Thanksgiving in Los Angeles: Turkey Trot, Parade and Where to Eat

At a glance

• Where: Mostly downtown Los Angeles, Hollywood and the Fairfax area
• Usual timing: Thanksgiving is the fourth Thursday of November; the Hollywood Christmas Parade is the Sunday after
• Cost: Turkey trot and tree lightings vary; the parade, Auto Show and Zoo Lights have their own ticket rules. Check each official site
• Plan ahead: Book tickets and volunteer shifts early; many sites list no Thanksgiving Day hours, so call

The Thanksgiving plan in Los Angeles runs in three parts: a Thursday-morning turkey trot through downtown Los Angeles that finishes at Grand Park and raises money for The Midnight Mission, a dinner you book (or pick up) ahead of time, and a long weekend that opens the holiday season with tree lightings, Zoo Lights and the Hollywood Christmas Parade. This guide groups the picks by when they happen and tells you what is confirmed on each official site and what you need to phone about.

Los Angeles does not run one giant Thanksgiving Day parade. The big parade belongs to the Sunday after, in Hollywood. Thursday morning belongs to the run and to the people serving meals on Skid Row.

How we chose

Every pick below was checked against its own official site or official social page in November 2026 and sits inside the City of Los Angeles. We left out places that are outside the city limits and anything we could not confirm is open. Where an official page gives no Thanksgiving Day hours, we say so instead of guessing. Hours and ticket rules change, so treat anything marked typical as a starting point.

Where do you go on Thanksgiving morning?

The morning pick is the downtown Turkey Trot, which finishes at Grand Park; the other four morning picks are ways to give time or help instead of racing.

1. Turkey Trot Los Angeles (Civic Center, downtown)

Turkey Trot Los Angeles is a Thanksgiving Day run and walk in downtown Los Angeles with 5K and 10K options, a kids' Widdle Wobble and a one-mile Dog Jog. Its route, per its official site, passes Walt Disney Concert Hall and finishes at Grand Park for a post-race festival. It benefits The Midnight Mission, which serves meals to people experiencing homelessness on Skid Row. Race-day packet pickup typically opens at 6:00 AM, and the site strongly recommends picking up early; register at turkeytrot.la. The official page does not list a race start time, so confirm it before you set an alarm.

Our take: you finish a few blocks from Downtown LA restaurants and in time to be home for dinner.

2. Midnight Mission Thanksgiving Street Festival (Skid Row, downtown)

The Midnight Mission, at 601 San Pedro Street on Skid Row in downtown Los Angeles, holds a Thanksgiving Street Festival with warm meals and live music, and says it serves more than 2,500 Thanksgiving meals with hundreds of volunteers. Volunteers sign up through the portal on its volunteer page. The site lists no meal times for the day, so call (213) 624-9258 to confirm your shift.

3. Union Rescue Mission (Skid Row, downtown)

Union Rescue Mission, at 545 S. San Pedro Street, takes volunteers year-round through an online Volunteer Portal at urm.org. Everyone registers individually and groups of three or more email the group contact. Serving a meal is open to volunteers 14 and older, with a parent present for anyone under 18; other roles start at 16 or 18. Its site has no Thanksgiving-specific page, so call (213) 347-6300 about holiday-day shifts.

4. Los Angeles Mission (downtown)

Los Angeles Mission, at 303 E 5th Street, handles volunteers through VolunteerHub at losangelesmission.org with a one-time orientation. Volunteers must be 16 or older, and groups of 10 or more should contact the volunteer office listed on the site. Thanksgiving plans are not listed online, so phone before you go.

5. Los Angeles Regional Food Bank (South Los Angeles)

The Los Angeles Regional Food Bank, at 1734 East 41st Street in Los Angeles, runs volunteer shifts for people 14 and older, booked online through the sign-up link at lafoodbank.org. It allows no walk-ins, so book before the holiday week fills. If Thursday is spoken for, a weekday shift the week before still helps.

Where do you eat on Thanksgiving?

Book early and phone to confirm, because the official sites we checked for the classic Los Angeles restaurants do not publish Thanksgiving Day hours. That is the honest state of things, and it is the main local tip: this city decides its holiday hours by phone and Instagram.

6. Philippe The Original (Chinatown)

Philippe The Original, at 1001 N Alameda Street in Chinatown, lists itself as open daily from 6 am to 10 pm, and turkey is one of its French dipped sandwich options. Its site shows no holiday hours, so call (213) 628-3781 to see whether Thanksgiving Day follows the usual schedule. If you want a turkey sandwich instead of a full roast, this is the classic Los Angeles answer.

7. Musso & Frank Grill (Hollywood)

Musso & Frank Grill, at 6667 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, lists dinner Tuesday to Saturday from 5 pm and Sunday from 4 pm, with reservations through OpenTable. Its site does not mention Thanksgiving, so call (323) 467-7788. Thanksgiving falls on a Thursday, which fits its usual dinner days.

8. Grand Central Market (Historic Core, downtown)

Grand Central Market, at 317 S. Broadway, is open daily from 8 am to 9 pm per its site, with each vendor setting its own hours. No Thanksgiving Day hours are published, so check the market's Instagram on the day. It is a good fallback for a walk-up meal after the trot.

For more on regular dining, see where to eat in Los Angeles.

What opens the holiday season on the long weekend?

The long weekend is when Los Angeles switches on its lights, and most of these happen on fixed, repeating weekends.

