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Thanksgiving in Portland: Turkey Trots, Dinner and Lights

Date Published

Illustration of thanksgiving in Portland with a turkey trot, autumn leaves and a glowing tree

At a glance

  • Where: Portland, Oregon: Washington Park, Central Eastside, Downtown and the Pearl District
  • When: Thanksgiving Day (fourth Thursday of November) through the long weekend; see This year's dates
  • Parade: Portland has no official Thanksgiving Day parade; the runs, the tree lighting and the lights are the traditions
  • Cost: Races and take-home meals are paid and book ahead; check each official site before you go

Thanksgiving in Portland, Oregon centers on a Thursday-morning turkey trot, a dinner you reserve well ahead, and a holiday-lights weekend that opens on the Friday after. Portland does not have a Thanksgiving Day parade to plan around, so the runs and the Friday tree lighting are the public traditions. This guide groups the picks by when they happen: Thursday morning, the meal, and the long weekend.

How we chose

Every pick below sits inside Portland city limits and was checked against its own official site. We kept events that return every year and restaurants whose own websites mention Thanksgiving dinner or take-home meals. Menus, prices and start times change, so we describe what usually happens and keep the specifics for one labelled section near the end.

Is there a Thanksgiving parade in Portland?

No. We found no official Thanksgiving Day parade in Portland, Oregon. What you get instead is a run before dinner and a tree lighting the next evening. If you remember the parade, plan around those two.

Thursday morning: where can you run a turkey trot in Portland?

Portland has two long-running Thanksgiving morning runs inside the city, one at the Oregon Zoo and one beside OMSI.

1. ORRC Turkey Trot at the Oregon Zoo (Washington Park)

The Oregon Road Runners Club turkey trot starts outside the main gate of the Oregon Zoo, 4001 SW Canyon Road, by the Forestry Center, usually early on Thanksgiving morning. There is a 5K plus short kids' runs. Registration runs through RunSignup and closes before race day, with no day-of sign-up in the most recent listing, so book early. It is our pick if you want a hilly start in Washington Park.

2. Tofurky Trot at OMSI (Central Eastside)

The Tofurky Trot, put on by Northwest VEG, usually runs on Thanksgiving morning from the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI), 1945 SE Water Ave, with staggered start waves. The paved, flat course follows the Willamette River and crosses both the Tilikum Crossing and the Hawthorne Bridge with no street crossings, and the event offers same-day check-in and registration. Come hungry: the name is a clue to the plant-based spirit of the day. Read more on the Central Eastside page.

The meal: where can you eat Thanksgiving dinner in Portland?

Restaurants whose own sites mention Thanksgiving dinner or take-home meals are the safest bet, and most want reservations or pre-orders days ahead.

3. Screen Door (Pearl District and Eastside)

Screen Door confirms a Thanksgiving Day dine-in service at its Pearl District restaurant, 1131 NW Couch St, with its regular menu plus a classic turkey dinner special, and a pre-order Heat and Serve Dinner Box for pickup the day before. Its Eastside restaurant at 2337 E Burnside St has been listed as closed on the day. The pick for a Southern-leaning table. See the Pearl District.

4. Andina (Pearl District)

Andina, the Peruvian restaurant at 1314 NW Glisan St, links a Thanksgiving menu and Thanksgiving dinner reservations on its own website. Order the Thanksgiving menu rather than the regular one if you want what the kitchen planned for the day. Price and menu details are on the restaurant's site, so check it before you book.

5. Bergerac (Woodstock)

Bergerac, the French bistro at 5520 SE Woodstock Blvd, lists a Thanksgiving Dinner To Go and says the dining room is closed on Thanksgiving Day itself. That makes it a take-home pick: you reheat at home. Its site did not show dates for the current year when we checked, so confirm that the offer is live.

Delis and grocers

New Seasons Market's holiday page also describes reserving a Thanksgiving feast, and the Elephants Delicatessen holiday page has described reserved pickup or delivery slots. Both are multi-location, so check which store near you takes orders.

The long weekend: what opens the holiday season?

Most of Portland's holiday traditions start on the Friday after Thanksgiving, so Friday is your big day.

6. Tree lighting at Pioneer Courthouse Square (Downtown)

The tree lighting ceremony at Pioneer Courthouse Square in downtown Portland is listed on The Square's own calendar for the evening of the Friday after Thanksgiving, and it has been running for more than four decades. It is an outdoor community sing-along; arrive early and dress warm. Pair it with a walk through Downtown.

7. ZooLights at the Oregon Zoo (Washington Park)

ZooLights, at 4001 SW Canyon Road, begins before Thanksgiving, but the zoo closes it for Thanksgiving Day and the days just before it, then reopens the Friday evening. That gap is the thing to know: you cannot go on the holiday itself. Opening is from 4:30 p.m., with closing times that vary by night.

8. Portland Japanese Garden (Washington Park)

The Portland Japanese Garden, 611 SW Kingston Ave, has a holiday-season page that has listed furoshiki gift wrapping in the gift shop and a Museum Store Sunday on the Thanksgiving weekend, and puts yukizuri, the rope supports that protect trees from snow, up around the Flat Garden from the end of November. The garden's hours page lists it as closed to the public on Thanksgiving Day and closed every Tuesday, so the Friday through Sunday after Thanksgiving is your window.

