Things To Do

Thanksgiving in Cincinnati: Races, Lights and What's Open

Date Published

Illustration of thanksgiving in Cincinnati with a downtown race, a parade and a lit tree

At a glance

  • Where: Downtown Cincinnati, Price Hill, Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden in Avondale, Eden Park and Over-the-Rhine
  • When: Thanksgiving Thursday through the weekend; the race usually starts around 9 a.m. and the Price Hill parade around 10 a.m.; check each official site
  • Cost: Race entry is paid; watching the parade is free; zoo lights are included with zoo admission

Thanksgiving in Cincinnati starts with the Western & Southern Thanksgiving Day Race downtown and the Price Hill Thanksgiving Day Parade on the West Side on Thursday morning. The next day brings the Light Up the Square tree lighting at Fountain Square, and the PNC Festival of Lights at the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden opens the week before the holiday. This guide groups what returns every year by when it happens, then lists what is closed on the day itself.

What happens Thursday morning?

Thursday morning in Cincinnati belongs to two traditions: the downtown Thanksgiving Day Race and the Price Hill Thanksgiving Day Parade. The Western & Southern Thanksgiving Day Race has been run in Cincinnati for more than a century, according to FC Cincinnati's race announcement, and it usually starts around 9 a.m. on Thanksgiving Day. The 10K runs through downtown Cincinnati, with packet pickup in the days before and the post-race party at TQL Stadium in the West End. A 5K and a quarter-mile kids' fun run share the morning. The official race site lists the Greater Cincinnati charities the race supports each year.

Western & Southern Thanksgiving Day Race, Downtown

What to do: run or walk the 10K or 5K, or take the kids to the fun run, which usually starts a little before the main race. Why: it is the one organized event that fills the downtown streets on the holiday morning. Tip: this is a closed-street event, so walk or take the free Connector streetcar toward the stadium rather than driving in. Registration and course details are on the race site.

Price Hill Thanksgiving Day Parade, Price Hill

What to do: line Glenway Avenue or Warsaw Avenue in Price Hill for the neighborhood's Thanksgiving Day Parade, which usually steps off around 10 a.m. on Thanksgiving morning. Why: it is Cincinnati's recurring Thanksgiving parade, a West Side tradition rather than a downtown spectacle. Tip: in past years the City of Cincinnati has posted street closures on Glenway Avenue, Warsaw Avenue and Ferguson Road from about 9:45 a.m. to noon, with Metro buses detoured, so arrive early and park on a side street.

Cincinnati Turkey Trot Half Marathon, 10K and 5K, east side

What to do: if Thursday is booked, this race runs on the Saturday after Thanksgiving, with a half marathon, 10K, 5K, a kids' fun run and a 100-meter kids' dash. Its registration page lists 5057 Wooster Pike, the address of Otto Armleder Memorial Park near Lunken Airport. The page does not post a start time, so check it before race day. Virtual options help if you are hosting.

Where do you eat on Thanksgiving in Cincinnati?

We could not confirm a Thanksgiving dinner or take-home meal from the official site of any restaurant inside the city limits, so we are not listing one as a pick. Restaurants post holiday menus and order deadlines late, often on social pages, and many deadlines fall in the week or two before the holiday.

What we did find on official sites:

  • Findlay Market at 1801 Race Street in Over-the-Rhine is the closest thing to a confirmed take-home Thanksgiving: it publishes a Thanksgiving food guide on its official site with merchant pre-orders for the holiday table and a link to Thanksgiving-week hours. Pre-orders close the week before the holiday. The market typically runs Tuesday to Sunday and is closed Mondays.
  • Camp Washington Chili at Hopple Street and Colerain Avenue in Camp Washington is open around the clock from Monday morning to Saturday afternoon, but its official site does not state a holiday policy. Call before you count on it.

Our advice: call or check the restaurant's own page well ahead, and ask whether the offer is dine-in or carryout and when orders close.

What opens the holiday season that weekend?

Cincinnati's holiday season opens around Thanksgiving with the zoo lights, the Fountain Square tree lighting and the downtown ice rink.

PNC Festival of Lights, Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden, Avondale

The PNC Festival of Lights returns each year at the zoo at 3400 Vine Street in Avondale and is included with zoo admission. Festival activities usually begin at 4 p.m., and the zoo typically stays open until 9 or 10 p.m. in the evenings. Train rides for non-members and igloo rentals cost extra. The zoo has run the festival for more than four decades; it bills the 2026 season as the 44th. The zoo is closed on Thanksgiving Day itself, so go Friday or Saturday. See the zoo's festival page for tickets.

Light Up the Square, Fountain Square, Downtown

Light Up the Square, Cincinnati's tree lighting, returns to Fountain Square at 520 Vine Street and neighboring Elm Street Plaza on the Friday after Thanksgiving, when the downtown tree is lit for the first time. Fountain Square's holiday tree page posts the schedule. Pair it with the free Connector streetcar and a walk around Downtown.

