Thanksgiving in Tennessee: Turkey Trots, Parades and Traditions

At a glance

• When: Thanksgiving Day, the fourth Thursday in November, plus the Friday and Saturday after
• Where: Statewide: Nashville, Chattanooga, Knoxville, Memphis, the Smokies and state parks
• Cost: Turkey trots typically charge a registration fee; parks, the Chattanooga riverfront event and the day-after hikes are typically free or donation-based
• Plan ahead: Most Thanksgiving-morning races start between 8:00 and 9:00 AM; check each official site for this year's times

Thanksgiving in Tennessee is built around the turkey trot: nearly every big city runs a Thanksgiving-morning race, and the lights, parades and park hikes arrive on the Friday after. Nashville, Chattanooga, Knoxville and Memphis all have long-running trots, Great Smoky Mountains National Park is open on the holiday itself, and Chattanooga closes the weekend's first night with a lighted boat parade on the river.

This guide is organized by region (Middle, East, then West Tennessee) and every pick below was checked against an official page. Dates for the current year sit in one section near the end.

How we chose

We kept only events and places we could confirm on an official source: a race organizer, a city or tourism office, the National Park Service or Tennessee State Parks. We dropped anything we could only find on third-party listings, including a few holiday attractions whose official pages did not give a Thanksgiving date. One thing the research turned up: we did not find a Thanksgiving Day parade in Nashville or Chattanooga, so the parade in this guide is a boat parade, and it runs the day after.

Middle Tennessee: Nashville

Nashville's Thanksgiving morning is a choice between three organized races and a hotel dinner.

1. Music City Turkey Trot

The Music City Turkey Trot is a Thanksgiving-morning 5K and 1-mile run organized by Run Nash, starting around 8:00 AM at Nissan Stadium, 1 Titans Way, Nashville. The race page names STARS Nashville as its beneficiary. It is the one to pick if you want a downtown, stadium-side start with a crowd. Register at Run Nash.

2. Nashville Turkey Trot 10 Mile and 5K

The Nashville Turkey Trot is a 10-mile and 5K race benefiting Special Olympics Tennessee, starting and finishing at Wave Country, 2320 Two Rivers Parkway, Nashville. The 5K and 10-mile typically go off at 8:30 AM, with a Kids Dash about fifteen minutes earlier. The 10-mile is the unusual part: most Thanksgiving races stop at a 5K, so this is where Nashville's serious runners go. Details are at TennesseeRuns.

3. Boulevard Bolt

The Boulevard Bolt is a USATF-certified 5-mile Thanksgiving-morning race up and down Belle Meade Boulevard in Nashville, run for more than 30 years, with proceeds going to local agencies working to end homelessness. It typically starts at 8:00 AM, and packet pickup on race day is in the St. George's Episcopal School parking lot, 4715 Harding Pike. The official site is boulevardbolt.org; registration runs through Race Roster.

4. Thanksgiving Day dinner at Gaylord Opryland Resort

Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center, 2800 Opryland Drive, Nashville, lists a chef-prepared Thanksgiving Day meal at its Old Hickory Steakhouse. Marriott's holiday page notes that some peak-date dining reservations are limited to overnight guests, so book early and ask about eligibility. See the resort's holiday page.

5. Day After Thanksgiving Hikes at Tennessee State Parks

Tennessee State Parks hosts Day After Thanksgiving Hikes at many of its parks across all three Grand Divisions, with a free-to-register format and optional donations. Nashville-area parks such as Cedars of Lebanon, east of the city, have offered short, family-friendly versions. Spots are typically limited, so register through the state's reservation calendar. Our guide to Tennessee State Parks helps you choose which park to start with.

East Tennessee: Chattanooga, Knoxville and the Smokies

East Tennessee packs the most into the long weekend: Thursday races, a Friday boat parade, a Saturday half marathon and the Smokies open the whole time.

