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Thanksgiving 2026 falls on Thursday, November 26, and most of Boston's big museums close that day, so the best way to spend the weekend is to keep Thursday outdoors and social (the Franklin Park Turkey Trot in the morning, a walk on the Freedom Trail, a booked dinner) and save Friday to Sunday for the Bruins' Black Friday matinee, the opening of Boston Ballet's The Nutcracker, the holiday markets and the museums.
The four days below are built from each organizer's published 2026 schedule. Where a date had not been announced when we checked, we say so.
Thanksgiving weekend in Boston at a glance
| Day | What is on | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Sat, Nov 21 (the weekend before) | America's Hometown Thanksgiving Parade, 10 a.m. | Plymouth, from Plymouth Rock |
| Wed, Nov 25 | Museum of Science closes early, at 2 p.m. | Science Park |
| Thu, Nov 26 | Franklin Park Turkey Trot 5K, 9 a.m. | Franklin Park Golf Clubhouse, 1 Circuit Drive |
| Thu, Nov 26 | Thanksgiving dinners at Plimoth Patuxet Museums | Plymouth |
| Fri, Nov 27 | Bruins vs. Toronto Maple Leafs, 1 p.m. | TD Garden |
| Fri, Nov 27 | The Nutcracker opens (runs to Dec 31) | Citizens Opera House |
| Fri, Nov 27 to Sun, Nov 29 | SoWa Christmas Market | SoWa Power Station, South End |
| All weekend | Snowport holiday market (open since Nov 6) | Seaport |
What is open in Boston on Thanksgiving Day?
Outdoor Boston is open: the Freedom Trail is a free, marked 2.5-mile route you can walk any day, and Boston Common and the Public Garden stay open. Most indoor attractions are not. These all list Thanksgiving Day as closed:
- Museum of Fine Arts
- Museum of Science (it also closes at 2 p.m. on Wednesday)
- Boston Tea Party Ships & Museum
- The Paul Revere House
- John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum
- Franklin Park Zoo
Places with daily hours, such as the New England Aquarium and View Boston, do not state holiday hours on their main visit pages, so check their sites the week before.
Thursday morning: the Franklin Park Turkey Trot
The Franklin Park Coalition's 14th annual Turkey Trot starts at 9 a.m. on Thanksgiving Day from the Franklin Park Golf Clubhouse, and the organizers call it the largest Thanksgiving Day race in the City of Boston. It is a 5K, and walkers, strollers, wheelchairs and leashed dogs are welcome. Children 5 and under run free without registering. Sign up early: the race says it sold out in each of the last five years, and race-day registration may be limited.
Where to eat Thanksgiving dinner
Restaurants that open on the holiday usually serve a set menu and fill early, so book as soon as menus appear and confirm holiday hours directly with the restaurant. If you would rather eat where the Thanksgiving story is told, Plimoth Patuxet Museums in Plymouth sells a plated "Story of Thanksgiving" dinner with an educator-led program. Seatings run on Wednesday, November 25 (5:30 p.m.), Thursday, November 26 (11 a.m., 2:30 p.m. and 6 p.m.) and Friday, November 27 (1 p.m. and 4:30 p.m.), and the ticket includes two days of admission to the museum's sites. Plymouth is about 42 miles from downtown Boston by road.
Black Friday: hockey, ballet and the holiday markets
The Bruins' annual Black Friday game is a 1 p.m. matinee against the Toronto Maple Leafs at TD Garden. Boston Ballet's The Nutcracker opens the same day at the Citizens Opera House and runs through December 31. Both sell their best seats early.
The SoWa Christmas Market fills the SoWa Power Station in the South End with more than 100 makers and food vendors from November 20 to December 27. It is closed on Thanksgiving Day and opens 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Black Friday. Admission is $10, and children 12 and under are free. In the Seaport, Snowport opened for its sixth season on November 6, 2026, with a winter market of more than 130 vendors and an outdoor skating rink.
Faneuil Hall Marketplace lights its holiday tree before Thanksgiving: in 2025 the 50-foot tree at Quincy Market was lit on Saturday, November 22. The 2026 date had not been posted when we checked. The city's own tree on Boston Common is lit later, on Thursday, December 3, 2026.
Saturday and Sunday: museums, tours and Fenway
The weekend is the time for indoor Boston. The Museum of Fine Arts is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday and until 10 p.m. on Friday. Fenway Park runs ballpark tours every day of the year, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. between November and March. The Freedom Trail Foundation's 90-minute Walk Into History tour leaves from the Boston Common Visitor Information Center at 139 Tremont Street and costs $17 for adults and $8 for children 6 to 12.
Plymouth's parade is the weekend before
America's Hometown Thanksgiving Parade in Plymouth falls on the Saturday before the holiday, November 21, 2026. Opening ceremonies start at 9:30 a.m. at Pilgrim Memorial Park on Water Street, and the parade leaves Plymouth Rock at 10 a.m., running along Water, Main and Court Streets. If you arrive in Boston early in Thanksgiving week, it makes a day trip.
What is the weather like over Thanksgiving?
Cool and usually dry. November in Boston averages a high of 52°F and a low of 38°F at Logan Airport, and the last week of the month runs colder than that average. Pack a warm coat, a hat and gloves for the Turkey Trot and any evening outdoors.
For the rest of the season, see Boston in November, things to do in Boston in December and things to do near Faneuil Hall.
Sources: Franklin Park Coalition; Plimoth Patuxet Museums; Boston Bruins; Boston Ballet; SoWa Christmas Market; Seaport Hotel on Snowport; Faneuil Hall Marketplace; City of Boston; Museum of Fine Arts; Museum of Science; Boston Tea Party Ships; Paul Revere House; Zoo New England; Fenway Park tours; Freedom Trail Foundation; See Plymouth; Current Results (NOAA normals). Checked October 1, 2026.