UC Health Ice Rink, Elm Street Plaza, Downtown

The UC Health Ice Rink at Elm Street Plaza, 150 West Fifth Street outside the convention center in Downtown Cincinnati, opens in early November and runs into February, seven days a week. Skate admission and rentals stop an hour before closing. Details are at the rink's page. The plaza is part of the tree-lighting celebration, so skate before or after.

Krohn Conservatory, Eden Park, Mt. Adams area

Krohn Conservatory in Eden Park runs a holiday show each season, according to the City of Cincinnati. We could not confirm Thanksgiving Day hours, so check before you go. Eden Park is next to Mt. Adams.

Which Cincinnati museums are open on Thanksgiving?

Cincinnati Museum Center and the Cincinnati Art Museum are both closed on Thanksgiving Day, so plan them for the long weekend instead.

  • Cincinnati Museum Center at Union Terminal, 1301 Western Avenue in Queensgate, lists Thanksgiving Day as closed on its visit page. It closes early, at 2 p.m., the day before Thanksgiving.
  • Cincinnati Art Museum, 953 Eden Park Drive, is closed Thursday and typically opens 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday through Sunday that weekend, per its visit page. General admission is free.
  • Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden is closed on Thanksgiving Day.

The National Underground Railroad Freedom Center at 50 E. Freedom Way lists no holiday hours on its visit page. Call before assuming it is open.

How do you get around on Thanksgiving?

Metro, the region's bus system, runs a Sunday schedule on Thanksgiving Day, according to its holiday schedule. The free Cincinnati Connector streetcar says it operates 365 days a year, but we could not confirm a specific Thanksgiving Day schedule, so check the city's streetcar page.

How can you volunteer or give in Cincinnati?

One confirmed option is City Gospel Mission at 1805 Dalton Avenue, which runs a Thanksgiving giving campaign and a volunteer sign-up portal on its official site. Ask about holiday shifts before you show up, or give goods through its donate-items page. Freestore Foodbank lists volunteer opportunities on its volunteer page. Many programs fill early, so sign up well before the holiday.

This year's dates

Thanksgiving 2026 is Thursday, November 26. Confirm every detail on the official sites linked here.

  • Through Friday, Nov. 20: Findlay Market Thanksgiving pre-orders, per its 2026 food guide.
  • Wednesday, Nov. 25: Cincinnati Museum Center closes at 2 p.m.
  • Thursday, Nov. 26: Western & Southern Thanksgiving Day Race. FC Cincinnati's release lists a 9 a.m. start for the 10K and 5K and an 8:30 a.m. kids' fun run, with packet pickup at TQL Stadium Nov. 24 to 26. Price Hill parade details were not yet posted when we checked. Cincinnati Museum Center, Cincinnati Art Museum and the zoo are closed. Metro runs Sunday service.
  • Friday, Nov. 27: Light Up the Square at Fountain Square and Elm Street Plaza; check the Fountain Square site for times. The ice rink is open noon to 10 p.m.
  • Saturday, Nov. 28: Cincinnati Turkey Trot Half Marathon, 10K and 5K.
  • Nov. 19, 2026 to Jan. 3, 2027: PNC Festival of Lights at the zoo.

How we chose

We included events and places inside Cincinnati whose own official sites, or the city's, confirm they are open and tie to Thanksgiving week, and we left out restaurants whose own pages gave no Thanksgiving details. Anything we could not confirm is flagged above. Third-party roundups were used only as leads.

A long-weekend plan for Thanksgiving in Cincinnati

  1. Thursday morning: run the downtown race, or catch the Price Hill parade.
  2. Thursday: eat at home or at a restaurant you have confirmed by phone; museums and the zoo are closed.
  3. Friday evening: tree lighting at Fountain Square, then the ice rink.
  4. Saturday: the Turkey Trot in the morning, zoo lights after dark.
  5. Sunday: Cincinnati Art Museum or Union Terminal.

For food and neighborhoods, see food and dining and the events calendar.

Last verified: November 2026.

Frequently asked questions

Is there a Thanksgiving parade in Cincinnati?

Yes, the Price Hill Thanksgiving Day Parade runs on Thanksgiving morning along Glenway and Warsaw avenues in Cincinnati's Price Hill neighborhood, usually starting around 10 a.m. Downtown, the morning tradition is the Western & Southern Thanksgiving Day Race.

What is open on Thanksgiving Day in Cincinnati?

Cincinnati Museum Center, the Cincinnati Art Museum and the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden are closed on Thanksgiving Day. Metro buses run a Sunday schedule.

When is the Fountain Square tree lighting?

Light Up the Square happens on the Friday after Thanksgiving at Fountain Square and Elm Street Plaza in downtown Cincinnati. In 2026 that is Friday, November 27; check the Fountain Square site for times.

Is the PNC Festival of Lights included with zoo admission?

Yes, the festival is included with Cincinnati Zoo admission, though igloo rentals and, for non-members, train rides cost extra. The zoo is closed on Thanksgiving Day.

Where can you volunteer on Thanksgiving in Cincinnati?

City Gospel Mission at 1805 Dalton Avenue in Cincinnati has a volunteer portal and a Thanksgiving giving campaign, and Freestore Foodbank lists volunteer opportunities on its website. Contact either one early to ask about holiday shifts.