Thanksgiving in San Antonio: Parades, Turkey Trots and Dinner

At a glance

• Where: Downtown San Antonio, Southtown, the Northwest Side and La Cantera
• When: Thursday morning runs, the meal, then the River Walk lighting the day after Thanksgiving
• Cost: Races charge entry fees, the Raul Jimenez dinner is a community meal, the lighting parade is a public event; check each official site

Thanksgiving in San Antonio, Texas, usually runs like this: a charity turkey trot on Thursday morning, a big meal at home, at a restaurant or at a community dinner, and the River Walk lighting parade on the evening after Thanksgiving. That Friday-night parade is the real start of the holiday season downtown. Everything below returns every year, and the dates for the current year are in one section near the end.

In San Antonio, Thanksgiving ends when the River Walk lights come on the next night.

How we chose

Every pick below is something we confirmed on its own official site or registration page: a city or venue page, a charity page or an official race page. We left out places we could only find in roundups. Where an official page was silent about Thanksgiving, we say so instead of guessing. Prices, menus and start times are not listed unless the official page gave them, so check each link before you go.

Thursday morning: what to do before the meal

The morning belongs to the turkey trots and the volunteers. Two races return most years, and one very large community dinner needs hands.

San Antonio Food Bank Turkey Trot 5K Run and Walk

Where: the Commander's House at H-E-B Arsenal, 622 S. Flores St., on the southern edge of downtown near Southtown.

The San Antonio Food Bank hosts its Turkey Trot 5K Run and Walk on Thanksgiving morning, and the race supports the Food Bank's hunger-relief work. The official event page for the current year lists a morning window of roughly 8:30 to 11:30 AM, and the race is billed as a run and walk, so you do not have to race it. Register through the Food Bank's event page and check it for current pricing and any road closures around the Arsenal.

SARR Turkey Trot 4-Miler

Where: The Rim Trailhead, 17612 Vance Jackson Rd, on the Northwest Side.

The San Antonio Roadrunners run a Thanksgiving Day Turkey Trot with a timed 4-miler, an untimed 2-miler and a kids Pumpkin Dash. For the current year the official RunSignup page lists the kids dash at 8:15 AM, the 4-miler at 8:30 AM and the 2-miler at 8:35 AM. The page also has a volunteer link. Pick this one if you live north or northwest and do not want to drive downtown.

Raul Jimenez Thanksgiving Dinner

Where: Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center, 900 E. Market St., downtown.

The Raul Jimenez Thanksgiving Dinner is a free community meal held on Thanksgiving Day at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center in downtown San Antonio, and it runs on volunteers. The official site lists doors at 9 AM, an all-faith worship service at 10 AM, and food service, entertainment and dancing from 10:30 AM to 3:30 PM for the current year. The site's sign-up button leads to Volunteer San Antonio, so that is where you register to help. Questions go to the email address on the official dinner site.

The meal: where to eat or order

For the meal itself, the two options we could confirm on official sites are a take-home feast from a San Antonio barbecue chain and a steakhouse in La Cantera. Plan early either way.

Bill Miller Bar-B-Q take-home meals

Where: multiple San Antonio locations; use the store locator on the Bill Miller Bar-B-Q site.

Bill Miller Bar-B-Q sells pre-ordered Thanksgiving meals through its holiday ordering page. The official page lists a cold whole turkey hen that serves eight to ten, with cornbread dressing and giblet gravy, plus family packs picked up cold and Hot Party Packs picked up hot. The detail that catches people: the official FAQ says no orders can be picked up on Thanksgiving Day itself, so your pickup is the day before. Order and pickup deadlines are in the dates section below, and the holiday ordering page has the rest.

Perry's Steakhouse and Grille

Where: 15900 La Cantera Parkway, Suite 22200, in the La Cantera district.

The San Antonio page for Perry's Steakhouse and Grille carries a banner for Thanksgiving dine-in and to-go pickup. The linked Thanksgiving specials page is chain-wide and does not name a location, so it does not prove the San Antonio menu, hours or prices. Call the La Cantera restaurant to confirm what it serves on Thanksgiving Day, then book. Start at the Perry's San Antonio page.

