Nov 25–268:00 PM
Bakersfield Official Thanksgiving Eve Bar Crawl 2026
Downtown Bakersfield
Thanksgiving Events in Bakersfield 2026
Celebrate Thanksgiving 2026 in Bakersfield with festive dinners, brunches, buffets, Turkey Trots, parades, family-friendly activities, Friendsgiving parties, holiday markets, volunteer opportunities, food drives, cruises, and seasonal events. Whether you're planning a traditional Thanksgiving feast or looking for unique things to do, discover the best Thanksgiving events happening in Bakersfield.
Listings updated
Curated by the AllEvents team, for you
Top Thanksgiving events in Bakersfield
All Thanksgiving events in Bakersfield 2026
On nowFri, Nov 13Wine Me Up
November Happy Scrapsgiving: Junk Journal Event
Join us for Thanksgiving-themed junk journaling & scrapbooking. Bring your journal! Ticket includes a drink and scrappack. 21+ Join us for a fun night out scrapbooking, journaling, or junk journaling. Y
$28.5221+
Sat, Nov 141223 Dolores St
Men's Thanksgiving Celebration
CALLING ALL MEN TO AN AFTERNOON OF FOOD, FUN, AND FREE PRIZES! As an outreach ministry of Saint Martin’s Chapel, our ultimate aim is to equip men with Biblical keys for transforming their anger into faith,
Free
Sat, Nov 14Bootleggers Neighborhood Pub and Eatery
Wild Turkey Bingo - Country Edition
Get ready for a fun day of music, different styles bingo and country music! Wild Turkey Bingo - Country Edition Saturday November 14th, 2026 Bootlegger's - 1345 Allen Rd
$17.85 – $97.88
Sat, Nov 14Oakbranch Saloon, Tehachapi
Friendsgiving Edition Music Bingo Night @ The Oak Branch Saloon Bear Valley
Join us for a Friendsgiving edition is bingo night filled with all your favorite hits from classic to modern 🍂🎶 Good friends, great music, and all the fall vibes! Join Music Bingo Night for a Friendsg
$20 – $81.88Friendsgiving
Wed, Nov 18Northwest Bakersfield
Thanksgiving cookie class
Thanksgiving cookie decorating class 🦃 Wednesday November 18th at 6PM Goodbye Halloween, Hello Thanksgiving Limited seating- use link below to sign up!
Fri, Nov 208100 Westwold Drive
Magnolia Place Senior Living Family Thanksgiving Dinner
GATHER IN GRATITUDE & GIVE THANKS! This Thanksgiving season, we are reminded that life’s greatest blessings are the people we share it with! Magnolia Place Senior Living warmly invites our residents’ families and friends to join us for a special Fam
Dinner & brunch
Fri, Nov 20Graze Craze
Grazegiving: a Thanksgiving Charcuterie Class
Get ready to build your own Thanksgiving charcuterie board and impress your friends with tasty tips and tricks! 🦃 Grazegiving: A Charcuterie Experience! 🧀 Get into the Thanksgiving spirit with Graze Craze Ba
$49.87
Fri, Nov 20Local Craft Beer, Tehachapi
Friendsgiving Edition Music Bingo Night@ Local Craft Brewery Tehachapi
Get ready for the Thanksgiving holiday season with our Friendsgiving Edition playing all of your favorite hits 🍂🦃 Gather your crew—it’s time for Friendsgiving with Music Bingo Night! Join us Friday, N
$20 – $172.57Friendsgiving
Sat, Nov 21Exotiq Strength Society
Thanksgiving Event
Mark your calendars! November 21st from 10AM to 3PM we are hosting our open gym Thanksgiving Event which is also a food drive! Details down below 🤘🏼🦃 #builtdifferent #exotiq #bakersfield #kerncounty #661events
Volunteer
Sat, Nov 212020 G St
3rd Annual Streetsgiving Outreach
A community event serving our neighbors in need. Join us as we provide a warm Thanksgiving meal and share hope, resources, and encouragement with our homeless and local families. What will be provided while supplies last: 1. Free Thanksgiving Meals 2.
