Thanksgiving in Boston: Turkey Trot, Dinner and Holiday Lights

At a glance

• Where: Boston, Massachusetts: Dorchester, Back Bay, the Seaport, Beacon Hill and Downtown
• When: Thanksgiving Day is the fourth Thursday of November; the holiday season opens that weekend
• Morning race: Franklin Park Turkey Trot, usually Thanksgiving morning at 9:00 a.m.
• Cost: Free to watch the lightings; dinners and races charge, so check each official site

Thanksgiving in Boston is a Thursday-morning 5K in Dorchester, a sit-down or take-home dinner at a hotel or restaurant that publishes its holiday plans, and a long weekend that switches on the city's tree lights. Most museums and the Central Library close on the day itself, so plan around that. This guide groups the plan by when things happen: Thursday morning, the meal, the long weekend, and ways to give back.

One honest note first: we could not confirm an official Thanksgiving Day parade held inside the city of Boston, so there isn't one on this list. The morning belongs to the turkey trot instead.

How we chose

Every pick below is inside the city of Boston and was checked against its own official site or the City of Boston's calendar. We left out anything we could only find on a news site or a third-party listing, including a Brighton turkey trot whose official page still showed an older edition. Dates, prices and times for this year sit in one section near the end. Everything else describes what returns each year and its usual timing, so check the official site before you go.

Thursday morning: where can you run a turkey trot in Boston?

The Franklin Park Turkey Trot is the Boston race to know, and it usually starts at 9:00 a.m. on Thanksgiving morning.

1. Franklin Park Turkey Trot, Dorchester

The race is run by the Franklin Park Coalition and starts at the Franklin Park Golf Clubhouse, 1 Circuit Drive, in Dorchester. It is a 5K, and the Coalition says it began in 2013. Sign up ahead on the official site. Franklin Park is a short ride from Roxbury, Jamaica Plain and Dorchester, so plan a ride-share or an early MBTA check, since holiday service is posted close to the day.

Our tip: finish, then walk the park's paths while your legs still work. You will be fed in a few hours.

The meal: which Boston restaurants confirm Thanksgiving dinner or take-home?

These places state a Thanksgiving offer on their own sites. Reserve early, because Thanksgiving tables go first.

2. Four Seasons Hotel One Dalton Street, Back Bay

The hotel at 1 Dalton Street, in Back Bay, has published a Thanksgiving buffet in its third-floor Beacon Ballroom, plus a take-home dinner called Thanksgiving at Home that feeds a table of four to six. Order the take-home version well ahead, because pickup is by advance order.

3. CLINK. at the Liberty Hotel, Beacon Hill

CLINK. sits inside the Liberty Hotel at 215 Charles Street, the former Charles Street Jail. Its official page offers a Thanksgiving holiday menu through Resy and a Take & Bake meal with a whole turkey, sides, rolls and desserts, ordered in advance. The jail setting is the conversation piece. Read more about Beacon Hill before you go.

4. Davio's Seaport, Seaport District

Davio's Seaport, at 26 Fan Pier in Boston's Seaport District, posts a Thanksgiving dinner on its Seaport page, built around free-range turkey, and mentions to-go sandwiches for the next day. If you want the harbor view with your plate, this is the one. See the Seaport District for the walk afterward.

5. Abe & Louie's, Back Bay

Abe & Louie's, the steakhouse at 793 Boylston Street in Boston's Back Bay, promotes Thanksgiving dinner on its official site with online reservations, and frames the meal as its usual steakhouse cooking rather than a separate buffet. Call or book online for the current menu, because the site doesn't print it.

6. Maple & Ash, Seaport District

Maple & Ash, at 131 Seaport Boulevard, lists special Thanksgiving hours on its Boston page, early afternoon into the evening. The page doesn't print a holiday menu or price, so call before you commit.

For everyday restaurants beyond the holiday, see our guide to where to eat in Boston.

The long weekend: what opens the holiday season in Boston?

The lights come on across Boston over the Thanksgiving weekend and the days after it.

7. Faneuil Hall Marketplace tree lighting, Downtown

Faneuil Hall Marketplace bills an annual holiday tree lighting, usually on the weekend before Thanksgiving, and a holiday market that opens in late November. The marketplace sits on the Freedom Trail in Downtown.

8. Boston Common Tree Lighting, Downtown

The City of Boston's Boston Common Tree Lighting usually happens in early December near the Visitor Information Center at 139 Tremont Street. The tree is a gift from the Province of Nova Scotia, according to the City of Boston: a thank-you for the relief Boston sent after a munitions ship exploded in Halifax Harbor on December 6, 1917, when a relief train left Boston within 24 hours. More than a century later, Nova Scotia is still saying thanks with a tree. It is free to attend.

