual Indio Powwow. The celebration of the Cabazon Band of Mission Indians traditionally takes place over Thanksgiving weekend. This semi-annual three-day event (Nov. 24-26, 2023) hosts tribes from throughout the US and Canada who perform in full ceremonial dress.

Don’t miss the Native dancing and singing competitions, divided by age groups. Plus, guests sample Native American foods like Indian fry bread, and purchase jewelry, weavings, dream catchers and other craft items. Don’t miss the chance to learn more about the ancient Cahuilla people as the Cabazon Cultural Museum remains open Monday to Fridays.

Alabama Thanksgiving Events

The Poarch Creek Indians have welcomed visitors to their Thanksgiving Intertribal Powwow in Atmore (near Mobile, Alabama) for 51 years. This is another popular indigenous peoples’ Thanksgiving event, celebrated this year Nov. 23-24.

Past festivities included native dance and drum competitions and performances, the crowning of the Poarch Creek Indian Princess, crafts displays, cultural events and school presentations. Come hungry, because they make fresh barbeque, bison burgers, ham, chicken and corn for sale during the Powwow and will be serving a more traditional Thanksgiving dinner.

And we wish everyone a happy holiday filled with gratitude and plenty.