Thanksgiving in Orlando: Turkey Trot, Dinner, Lights

At a glance

Where: Mostly downtown Orlando, Lake Eola Park and nearby neighborhoods
Main Thursday-morning event: Seniors First Turkey Trot 5K at Lake Eola Park, usually Thanksgiving morning
Big parade?: There is no downtown Thanksgiving parade; the Orlando parade is the Holiday Parade featuring Macy's at Universal Orlando Resort
Cost: Varies by pick; the Orlando tree lighting and Merry Market are free; check each official site
Plan ahead: Take-home meals usually need pre-orders a week or more before the holiday

Thanksgiving in Orlando is a Thursday-morning 5K at Lake Eola Park, a sit-down or take-home meal booked well ahead, and a long weekend that opens the holiday season at Harry P. Leu Gardens and in downtown. Orlando does not have a downtown Thanksgiving Day parade; the parade tradition here is the Holiday Parade featuring Macy's inside Universal Studios Florida.

This guide is grouped by when things happen: Thursday morning, the meal, and the long weekend. Every pick below was checked against its own official site for November 2026. Dates for this year sit in one section near the end.

What happens on Thanksgiving morning in Orlando?

The main Thanksgiving morning event in Orlando is the Seniors First Turkey Trot 5K at Lake Eola Park, and it is the one most locals plan around. Volunteering is the other Thursday-morning option.

Seniors First Turkey Trot 5K, Lake Eola Park (downtown)

The Turkey Trot is hosted by Seniors First, a nonprofit that serves older adults in Central Florida, and it has run for more than three decades, usually on Thanksgiving morning. The event is billed as a race to end senior hunger, and its official page says proceeds benefit Meals on Wheels and other Seniors First programs, so your entry fee feeds someone else's holiday too. The route circles Lake Eola Park in downtown Orlando, and the lake's sidewalk loop is 0.9 miles according to the City of Orlando, so a 5K is a few laps with the swans and the fountain as scenery.

The official registration page lists a costume contest, a Turkey Call contest, the 5K itself and a Kids Tot Trot, so you can show up in a turkey hat and treat it as a family morning rather than a race. Day-of registration usually opens early on race morning, but the official page points runners to Track Shack for advance sign-up, which saves you a line in the dark.

Our tip: park downtown the night before or arrive early, because Lake Eola Park fills quickly on race morning. Read more about the park in our free things to do in Orlando guide, and see Downtown Orlando for where to stay close by.

Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida (Parramore)

Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida, at 411 Mercy Drive in Orlando, runs volunteer shifts booked through an online calendar. Its volunteer page says volunteers must be 10 or older, ages 10 to 15 need an adult chaperone, and closed-toe shoes are required. Groups of five or more email the volunteer team.

The official page does not promise Thanksgiving Day shifts, so check the volunteer calendar or call 407-295-1066. If Thursday is full, the same shifts are a good Friday or Saturday plan for visiting family.

Orlando Union Rescue Mission (Parramore)

The Orlando Union Rescue Mission accepts volunteers through a form on its official site and then schedules an orientation. Roles include meal service, grounds work, guest services and its Bargain Store. We could not confirm a Thanksgiving meal on its official pages, so contact the volunteer coordinator at (407) 422-4855 early rather than showing up on the day.

Where can you eat Thanksgiving dinner in Orlando?

Orlando restaurants whose own sites list Thanksgiving dining or take-home meals include Fleming's Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar, Seasons 52 on Sand Lake Road, Rosen Shingle Creek, 4 Rivers Smokehouse and Canvas Restaurant & Market. Always confirm the offer for the Orlando location, and book early.

Fleming's Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar, Dellagio (Dr. Phillips area)

Fleming's, at 8030 Via Dellagio Way, lists a Thanksgiving Day prix fixe menu on its official promotions page, plus take-home bundles that serve six, available for pickup or delivery over several days around the holiday. Its Orlando Sand Lake location page lists Thanksgiving Day hours. The promotion page is chain-wide, so call the Orlando restaurant at 407-352-5706 to confirm it is taking take-home orders. See Dr. Phillips for more on this dining area.

Seasons 52, Sand Lake Road (Dr. Phillips)

Seasons 52 at 7700 W. Sand Lake Road offers a chef-prepared Thanksgiving dine-in dinner with all the trimmings and a take-home Green Box To Go for four to six people. The official page sets a preorder cutoff and a pickup window on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, which makes it the easiest option if you want to host at home without cooking everything.

Rosen Shingle Creek, Cala Bella (south Orlando)

Rosen Shingle Creek, at 9939 Universal Blvd., serves a Thanksgiving brunch at its Cala Bella restaurant, with set adult and child prices on its official Thanksgiving page and reservations at (407) 996-3663. The page notes a 24-hour cancellation window and a per-person no-show fee, and prices exclude tax and a service charge, so read the terms before booking.

4 Rivers Smokehouse, SoDo and UCF (Orlando)

4 Rivers Smokehouse takes holiday pickup orders on a dedicated page of its official site, with an order deadline the weekend before and a single pickup day, the day before Thanksgiving. Its Orlando locations are at 3200 South Orange Avenue in SoDo and 11764 University Boulevard near UCF. Confirm the pickup date with your location when you order. See SoDo for the neighborhood.

Canvas Restaurant & Market, Lake Nona

Canvas Restaurant & Market, at 13615 Sachs Avenue in Lake Nona, lists Thanksgiving dine-in on its official site and takes reservations through the page. It does not list a Thanksgiving take-home meal, so this is the pick if you want to be served rather than carry a turkey home. See Lake Nona for the area.