9. Commonwealth Avenue Mall lighting, Back Bay

Right after the Common ceremony, the Commonwealth Avenue Mall lighting switches on the trees between Arlington Street and Charlesgate. You can catch both in one evening if you walk straight over.

10. Copley Square tree lighting, Back Bay

The Copley Square tree lighting is a short outdoor ceremony in Copley Square, 560 Boylston Street in Back Bay, opposite the Boston Public Library.

11. The Nutcracker at Boston Ballet

Boston Ballet's The Nutcracker opens at the Citizens Opera House in Downtown Boston around Thanksgiving weekend and runs through the holidays. It is ticketed, sold only through Boston Ballet.

How can you volunteer or give back in Boston?

Several Boston charities take help or donations over Thanksgiving. Sign-up spots fill quickly, so start with each organization's volunteer page.

12. Greater Boston Food Bank, Dorchester

The Greater Boston Food Bank at 70 South Bay Avenue runs a holiday campaign called Hunger Free Holidays and lists volunteering, fundraising and donating on its official site.

13. Community Servings, Jamaica Plain

Community Servings, 179 Amory Street, runs a Thanksgiving pie promotion: buying a locally baked pie funds a week of meals for a neighbor in need, according to its official site. It is a rare chance to feed a stranger with your dessert order.

14. Rosie's Place, South End

Rosie's Place at 889 Harrison Avenue in Boston's South End has holiday ways-to-give pages and a separate volunteer page. See Rosie's Place for current needs.

15. Pine Street Inn, South End

Pine Street Inn, 444 Harrison Avenue, lists volunteering and donating of goods on its official site. Call 617-892-9100 for current needs.

What is open and closed on Thanksgiving Day in Boston?

Most museums close on Thursday, and the Central Library does too. Here is what the official sites say.

• Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, 465 Huntington Avenue, lists Thanksgiving as a closure day.
• Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, 25 Evans Way, is closed Thanksgiving Day.
• Boston Public Library, Central Library, 700 Boylston Street, is closed on Thanksgiving Day and open the day before.
• MBTA holiday service is posted close to the day at mbta.com/holidays. Check it before any ride.

This year's dates

Thanksgiving Day this year is Thursday, November 26, 2026. All dates below come from official sites.

• Franklin Park Turkey Trot: Thursday, November 26, 9:00 a.m.
• Davio's Seaport: Thanksgiving dinner Thursday, November 26, 11:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. The official page lists $85 per adult and $40 per child under 12.
• Four Seasons One Dalton Street: buffet Thursday, November 26, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., $249 per adult and $85 per child under 12. The take-home dinner for four to six is $649, picked up November 26, 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
• CLINK.: holiday menu on Resy for November 26. The Take & Bake meal is $550 and serves six to ten.
• Maple & Ash: Thanksgiving hours November 26, 1 p.m. to 7 p.m.
• Faneuil Hall Marketplace tree lighting: Saturday, November 21, 2 p.m. to 6 p.m.
• Copley Square tree lighting: Monday, November 30, 5 p.m. to 6 p.m.
• Boston Common Tree Lighting: Thursday, December 3, 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
• Commonwealth Avenue Mall lighting: Thursday, December 3, about 8 p.m.
• Boston Ballet, The Nutcracker: runs November 27 through December 31.

Save this: a Thanksgiving week checklist

1. Book your table or order take-home as early as you can.
2. Register for the Franklin Park Turkey Trot.
3. Check mbta.com/holidays for Thursday service.
4. Plan your museum day for Wednesday or Friday.
5. Pick one tree lighting and one volunteer or giving action.
6. Look at our guide to annual events in Boston and free things to do for the weekend.

Last verified: November 2026.

Frequently asked questions

Is there a Thanksgiving parade in Boston?

We could not confirm an official Thanksgiving Day parade inside the city of Boston. The usual Thursday-morning tradition is the Franklin Park Turkey Trot in Dorchester.

Where is the Boston turkey trot?

The Franklin Park Turkey Trot starts at the Franklin Park Golf Clubhouse, 1 Circuit Drive, in Dorchester, usually at 9:00 a.m. on Thanksgiving morning. Register through the Franklin Park Coalition.

Which Boston restaurants serve Thanksgiving dinner?

Davio's Seaport, Four Seasons One Dalton Street, CLINK. at the Liberty Hotel and Maple & Ash all publish Thanksgiving offers on their own sites. Reserve early.

Can I get a take-home Thanksgiving meal in Boston?

Yes. Four Seasons One Dalton Street offers a take-home dinner for four to six, and CLINK. at the Liberty Hotel offers a Take & Bake meal. Both are ordered in advance.

Are Boston museums open on Thanksgiving?

The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston and the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum are closed on Thanksgiving Day, and so is the Boston Public Library Central Library.

When is the Boston Common tree lighting?

It usually happens in early December. This year it is Thursday, December 3, 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., according to the City of Boston.