Family friendly
Sat, Nov 21600 Coffee Road
TANKSGIVING
Pledge an unbuild and unpainted, valid 40k Monster or Vehicle in the store, earn a special token. Bring a Painted Monster or Vehicle and you earn another token. The only restrictions are that your model has the Monster or Vehicle keyword and is a valid Wa
Sat, Nov 21BottleShock Wine & Brew
Friendsgiving Bingo - MySpace Edition - Delano, Ca
All your favorite jams from the MySpace 2000's era to go with our fun bingo style— come vibe and win big! Friendsgiving Bingo - MySpace Edition - Delano, Ca Saturday November 21st, 2
$17.85 – $87.21Friendsgiving
Sat, Nov 21BottleShock Wine & Brew
Friendsgiving Bingo - Party Rock Edition
All your favorite hip hop, R & B & dance jams to go with our fun bingo style— come vibe and win big! Friendsgiving Bingo - Party Rock Edition Saturday November 21st, 2026
$17.85 – $87.21Friendsgiving
Sun, Nov 22345 Chester Avenue
Praise Center of Bakersfield Annual Thanksgiving Giveaway
A hot personal Thanksgiving meal, winter accessories and new and gently used clothing.
Tue, Nov 24630 California Ave
Church Community Thanksgiving Feed
We will be hosting a Thanksgiving Feed to support our local community. This will be a sit down meal for the first 150 people. Together, let's create a warm and festive atmosphere for everyone to enjoy. Additional details to follow.
Wed, Nov 25114 W. Tehachapi Blvd
Honoring Our Elders Thanksgiving Feast
🍂🦃 Honoring Our Elders Thanksgiving Feast 🦃🍂 A Celebration of Gratitude, Community & Connection Join us at Healthy Hippie – Tehachapi's Spiritual Apothecary for a celebratory Thanksgiving gathering dedicated to honoring the elders of our community.
Dinner & brunch
Wed, Nov 258660 Rosedale Hwy
Low-Key Famous Turkey Day Party @ Chuys Rosedale!!
Need to get away from family and have a drink and rock out? Well we've got you covered. The boys in Low-Key Famous are ready to rock (and party) with you all night long!! It's going to be a blast and fun for all ages!!
Family friendly
Thu, Nov 261702 18th St
Thanksgiving at Padre Hotel
Join us in the Clover Room for a three-course traditional Thanksgiving feast. Seatings are available at 11am, 1pm, 3pm, and 5pm. Reservations required, available by phone or online. Kids menu available for children under 12. A la carte Thanksgiving menu s
Dinner & brunchFamily friendly
Thu, Nov 261900 E Brundage Ln
Thanksgiving with Mercy House- Volunteer
Join us at the BLNC for a Thanksgiving celebration with our guests. We’re looking for volunteers to help serve and donate desserts. Thanksgiving with Mercy House is an in-person vol
FreeVolunteer
Fri, Nov 27Local Craft Beer, Tehachapi
Thanksgiving Edition Music Bingo Night@ Local Craft Brewery Tehachapi
Whether you’re looking to celebrate with your family or escape from the family over Thanksgiving weekend, you should definitely join us 🦃🎶 The turkey’s been served, but we’ve still got another helping of HI
$20 – $172.57
Sat, Nov 283343 Heath Rd
1st Annual Turkey Classic @ Cherry Acres Rc Raceway
🦃🏁 Thanksgiving weekend means race time at Cherry Acres! Join us Saturday, November 28, 2026, for the 1st Annual Turkey Classic at Cherry Acres RC Raceway! After two successful nights at Cherry Acres, John Candy Live is back to run the show! Let’s keep
Thanksgiving table decor and hosting essentials
From the thermometer that saves the turkey to the tablecloth, the kids’ table and a hat for the Turkey Trot. Check delivery dates before you order.
Links go to Amazon. As an Amazon Associate, AllEvents earns from qualifying purchases.
- Host
Instant-read thermometerThe one tool between a dry bird and a juicy oneShop on Amazon - Host
Roasting pan with rackLifts the turkey so it browns all overShop on Amazon - Host
Food warming matEvery side still warm when the last guest sitsShop on Amazon - Guest
Casserole carrierFor the dish you promised to bring, 9×13Shop on Amazon - Table
Thanksgiving tableclothAutumn leaves for the long tableShop on Amazon - Table
Cheesecloth table runnerSoft and gathered, this year’s table lookShop on Amazon - Table
Gratitude conversation cardsSomething to talk about besides the gameShop on Amazon - Kids
Coloring tableclothKeeps the kids’ table busy till pieShop on Amazon - Friendsgiving
Plates and napkins setFor Friendsgiving, and no washing upShop on Amazon - Run
Turkey hatRun the Turkey Trot dressed for dinnerShop on Amazon
Thanksgiving events near Bakersfield
Turkey trots, dinners and parades in the towns nearby
Sat, Nov 14The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Porterville
Porterville Giving Thanks Dinner
FreeDinner & brunch
Tue, Nov 17Coach's Sports Bar & Grill, Rosamond
Friendsgiving Edition Music Bingo Night @ Coach's Sports Bar Rosamond
$20 – $172.57Friendsgiving
Tue, Nov 24465 West Putnam Avenue, Porterville
Fall Blood Drive
Since 1621
The history of Thanksgiving
It began with a harvest. In the autumn of 1621, the Plymouth colonists and their Wampanoag neighbours shared three days of food in a good year. Nobody called it Thanksgiving then. It took two more centuries, a determined editor and a president in the middle of a war to turn it into the day we know: a Thursday in November for family, food and being grateful.