For everyday restaurant ideas outside the holiday, see where to eat in Orlando.

What opens the holiday season on the long weekend?

The holiday-lights season in Orlando starts on or just before Thanksgiving weekend, with Dazzling Nights at Harry P. Leu Gardens, and the free city tree lighting and Merry Market at Lake Eola Park follow in early December.

Dazzling Nights at Harry P. Leu Gardens, Audubon Park

Harry P. Leu Gardens, at 1920 N. Forest Ave., turns its 50 acres into an evening light display each holiday season, opening in the run-up to Thanksgiving and running into the new year on select nights. Dazzling Nights tickets are sold online through the official Dazzling Orlando website for a specific date and entry time, with prices that vary by night, so buy ahead and check the official page for current prices and parking. The Historic Leu House Museum was listed as temporarily closed at last check. See Audubon Park for what is nearby.

City of Orlando Tree Lighting Celebration, Lake Eola Park

The City of Orlando's Tree Lighting Celebration happens at Lake Eola Park in early December, not on Thanksgiving weekend itself. It is free and features a stage show leading up to the lighting, a Merry Market with more than 30 local vendors and photos with Santa, according to the City of Orlando event page. A local detail worth knowing: the Merry Market runs on weekend evenings and a few weekday evenings after the tree lighting, so you can come back more than once.

What is open or closed on Thanksgiving Day?

Some Orlando museums close on Thanksgiving Day, and LYNX bus service should be checked before you travel, so confirm before you go.

Orlando Science Center lists itself as closed on Thanksgiving Day, per its official site.
Orlando Museum of Art lists "holidays" as closed days on its official hours; Thanksgiving is not named, so call before visiting.
LYNX, Orlando's bus system, did not post a Thanksgiving schedule on its pages we could read. Call 407-841-5969 or check its Service Alerts page.
Theme parks and the Holiday Parade featuring Macy's at Universal Studios Florida run a holiday season that starts in November; Universal's official holidays page lists the season but no parade times, so use the Universal Orlando Resort app.

This year's dates

These dates come from the official sites and apply to Thanksgiving week in 2026. Check each site, as details can change.

Thanksgiving Day: Thursday, November 26, 2026.
Turkey Trot: the 37th Annual Turkey Trot runs 7 to 10 a.m., with day-of registration from 6:30, the costume contest at 7:00, the Turkey Call contest at 7:45, the 5K at 8:00 and the Kids Tot Trot at 9:15.
Fleming's: prix fixe dine-in on November 26 only; take-home bundles available November 20 to 29.
Seasons 52: preorder by Monday, November 23; pickup Wednesday, November 25, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
4 Rivers Smokehouse: order by Saturday, November 21; pickup Wednesday, November 25 (one note on the page says 11/27, so confirm).
Rosen Shingle Creek Cala Bella brunch: Thursday, November 26, noon to 7 p.m.
Dazzling Nights at Leu Gardens: season runs November 20, 2026 to January 3, 2027.
Universal Studios Florida holiday season: November 14, 2026 to January 3, 2027.
Tree Lighting at Lake Eola Park: Friday, December 4, 2026, 5:30 to 9:30 p.m., with the main stage show at 7 p.m.
Merry Market: 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. on December 4, 5, 6, 11, 12, 13, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21 and 22.

How we chose

We picked Orlando events and places that publish Thanksgiving details on their own official sites, and left out anything we could only find on third-party listings. We skipped restaurants whose pages showed no Thanksgiving offer. Where an official page left something out, such as Thanksgiving hours or a Thursday volunteer shift, we say so instead of guessing.

Save this: the local's Thanksgiving checklist

Book your meal or pre-order your take-home turkey before the cutoff dates above.
Register for the Turkey Trot and plan to arrive early at Lake Eola Park.
Book a volunteer shift with Second Harvest or the Orlando Union Rescue Mission now, not on the day.
Buy Dazzling Nights tickets ahead for the long weekend.
Call before visiting any museum on Thursday itself.
Mark early December for the free tree lighting and Merry Market.

For the rest of the year, see our annual events in Orlando calendar and what's on this weekend.

Last verified: November 2026.

Frequently asked questions

Is there a Thanksgiving parade in Orlando?

There is no downtown Orlando Thanksgiving Day parade that we could confirm. The parade tradition is the Holiday Parade featuring Macy's at Universal Studios Florida, which Universal lists as part of its holiday season; check the Universal Orlando Resort app for showtimes.

Where is the Orlando Turkey Trot?

The Seniors First Turkey Trot 5K is held at Lake Eola Park in downtown Orlando, usually on Thanksgiving morning. Register through the link on the Seniors First website.

Which Orlando restaurants offer Thanksgiving take-home meals?

Seasons 52 on Sand Lake Road, Fleming's Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar, and 4 Rivers Smokehouse list take-home or pickup Thanksgiving orders on their official sites. Each has an order deadline, so confirm your Orlando location.

Can you volunteer in Orlando on Thanksgiving?

Yes, through Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida and the Orlando Union Rescue Mission, which both take volunteers. Neither official page promises Thanksgiving Day shifts, so contact them well ahead.

When is the Orlando tree lighting?

The City of Orlando's Tree Lighting Celebration at Lake Eola Park is held in early December and is free. The 2026 event is Friday, December 4.

Thanksgiving in Orlando: Turkey Trot, Dinner and Lights