Sat, Nov 1410:00 AM
Free Family Event - Gather & Give Thanks
3801 Ponderosa St
Thanksgiving Events in Jefferson City 2026
Celebrate Thanksgiving 2026 in Jefferson City 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 Jefferson City.
Listings updated
Curated by the AllEvents team, for you
Top Thanksgiving events in Jefferson City
All Thanksgiving events in Jefferson City 2026
Tue, Nov 101431 Southwest Blvd
Thanksgiving Fall Open House
Join the Red Slipper Warrior Project for a Thanksgiving Fall Open House! We're celebrating the season of gratitude with an opportunity to come together, connect, and enjoy a little fall fun! Whether you're a familiar face or new to RSWP, we'd love for yo
Tue, Nov 10214 S Mill St, Eldon
Our Father’s Table Thanksgiving Dinner
🦃 We’re Thankful for YOU! 🧡 Join us for a FREE Thanksgiving Dinner at Our Father’s Table on Tuesday, November 10, 2026! 📍 214 S. Mill Street, Eldon, MO 65026 🕠 5:30–7:00 PM Enjoy a delicious Thanksgiving meal, warm hospitality, and time around the tabl
Dinner & brunch
Sat, Nov 21601 Business Loop 70 W, Columbia
A Time to Give Thanks ~ Thanksgiving
29th Year Continuing the Legacy of Ms. Almeta Crayton’s Everybody Eats 🧺 FOOD DONATION DRIVE 📦 Oct 1 – Nov 16 | Mon–Fri | 9AM–4PM 📍 Powerhouse Community Development 601 Bus Loop 70 W, Suite 204 FOOD BOX BOX DISTRIBUION Saturday, Nov 21, 2026 10a - 2p Pa
Volunteer
Sun, Nov 221729 West Broadway Ste 10B, Columbia
Thanksgiving Community Dinner
Join us for our annual Thanksgiving Community Dinner! We love this opportunity to share a great Thanksgiving meal with our community and would love to have you join us. You can dine with us in person or choose pickup or delivery. RSVPs are required. To
Dinner & brunch
Tue, Nov 241769 West Ash Street, Columbia
Thanksgiving Market at Columbia Farmers Market
Bring the taste of mid-Missouri to your Thanksgiving table with Columbia Farmers Market Thanksgiving Market on Tuesday, November 24 from 3pm-5pm. Shop fresh produce, meat, farm fresh eggs, cheeses, honey, artisan items & more and source your holiday m
Market
Tue, Nov 24Cornerstone Treatment Center, Fulton
Cornerstone Treatment Center's Thanksgiving Turkey Drive!
Giving Back to Our Community This Holiday Season! Cornerstone Treatment Center is excited to spread kindness and gratitude this Thanksgiving season by hosting our Drive-Up Turkey Drive</stro
FreeVolunteer
Wed, Nov 25193 County Road 605, Linn
Thanksgiving Eve Party with Pat Kay and the Kay Brothers
It's the night before Thanksgiving - you already know it's going to be a fun night! Pat Kay and the Kay Brothers will be performing live from 7-10 p.m!
Wed, Nov 25Pizza Kwik Jefferson City
Night before thanksgiving 2026
Get ready for an overdose of Sundown, the band. We will be at Indigo Buffalo 11/25/26 the night before thanksgiving for a 4 hour show. Come on by and enjoy a few drinks 🍹 🍻🍸and great music 🎼 🎶 We look forward to seeing you there warming you up for a grea
Thu, Nov 261707 S Summit Dr, Holts Summit
Thanksgiving at Canterbury Hill
Thanksgiving at Canterbury Hill
Thu, Nov 26401 N 5th St, Columbia
A Time to Give Thanks ~ Thanksgiving Day
🍂 A TIME TO GIVE THANKS 2026 Continuing the legacy of Ms. Almeta Crayton by serving our community with love, food, and fellowship 💛 🦃 THANKSGIVING DAY MEAL 📅 Thursday, Nov 26 🕚 10:30 AM – 1:00 PM 📍 5th Street Christian Church – Columbia, MO ✨ Everyone
Sat, Nov 28102 S Main St, Ashland
Queersgiving - 3rd Annual Community Potluck
Join us for our 3rd Annual Queersgiving Community Potluck! It's a time when we invite our community to sit down for a meal and reflect on the past year and what we have to be grateful for - mostly each other! Sign up for a side dish or dessert! https://
Sun, Nov 29hancock road, eldon mo
JOINT fifth Sunday Worship
Etterville Christian Church will be your host for the 5th Sunday! Come join in the fellowship. No Sunday School First Sunday of Advent and the Sunday after Thanksgiving.
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 Jefferson City
Turkey trots, dinners and parades in the towns nearby
Sat, Nov 72300 Bernadette Drive, Columbia
R&B Night: Friendsgiving Edition | Columbia, MO
Friendsgiving
Tue, Nov 17912 S State Highway 47, Warrenton
Gobble & Graze: Thanksgiving Edition
Wed, Nov 25125 PRAIRIE RD. HAWK POINT
Drawl at Roadhouse Barn & Grill for Drinksgiving
Thu, Nov 26103 E. 4th Street, Sedalia
Thanksgiving Night Lighting and Fireworks Celebration!
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 Jefferson City: frequently asked questions
When are Thanksgiving events in Jefferson City in 2026?
Thanksgiving events in Jefferson City run from Nov 10 to Nov 29, 2026: 15 events.
What is on in Jefferson City on Thanksgiving Day?
2 events are listed for Thursday, November 26, including Thanksgiving at Canterbury Hill and A Time to Give Thanks ~ Thanksgiving Day.
Where can I have Thanksgiving dinner in Jefferson City?
3 dinners, brunches and buffets are listed, including Our Father’s Table Thanksgiving Dinner, Harvest of Gratitude Community Dinner at St Paul AME Church and Thanksgiving Community Dinner. Tables go early for the holiday, so book ahead where you can.
Where can I volunteer this Thanksgiving in Jefferson City?
Cornerstone Treatment Center's Thanksgiving Turkey Drive! is looking for helping hands.
Are there free Thanksgiving events in Jefferson City?
Yes: 2 of the 15 listed are free, including Harvest of Gratitude Community Dinner at St Paul AME Church and Cornerstone Treatment Center's Thanksgiving Turkey Drive!.
What are the best Thanksgiving events in Jefferson City?
The most popular on AllEvents right now are Free Family Event - Gather & Give Thanks (Sat, Nov 14), Harvest of Gratitude Community Dinner at St Paul AME Church (Sat, Nov 21) and 121st Church Anniversary Celebration (Sat, Nov 14).
Are there Thanksgiving events near Jefferson City?
Yes: 7 more events are listed within reach, in Madison, Columbia, Warrenton and Bourbon and more.
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.