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Thanksgiving Events in Columbus 2026

Celebrate Thanksgiving 2026 in Columbus 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 Columbus.

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You’re warmly invited

to

ThanksgivingDinner

Date
Thursday, November 26
Time
4:00 PM

“Come hungry and bring your stories. There’s always room at our table.”

With love,Your name

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Top Thanksgiving events in Columbus

All Thanksgiving events in Columbus 2026

On now

May 25 – Nov 11London Public Library 20 E 1st Street, London, OH, United States, Ohio 43140171 days

Closed for the Holiday

London Public Library will be closed for the following holiday observances in 2026: January 1: New Year's Day January 19: Martin Luther King, Jr. Day February 16: Presidents' Day May 25: Memorial Day June 19: Juneteenth July 3-4: Independence Day Septemb

12:00 AM

Tue, Nov 3Lani Rooftop Lounge, Powell

COhatch Cork Club: Inaugural Tasting

Kick off the COhatch Cork Club! Join us for a curated Thanksgiving wine tasting with our Heidelberg representative Lexie. With Thanksgiving just around the corner, take the guesswork out of your holiday hos

6:00 PM

Free

Thu, Nov 5JoyHouse Coffee, Circleville

Food drive and card making night!

Join us at Joyhouse Coffee for a fun night of card making! Bring a friend, sip on some delicious drinks and create encouraging cards for the bags. Bring a single serve pop top Chef Boyardee dinner to be entered into a drawing for a prize! Each can earns y

6:00 PM

Dinner & brunchVolunteer

Sat, Nov 7Combustion Brewery & Taproom - Clintonville

Cranksgiving Columbus 2026

Please join us for the Columbus edition of Cranksgiving, a food drive on two wheels! This is a free event for anyone with a bike and a desire to do good. Show up on two wheels, and we’ll hand you a list of Thanksgiving food items to purchase for the Clint

10:00 AM

VolunteerFamily friendly

Sun, Nov 85860 Cheshire Rd, Galena

65th Annual Turkey Dinner Event!

Do you love a good, homemade Thanksgiving Meal with Turkey, the side dishes and great desserts? Well join us Sunday, November 8th as Rural Chapel does what we do best - serve up great food and community! Dine-in or carry-out available to purchase. Adu

11:00 AM

Dinner & brunchFamily friendly

Sun, Nov 8L&S Kitchen & Lounge, Lewis Center

WIFE SOCIAL 2026 (WifeGiving 🦃)

Dear Mrs…. 💍 Please join us for dinner WHAT TO EXPECT: ✍🏽 ▪️Brunch/Dinner at a local restaurant in the Columbus area. ▪️Brunch/Dinner with others wives ▪️Brunch/Dinner is self-pay ▪️Brunch/Dinner are themed for the season ▪️Brunch/Dinner dates are o

1:00 PM

Dinner & brunch

Mon, Nov 9BrewDog New Albany

Kids' Watercolor Class -Funny Thanksgiving Turkey!

Join us for a fun kids’ watercolor class! Paint a silly Thanksgiving turkey, explore your creativity, and take home your own masterpiece! 🎨 Kids’ Watercolor Art Class – Funny Thanksgiving Tu

6:00 PM

$28.52Family friendly

Tue, Nov 10711 N High St

Friendsgiving with the Elite Division of Lower Mortgage

Good company. Grateful hearts. So many reasons to gather. 🍂 Before the holiday calendars fill up, join **The Elite Division of Lower Mortgage** for a Friendsgiving celebration with the people who make this real estate community so special. Our relations

2:00 PM

Friendsgiving

Tue, Nov 10The Clocktower Kitchen + Bar, Plain City

MySOMM + Chef's Table Wine Dinner: Friendsgiving with Gregory James Wines

A special Friendsgiving dinner... with our friend Claire Smith from Gregory James Wines (Sonoma-Napa). Join Chef's Table and MySOMM for a five-course Friendsgiving-themed wine dinner with special guest Clai

6:30 PM

$130Dinner & brunchFriendsgiving

Tue, Nov 10Pink Cricket, Lancaster

Get Stuffed Music Bingo

Pass the gravy, pour yourself a drink, and leave your ex off the guest list. It's time to GET STUFFED! We're serving up a heaping helping of feel-good classics, funky favorites, sing-along anthems, and a few songs for anyone who's ever looked back at a r

7:00 PM

Tue, Nov 101660 Lattimer Drive, Whitehall

November 10th Neighborhood Meeting

A few takeaways from tonight’s Neighborhood Meeting- next meeting on 11/10, we’re going to have a potluck and collect food for Thanksgiving dinners for families in need.Please message me about food needed or other questions.