6. Fitness Central Turkey Trot, Chattanooga

The Fitness Central Turkey Trot is a USATF-certified, chip-timed 4-mile race with a 3-mile family walk or jog and a Kiddie-K, starting at Fitness Central, 6170 Lee Highway, Chattanooga. The Chattanooga Track Club puts it on with Fitness Central, and the race has been run for more than 35 years. The Kiddie-K typically starts first at 8:00 AM, then the 3-mile, then the 4-mile at about 8:30 AM; you can pick up your bib the day before or on race morning. Details are on the Chattanooga Track Club calendar.

7. Reindeer on the Riverfront and Lighted Boat Parade, Chattanooga

Reindeer on the Riverfront and the Lighted Boat Parade is a free event run by River City Company on the Friday after Thanksgiving, with live reindeer, Santa photos, a parade of lit boats on the Tennessee River and fireworks. River City Company says the tradition has run for more than 40 years. This is the closest thing to a Thanksgiving-weekend parade in the state that we could verify. See River City Company for the schedule.

8. Chattanooga Hungry Turkey

The Chattanooga Hungry Turkey is a Saturday-after-Thanksgiving 5K, 10K and half marathon organized by Rhino Running, starting on Tremont Street by Coolidge Park, 400 River Street, Chattanooga. Finishers get a long-sleeve shirt, a medal and fresh donuts. It is the answer if your family is busy Thursday. Details are at Rhino Running.

9. Ruby Falls, Chattanooga

Ruby Falls, 1720 S. Scenic Highway on Lookout Mountain in Chattanooga, runs a Holidays at Ruby Falls season that typically begins the day after Thanksgiving and continues to Christmas Eve. We could not confirm Thanksgiving Day hours, so call ahead if you plan to go that day. See rubyfalls.com.

10. Regal Knoxville Turkey Trot

The Regal Knoxville Turkey Trot is a certified 5K with a Little Gobbler Kid's Run, starting at The Mill and Mine, 227 West Depot Avenue, Knoxville, and benefiting Variety, the Children's Charity of East Tennessee. The kids' run typically starts before the 5K. Register on RunSignup. If you are making a weekend of it, our Knoxville area page covers the rest.

11. Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Great Smoky Mountains National Park is open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, so it is open on Thanksgiving Day. The Tennessee entrances are near Gatlinburg and Townsend. Visitor centers, campgrounds, picnic areas and some secondary roads keep seasonal schedules, so check the park's alerts page before you drive. Entrance to Great Smoky Mountains National Park is free, but the National Park Service requires a parking tag for any car parked more than 15 minutes; a day tag is typically $5. The Cades Cove Loop Road is open sunrise to sunset, and its Wednesday vehicle closure typically runs only May through September, so it is open to cars over Thanksgiving. A walk after the meal is the simplest tradition here. Start at nps.gov/grsm. See Gatlinburg and Townsend for the gateway towns.

12. Pigeon Forge Winterfest

Pigeon Forge Winterfest is the city's holiday-lights season, with more than 10 million lights, and its Christmas Market typically runs on days that include the Friday and Saturday after Thanksgiving. The Wonders of Light Walking Trail is reached from the Municipal Parking Lot at 2936 Teaster Lane, Pigeon Forge. Official details are at mypigeonforge.com. For everything else in town, see our Pigeon Forge family guide.

West Tennessee: Memphis

13. Memphis Turkey Trot

The Memphis Turkey Trot is a Thanksgiving-morning 4-mile run or walk with a 2-mile relay option, starting at the First Horizon Foundation Visitor Center in Shelby Farms Park, Memphis, and benefiting Campbell Clinic Foundation. Every registrant gets a long-sleeve shirt, and finishers medals typically go to the first 2,500 across the line. It starts later than Nashville's races, around 9:00 AM. Register on Race Roster. Our Memphis area page lists what else to do while you are in town.

14. Christmas at Graceland

Graceland, 3717 Elvis Presley Boulevard, Memphis, turns on its holiday lights and runs special Christmas tours for several weeks beginning the weekend before Thanksgiving. Graceland's Christmas page does not list Thanksgiving Day tour hours, so confirm before you go. The Guest House at Graceland, across Elvis Presley Boulevard, holds a Thanksgiving dinner buffet. See Christmas at Graceland.

What food traditions does Tennessee have at Thanksgiving?