Most of what fills the day now came later. The parade, the football, the morning Turkey Trot and the long table of sides were added by one generation after another, which is why every family’s Thanksgiving looks a little different.
- 1621After their first harvest, the Plymouth colonists hold three days of feasting. Massasoit arrives with about 90 Wampanoag men, who bring five deer.
- 1789George Washington proclaims the first national day of thanksgiving, for Thursday, 26 November.
- 1846–63Sarah Josepha Hale, the magazine editor who wrote “Mary Had a Little Lamb”, writes to five presidents asking for one national day.
- 1863In the middle of the Civil War, Abraham Lincoln makes the last Thursday of November a national Thanksgiving. It has been kept every year since.
- 1896Buffalo runs its first YMCA Turkey Trot, now the oldest footrace held every year in North America — a year older than the Boston Marathon.
- 1924Macy’s holds its first parade in New York, with animals from the Central Park Zoo. The giant balloons arrive in 1927.
- 1934The Detroit Lions play on Thanksgiving for the first time, and football becomes part of the afternoon.
- 1939–41Franklin Roosevelt moves the day a week earlier to lengthen the shopping season. People call it “Franksgiving”, so Congress fixes it for good: the fourth Thursday of November.
- 1957Canada settles on the second Monday of October for its own Thanksgiving, which goes back to 1578.
- 1989George H. W. Bush gives the first formal presidential turkey pardon, now a White House tradition.
Thanksgiving in Bakersfield: frequently asked questions
When are Thanksgiving events in Bakersfield in 2026?
Thanksgiving events in Bakersfield run from Nov 13 to Nov 28, 2026: 24 events.
What is on in Bakersfield on Thanksgiving Day?
3 events are listed for Thursday, November 26, including Turkey Day Run - Holiday Series Run 2 of 3 at The Park at River Walk, Thanksgiving at Padre Hotel and Thanksgiving with Mercy House- Volunteer.
Where can I have Thanksgiving dinner in Bakersfield?
3 dinners, brunches and buffets are listed, including Magnolia Place Senior Living Family Thanksgiving Dinner, Honoring Our Elders Thanksgiving Feast and Thanksgiving at Padre Hotel. Tables go early for the holiday, so book ahead where you can.
Where can I volunteer this Thanksgiving in Bakersfield?
Thanksgiving Event at Exotiq Strength Society and Thanksgiving with Mercy House- Volunteer are looking for helping hands.
Are there free Thanksgiving events in Bakersfield?
Yes: 4 of the 24 listed are free, including Men's Thanksgiving Celebration, Bakersfield Official Thanksgiving Eve Bar Crawl 2026 at Downtown Bakersfield and BELLAKEO REGGAETON IN BAKERSFIELD 18+ PRE THANKSGIVING PARTY FREE W/ RSVP at CLUB 1200 LOUNGE 18+. Tickets for the rest run from $17.85 to $172.57.
What are the best Thanksgiving events in Bakersfield?
The most popular on AllEvents right now are Bakersfield Official Thanksgiving Eve Bar Crawl 2026 at Downtown Bakersfield (Nov 25–26), Turkey Day Run - Holiday Series Run 2 of 3 at The Park at River Walk (Thu, Nov 26) and BELLAKEO REGGAETON IN BAKERSFIELD 18+ PRE THANKSGIVING PARTY FREE W/ RSVP at CLUB 1200 LOUNGE 18+ (Nov 25–26).
Are there Thanksgiving events near Bakersfield?
Yes: 4 more events are listed within reach, in Porterville and Rosamond.
When is Thanksgiving 2026?
In the United States, Thursday, November 26, 2026 — always the fourth Thursday of November. Canada celebrates earlier, on Monday, October 12, the second Monday of October.
What is Friendsgiving?
A Thanksgiving meal shared with friends rather than family, usually on a day near the holiday. Many restaurants and bars host Friendsgiving dinners and parties, so you can skip the cooking.
Do I need to book Thanksgiving dinner in advance?
Yes, as early as you can. Restaurants serving a Thanksgiving menu often fill up a week or more ahead, and many offer a set menu at fixed seatings on the day.