9. LA Auto Show (Los Angeles Convention Center, downtown)

The LA Auto Show fills the Los Angeles Convention Center, with the South Hall at Pico Boulevard and Figueroa Street, and its official Know Before You Go page lists it open on Thanksgiving Day itself, 9 AM to 4 PM, subject to change. Tickets are sold online only, in advance, with no onsite sales. It is the one big indoor attraction we confirmed running on the holiday, which makes it a rainy-day or relatives-in-town plan. See laautoshow.com.

10. Union Station tree lighting (downtown)

Los Angeles Union Station, at 800 N. Alameda Street in downtown Los Angeles, hosts an annual evening tree lighting ceremony in its historic Ticket Concourse about a week before Thanksgiving; this year's date is below. The station itself is typically open 4 am to 1 am daily. See unionstationla.com.

11. The Grove tree lighting (Fairfax)

The Grove, at 189 The Grove Drive in the Fairfax district of Los Angeles, holds an annual Christmas at The Grove tree lighting in the run-up to Thanksgiving. The events page posts no start time, so check thegrovela.com closer to the day; The Grove's listed hours say nothing about Thanksgiving Day itself.

12. Los Angeles Zoo Lights (Griffith Park)

L.A. Zoo Lights: Animals Aglow at the Los Angeles Zoo, 5333 Zoo Drive in Griffith Park, runs on select evenings from late November into January. The official page lists it closed on Thanksgiving Day itself, so go the night after instead; the box office is typically 5:45 to 8:45 PM on event days. See lazoo.org.

13. Hollywood Christmas Parade (Hollywood)

The Hollywood Christmas Parade usually rolls through Hollywood, Los Angeles, on the Sunday after Thanksgiving, and it has been going since 1928: nearly a century of Santa on Hollywood's streets. Toys for Tots is its official main charity. The official site at thehollywoodchristmasparade.org carries separate Road Closures and Getting There pages. The home page shows no start time, so check it for the route and timing. Read the road-closure page before you drive. For more recurring events, see annual events in Los Angeles.

This year's dates

Thanksgiving Day 2026 is Thursday, November 26. The dates below come from each official site and may change.

• Turkey Trot Los Angeles (14th annual): Thursday, November 26, 2026; race-day packet pickup opens 6:00 AM.
• LA Auto Show: November 20 to 29, 2026, open Thanksgiving Day 9 AM to 4 PM.
• Union Station tree lighting (11th annual): Thursday, November 19, 2026, 6:00 to 8:00 PM.
• The Grove tree lighting (25th annual): Monday, November 16, 2026.
• L.A. Zoo Lights: November 20, 2026 to January 10, 2027, closed November 26 and November 30.
• Hollywood Christmas Parade (94th): Sunday, November 29, 2026.

What is open and closed on the day?

Expect closures you do not know about until you arrive, so plan around what is confirmed. The official Griffith Observatory site is silent on Thanksgiving and says it is closed Mondays, so phone first. The Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) lists Thursday hours of 11 AM to 6 PM but no holiday notice, so call (323) 857-6000. The Getty Center's holiday status could not be confirmed from its official page. Los Angeles Metro bus timetables state that the Saturday, Sunday and Holiday schedule runs on Thanksgiving Day, so expect weekend frequency and check metro.net for your line before you ride. Zoo Lights is closed; the Auto Show is open.

Save this: the Thanksgiving week checklist

1. Register for the Turkey Trot at turkeytrot.la and confirm the start time.
2. Book volunteer shifts online with the Midnight Mission, Union Rescue Mission, Los Angeles Mission or the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank.
3. Call your restaurant for Thanksgiving Day hours; do not rely on regular hours.
4. Buy Auto Show tickets online ahead; there are no onsite sales.
5. Ride Metro on its weekend schedule, and go to Zoo Lights the night after, not Thursday.
6. Read the Hollywood Christmas Parade road closures before Sunday.
7. Check the weather before an outdoor evening, and see events this weekend for anything added.

Travelling with kids? See a family day in Los Angeles, and for budget ideas try free things to do in Los Angeles.

Last verified: November 2026.

Frequently asked questions

Is there a Thanksgiving Day parade in Los Angeles?

The big holiday parade is the Hollywood Christmas Parade, held the Sunday after Thanksgiving. The 2026 edition is Sunday, November 29, per its official site. Thanksgiving morning itself belongs to the Turkey Trot downtown.

Where is the Los Angeles turkey trot?

Turkey Trot Los Angeles runs through downtown Los Angeles on Thanksgiving Day, passing Walt Disney Concert Hall and finishing at Grand Park, per its official site. It benefits The Midnight Mission.

How can I volunteer in Los Angeles on Thanksgiving?

The Midnight Mission, Union Rescue Mission, Los Angeles Mission and the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank all take volunteers through their official sites. The Midnight Mission holds a Thanksgiving Street Festival on Skid Row. None lists Thanksgiving shift times online, so book early and call to confirm.

What is open on Thanksgiving Day in Los Angeles?

The LA Auto Show lists Thanksgiving Day hours of 9 AM to 4 PM in 2026, and Los Angeles Metro runs its Saturday, Sunday and Holiday schedule. L.A. Zoo Lights is closed that day. Most restaurants and museums publish no holiday hours online, so phone ahead.

When do Los Angeles tree lightings happen?

The Grove and Los Angeles Union Station both hold tree lightings the week before Thanksgiving. In 2026 those are November 16 and November 19 respectively, per their official sites.