The most Tennessee way to skip cooking is a Thanksgiving meal at a state park restaurant. Each November the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) publishes a list of state parks serving Thanksgiving Day meals; recent lists have included Fall Creek Falls, Pickwick Landing, Montgomery Bell, Henry Horton, Paris Landing, Cumberland Mountain and David Crockett state parks. Some take reservations and book up days ahead, while others seat first-come, first-served, so see a past TDEC Thanksgiving meals release for the format and look for the current list in early November.

On the table, Tennessee Vacation's state food guide names country ham and banana pudding among the foods Tennessee is known for. Banana pudding even has its own event: the National Banana Pudding Festival in Centerville, Tennessee, held each October.

This year's dates

These dates come from the official pages named above. Confirm each before you go, because start times and prices can change.

• Thursday, November 26, 2026: Music City Turkey Trot (8:00 AM), Nashville Turkey Trot (5K and 10-mile at 8:30 AM, Kids Dash 8:15 AM), Boulevard Bolt (8:00 AM), Fitness Central Turkey Trot (Kiddie-K 8:00 AM, 3-mile 8:15 AM, 4-mile 8:30 AM; early packet pickup Wednesday, November 25, 2:00 to 6:00 PM), Regal Knoxville Turkey Trot (Little Gobbler 8:00 AM, 5K 8:45 AM) and Memphis Turkey Trot (9:00 AM).
• Friday, November 27, 2026: Reindeer on the Riverfront and Lighted Boat Parade in Chattanooga (4:00 to 8:00 PM at Coolidge Park; boat parade at 7:00 PM, fireworks at 8:00 PM). Day After Thanksgiving Hikes at many Tennessee State Parks. Holidays at Ruby Falls runs from November 27 to December 24.
• Saturday, November 28, 2026: Chattanooga Hungry Turkey (half marathon 8:00 AM, 5K and 10K 8:30 AM).
• Through the holiday season: Pigeon Forge Winterfest is scheduled from November 6, 2026 to January 31, 2027. Christmas at Graceland opens with its Holiday Lighting Ceremony on Thursday, November 19, 2026; check graceland.com for the closing date of the Christmas tours.

Save this: a Thanksgiving weekend route

1. Wednesday: pick up your bib early if your race offers it (Chattanooga's Fitness Central race does), and book any dinner reservation.
2. Thursday morning: run or walk a turkey trot in the city you are in.
3. Thursday afternoon: take a short walk in Great Smoky Mountains National Park or a state park.
4. Friday: join a Day After Thanksgiving Hike in the morning; in Chattanooga, end at Coolidge Park for the boat parade.
5. Saturday: drive to Pigeon Forge for Winterfest, or run the Hungry Turkey in Chattanooga.

For other weekend plans, see events this weekend and our best things to do in Tennessee.

Last verified: November 2026.

Frequently asked questions

Is there a Thanksgiving Day parade in Tennessee?

We did not find a Thanksgiving Day parade in Nashville or Chattanooga. The closest verified event is Chattanooga's free Lighted Boat Parade, held on the Friday after Thanksgiving as part of Reindeer on the Riverfront.

What are the biggest turkey trots in Tennessee?

The main Thanksgiving-morning races are the Music City Turkey Trot and Nashville Turkey Trot in Nashville, the Fitness Central Turkey Trot in Chattanooga, the Regal Knoxville Turkey Trot and the Memphis Turkey Trot at Shelby Farms Park. We have not ranked them by size.

Are Tennessee state parks open on Thanksgiving?

Many Tennessee State Parks are active over Thanksgiving: several park restaurants serve Thanksgiving Day meals, and many parks hold free-to-register Day After Thanksgiving Hikes on the Friday. Park offices keep their own holiday schedules, so check the park page first.

Is Great Smoky Mountains National Park open on Thanksgiving Day?

Yes. The National Park Service says Great Smoky Mountains National Park is open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, though visitor centers, campgrounds and some roads follow seasonal schedules.

Where can I see Christmas lights the weekend after Thanksgiving in Tennessee?

Pigeon Forge Winterfest, Christmas at Graceland in Memphis and Chattanooga's Reindeer on the Riverfront all fall around Thanksgiving weekend. Dates change each year, so check each official site.