9:30 PM

Thu, Nov 12Lincoln Theatre Social Centre

Grateful & Glowing: Friendsgiving Body Butter Experience

Create your own custom body butter in this fun, hands-on class! Choose your own butter base, scents, and oils to make it uniquely yours. Grateful & Glowing: Friendsgiving Body Butter Experience</b

6:30 PM

$60.54 – $76.54Friendsgiving

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.

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Thanksgiving events near Columbus

Turkey trots, dinners and parades in the towns nearby

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.

  1. 1621After their first harvest, the Plymouth colonists hold three days of feasting. Massasoit arrives with about 90 Wampanoag men, who bring five deer.
  2. 1789George Washington proclaims the first national day of thanksgiving, for Thursday, 26 November.
  3. 1846–63Sarah Josepha Hale, the magazine editor who wrote “Mary Had a Little Lamb”, writes to five presidents asking for one national day.
  4. 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.
  5. 1896Buffalo runs its first YMCA Turkey Trot, now the oldest footrace held every year in North America — a year older than the Boston Marathon.
  6. 1924Macy’s holds its first parade in New York, with animals from the Central Park Zoo. The giant balloons arrive in 1927.
  7. 1934The Detroit Lions play on Thanksgiving for the first time, and football becomes part of the afternoon.
  8. 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.
  9. 1957Canada settles on the second Monday of October for its own Thanksgiving, which goes back to 1578.
  10. 1989George H. W. Bush gives the first formal presidential turkey pardon, now a White House tradition.

Thanksgiving in Columbus: frequently asked questions

When are Thanksgiving events in Columbus in 2026?

Thanksgiving events in Columbus run from May 25 to Nov 28, 2026: 86 events.

What is on in Columbus on Thanksgiving Day?

9 events are listed for Thursday, November 26, including BROCKSTRONG'S 2nd Annual Turkey Trot 5K, Turkey Trot and Delaware Turkey Trot.

Where can I have Thanksgiving dinner in Columbus?

12 dinners, brunches and buffets are listed, including Food drive and card making night! at JoyHouse Coffee, 65th Annual Turkey Dinner Event! and WIFE SOCIAL 2026 (WifeGiving 🦃) at L&S Kitchen & Lounge. Tables go early for the holiday, so book ahead where you can.

Are there turkey trots in Columbus?

Yes: Friendsgiving (Fri, Nov 20), Buckeye Lake Turkey Trot and Giving Back Event at Buckeye Ave, Buckeye Lake, OH 43008, United States (Sat, Nov 21) and Family Event: Turkey Trot 5K Fun Run at Glen Oak Park (Sat, Nov 21).

Where can I volunteer this Thanksgiving in Columbus?

Food drive and card making night! at JoyHouse Coffee, Cranksgiving Columbus 2026 at Combustion Brewery & Taproom - Clintonville and Fill the trailer food drive at Tractor Supply Co. (659 West Coshocton St, Johnstown, OH) are looking for helping hands.

Are there free Thanksgiving events in Columbus?

Yes: 9 of the 86 listed are free, including COhatch Cork Club: Inaugural Tasting at Lani Rooftop Lounge, The Village Presents: Harvesting Connections at Action For Children and Zoo Trippin's Friendsgiving Jam at The Summit Music Hall. Tickets for the rest run from $10 to $130.

What are the best Thanksgiving events in Columbus?

The most popular on AllEvents right now are Christkindlmarkt Dublin (Nov 21 – Dec 2), Columbus Official Thanksgiving Eve Bar Crawl 2026 at Downtown Columbus (Nov 25–26) and Grateful Dead Super Jam - Thanksgiving Eve at The Summit Music Hall (Nov 25–26).

Are there Thanksgiving events near Columbus?

Yes: 5 more events are listed within reach, in Africa, Chillicothe, Dublin and Zanesville.

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.