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Thanksgiving events in Washington

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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 Washington

All Thanksgiving events in Washington 2026

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Nov 13–14Wild Days2 days

A FRIENDSGIVING BASH

# A FRIENDSGIVING BASH 🥂 **Good friends. Good music. One BIG BASH.** Thanksgiving is around the corner, and we're getting the friends together a little early! All Good Friends x All Good Nights Nation are joining forces for **A Friendsgiving BASH**, br

9:00 PM

Friendsgiving

Sat, Nov 14Hains Point Bike Loop

2026 Thanksgiving Stuffing Stomp 5k/10k

Points count towards our Year-Long 5k, 10k, & Back of the Pack Series. Points will also count towards our Fall Series. Find more info about the series here. Register Now!

7:45 AM

Turkey trot

Sat, Nov 14SALAZAR

Grateful & Gay: A Sapphic Chosen Family Affair

Gather with your chosen family—or come find more! Join us for a sapphic celebration of good food, drinks, connection, creativity, and dancin Grateful & Gay: A Sapphic Chosen Family Affair <strong

4:00 PM

$15.52 – $21.18

Nov 14–21905 S Ann St, Baltimore8 days

V-No Thanksgiving Tasting Experience | A Two-Part Series

Discover your perfect Thanksgiving pour! Join V-No for a FREE two-part tasting featuring curated wines, handcrafted cocktails, and holiday i Sip, Savor & Celebrate Thanksgiving at V-No! The holid

6:00 PM

Free

Sponsored

Sun, Nov 153530 Water St NW

2026 Turkey Tumble for Autism 5k/10k/Half

Points count towards 5k, 10k, Endurance & Back of the Pack Series. Points will also count towards the Fall Series. Find more info about the series here. Register Now! Start

8:00 AM

Turkey trot

Sun, Nov 15Pinstripes, North Bethesda

Friendsgiving

Join Wives & Wine for a Friendsgiving Girls’ Night Out at Pinstripes Bethesda! No hosting. No cooking. No cleaning up. Just wine, good food, good conversation and a room full of women who came to have a

4:00 PM

$23.18 – $33.85Friendsgiving

Tue, Nov 17Mess Hall

Blue Ribbon Pie Baking Class

Spend an evening with the DC State Fair leaders assembling and baking your very own pie to take home Celebrate the holiday season and support the DC State Fair in a sweet way with a pie workshop led by Magg

6:00 PM

$98.10

Wed, Nov 18Warehouse Cinemas Rotunda, Baltimore

Friendsgiving Wine Tasting at Warehouse Cinemas

Bring your favorite co-stars—Friendsgiving is heading to the cinema. Wine Tasting- Movie Screening Get ready for an in-person experience where wine, friendship and movies come together! Ga

6:00 PM

Free – $7.18Friendsgiving

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Wed, Nov 18STFU Navy Yard

R&B in The Basement | Friendsgiving 2026

Join us at DC's number speakeasy, STFU in Navy Yard for a night of R&B classics, soulful gems , and unmatched. DJs and live music STFU is DC's best hidden secret! Join us but shhhh, don't tell anyone wh

7:00 PM

Free – $12.51FriendsgivingLive music

Nov 19–254924 Wyaconda Rd, Rockville7 days

Thanksgiving Give Back Week 2026

Help us provide Thanksgiving meals to thousands of families across our community. Every Thanksgiving, So What Else hosts a week of service and giving to ensure thousands of families have a nutritious holiday meal to share together. Location: So What Else

12:00 AM

Volunteer

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.

Thanksgiving events near Washington

Turkey trots, dinners and parades in the towns nearby

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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 Washington: frequently asked questions

When are Thanksgiving events in Washington in 2026?

Thanksgiving events in Washington run from Nov 12 to Nov 29, 2026: 100 events.

What is on in Washington on Thanksgiving Day?

14 events are listed for Thursday, November 26, including 2026 Drumstick Turkey Trot 5k/8Miler at Gravelly Point, 2026 Georgetown Turkey Trot 5k & 10k and Y Turkey Trot Charity 5K at Multiple Locations.

Where can I have Thanksgiving dinner in Washington?

9 dinners, brunches and buffets are listed, including 11th Annual Community Thanksgiving Celebration at Sharp Street Memorial United Methodist, Friendsgiving Soul food Dinner Party at Lake Presidential Golf Club and Friendsgiving: Thanksgiving Sides Elevated at Cookology Culinary School. Tables go early for the holiday, so book ahead where you can.

Are there turkey trots in Washington?

Yes: 2026 Thanksgiving Stuffing Stomp 5k/10k at Hains Point Bike Loop (Sat, Nov 14), 2026 Turkey Tumble for Autism 5k/10k/Half (Sun, Nov 15) and 2026 DC Turkey Trot 5k/Half (Sun, Nov 22).

Where can I volunteer this Thanksgiving in Washington?

2026 DC Punk Rock Flea at Stephen & the Incarnation Episcopal Church, Ecstatic Dance Arlington | Gratitude Dance + Food Drive w/ Ghost Pipe | Nov 21 at Unitarian Universalist Church of Arlington, VA and 4th annual Community Thanksgiving are looking for helping hands.

Are there free Thanksgiving events in Washington?

Yes: 31 of the 100 listed are free, including FRIENDSGIVING TRIVIA: TOW All the Thanksgivings | Alamo Crystal City at Alamo Drafthouse Cinema Crystal City, V-No Thanksgiving Tasting Experience | A Two-Part Series and Friendsgiving Wine Tasting at Warehouse Cinemas at Warehouse Cinemas Rotunda. Tickets for the rest run from $7.61 to $1,219.

What are the best Thanksgiving events in Washington?

The most popular on AllEvents right now are Montgomery County Thanksgiving Parade (Sat, Nov 21), The Dunn Foundation Annual Free Turkey Giveaway Drive-Thru at Iverson Mall (Sat, Nov 21) and Goodwill's 69th Annual Thanksgiving Dinner and Resource Fair at The Baltimore Convention Center (Wed, Nov 25).

Are there Thanksgiving events near Washington?

Yes: 4 more events are listed within reach, in Baltimore, Lancaster and Alexandria.

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.