9. Into December: Peacock Lane and the Christmas Ships

Two classics are worth putting on the calendar now. Peacock Lane, the Southeast Portland street famous for its holiday lights, lights up in the second half of December, with pedestrian-only nights at the start. The Portland Christmas Ships Parade sails lit-up boats on the Willamette and Columbia rivers on evenings from the Thanksgiving weekend through about December 20, with most Portland departures from Riverplace Marina on the Willamette and M. James Gleason Boat Ramp on the Columbia, per the parade's own schedule. Some combined-fleet nights start outside Portland, so check the schedule.

How can you volunteer around Thanksgiving in Portland?

You can volunteer through two Portland charities that post sign-ups on their own sites.

10. Sunshine Division (Northwest Portland)

Sunshine Division, 2121 NW Front Ave, runs a holiday meal delivery each December and takes volunteers to pack boxes, work the food pantries and deliver meal kits. Its volunteer page is at sunshinedivision.org/volunteer. The charity's holiday food box is a December event, not a Thanksgiving Day meal box.

11. Oregon Food Bank (Northeast Portland)

Oregon Food Bank lists volunteer shifts sorting and repacking food at its Portland and Beaverton locations. Shifts are booked ahead online, and the site does not promise special Thanksgiving openings. The Portland address on its volunteer page is 7900 NE 33rd Dr. For a meal-service shift, also see Blanchet House at 310 NW Glisan St in Old Town, which takes volunteers aged 14 and up through online sign-up.

What is open and closed on Thanksgiving Day?

Most attractions close or run short, and transit runs on a reduced schedule.

  • TriMet: buses, MAX light rail and Portland Streetcar run Sunday schedules on Thanksgiving Day, so lines that do not run Sundays will not run. WES commuter rail does not run. Regular schedules resume Friday, except WES.
  • Pittock Mansion: its site lists Thanksgiving as a standing closure day.
  • Portland Japanese Garden: closed to the public on Thanksgiving Day, per its hours page.
  • ZooLights: closed on Thanksgiving Day, reopens Friday.
  • Museums and the zoo: the Portland Art Museum, OMSI and the Oregon Zoo do not state Thanksgiving Day hours on their homepages, so call or check the official site.
  • Lan Su Chinese Garden: open daily in the regular season, but its site does not state Thanksgiving Day status.

This year's dates

These dates come from official sites and apply to this year only.

  • Thanksgiving Day: Thursday, November 26, 2026.
  • ORRC Turkey Trot at the Oregon Zoo: Thursday, November 26; 5K waves start at 7:30 a.m.; the 5K was listed at $45 for non-members and $30 for ORRC members, with a registration deadline of November 19.
  • Tofurky Trot at OMSI: Thursday, November 26; waves start at 9:00, 9:05, 9:10 and 9:15 a.m.; check-in and same-day registration 7:30 to 8:30 a.m.; adult entry was listed at $35 through November 25 and $40 on race day, with children 6 and under free.
  • Screen Door: Pearl District dine-in on November 26 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.; Heat and Serve Dinner Box pre-orders close November 20, with pickup Wednesday, November 25, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., at 1836 NE 7th Ave #107. The box was listed at $290 and serves four.
  • Pioneer Courthouse Square tree lighting: Friday, November 27, 5:30 to 6:45 p.m., billed as the 42nd annual ceremony.
  • ZooLights: November 20 through January 3, closed November 24 to 26, reopening Friday, November 27 from 4:30 p.m.
  • Peacock Lane: December 15 to 31.
  • Christmas Ships: November 27 to December 20, most parades 7 to 9 p.m.; the November 27 opener starts from Vancouver, Washington.
  • Japanese Garden: closed November 26; furoshiki gift wrapping and Museum Store Sunday on November 27 to 29.
  • TriMet: Sunday service on November 26.

Your Portland Thanksgiving checklist

  1. Register for a turkey trot early; both have deadlines or fill up.
  2. Book dinner or a take-home box days ahead: Screen Door, Andina or Bergerac.
  3. Check TriMet's Sunday schedule if you are not driving.
  4. Friday evening: tree lighting at Pioneer Courthouse Square, then ZooLights.
  5. Mark the calendar for the Christmas Ships and, in late December, Peacock Lane.
  6. Sign up to volunteer with Sunshine Division or Oregon Food Bank.

The simplest Portland Thanksgiving is a zoo run on Thursday and the tree lighting on Friday.

Last verified: November 2026.

Frequently asked questions

Does Portland, Oregon have a Thanksgiving parade?

No. We found no official Thanksgiving Day parade in Portland, Oregon. The turkey trots and the Friday tree lighting at Pioneer Courthouse Square are the main public traditions.

Where can I run a turkey trot in Portland?

The ORRC Turkey Trot at the Oregon Zoo in Washington Park and the Tofurky Trot at OMSI in the Central Eastside both run on Thanksgiving morning. Register ahead on their official pages.

Which Portland restaurants offer Thanksgiving dinner?

Screen Door confirms Thanksgiving Day dine-in at its Pearl District restaurant and Andina lists a Thanksgiving menu and reservations. Bergerac in Woodstock lists a take-home dinner. Check each restaurant's own site for current details.

Does TriMet run on Thanksgiving Day?

Yes. TriMet buses, MAX and Portland Streetcar run Sunday schedules on Thanksgiving Day, and WES commuter rail does not run. Regular service resumes on Friday.

When is the Portland tree lighting?

The Pioneer Courthouse Square tree lighting has been held on the Friday after Thanksgiving in the evening. Check the Square's official site for the exact time.

Is ZooLights open on Thanksgiving?

No. The Oregon Zoo closes ZooLights on Thanksgiving Day and reopens it on the Friday evening after.