Not on this list on purpose

Biga on the Banks, the downtown River Walk restaurant at 203 S. Saint Mary's St., marked its Thanksgiving brunch sold out on its official site, and we found no take-home meal there. Mi Tierra Café y Panadería on Produce Row in Market Square lists no holiday hours on its operator's site. Neither is a confirmed Thanksgiving pick, so call before planning around them. For everyday options, see our food and dining listings.

The long weekend: when the season starts

The holiday season opens downtown on Friday evening and spreads into December. These are the traditions that return each year.

Ford Holiday River Parade and River Walk lighting

Where: along the San Antonio River Walk in Downtown.

The Ford Holiday River Parade and Lighting Ceremony on the San Antonio River Walk is held the day after Thanksgiving. The official River Walk page says the parade starts at the Tobin Center and that about 200,000 holiday lights then glow from dusk to dawn through early January. The floats are on the river itself, so you watch from the banks: reserved seats are sold online, and a free first-come area sits on the east side of the River Walk between Pecan Street and Richmond Avenue. The live broadcast comes from the Arneson River Theatre in La Villita. Arrive early; the free area fills. The River Walk itself grew out of flood control: the official River Walk history page traces it to the deadly 1921 flood and the bypass channel that followed.

H-E-B Christmas Tree Lighting at Travis Park

Where: Travis Park, 301 E. Travis St., downtown.

The City of San Antonio's holiday release for the previous season describes a free tree lighting at Travis Park on the day after Thanksgiving, with festivities from 4 to 7 PM and the lighting at 6 PM, plus live entertainment, food trucks, Santa and free VIA rides. We could not find an official page for the current year, so treat the pattern as usual timing and watch the City of San Antonio holiday news release for the next one. It pairs neatly with the River Walk parade the same evening.

Holidays on Houston Street

Where: the market at La Villita Historic Arts Village, downtown.

Holidays on Houston Street is a downtown holiday program that includes a market, a dinner and a 5K. Its official event page puts the market on the first and third weekends of December rather than Thanksgiving weekend, so save it for the weekends after. Hours listed for the market are Fridays noon to 10 PM, Saturdays 10 AM to 10 PM and Sundays 10 AM to 6 PM.

Six Flags Fiesta Texas Holiday in the Park

Where: 17000 IH-10 West, in the La Cantera area on the Northwest Side.

Six Flags Fiesta Texas runs Holiday in the Park on select dates starting in late November and running into early January. The official Holiday in the Park page says most rides, shows and light displays are included with park admission. Daily hours are on the park's calendar page, so check it before you drive out.

How can you volunteer around Thanksgiving?

The fastest ways to volunteer are the Raul Jimenez dinner, the turkey trots and the Food Bank. All three list volunteer links on their official pages, listed above. Haven for Hope, the downtown homeless-services campus at 1 Haven for Hope Way, runs a volunteer center on weekdays. Its official volunteer page lists group service Monday to Friday, 9 AM to 5 PM, and the Volunteer Center open Monday to Friday, 8 AM to 4 PM, by phone at 210-220-2590. The page has no Thanksgiving-specific shifts and says its meals are provided by partners, so ask about in-kind donations or weekday slots instead of showing up on the holiday.

What is open or closed on Thanksgiving Day?

Expect many shops and offices to close on Thanksgiving Day, and verify any attraction or bus route before you leave. We could not confirm holiday schedules for several places. The Alamo at 300 Alamo Plaza lists daily hours of 9 AM to 5:30 PM and names only Christmas Day as a closure, which does not prove it is open on Thanksgiving. San Antonio Zoo at 3903 N. St. Mary's Street shows regular daily hours of 9 AM to 5 PM without a Thanksgiving note. VIA Metropolitan Transit runs a Sunday schedule on Thanksgiving Day, according to its service alerts page, and its goLine information line and customer centers are closed that day, so plan your trip the day before. Bad weather can also change plans; see our weather page.

This year's dates

Thanksgiving Day falls on Thursday, November 26, 2026. These dates come from the official pages named above and can change.

• Thursday, November 26: San Antonio Food Bank Turkey Trot 5K, roughly 8:30 to 11:30 AM. SARR Turkey Trot, kids dash 8:15 AM, 4-miler 8:30 AM, 2-miler 8:35 AM. Raul Jimenez Thanksgiving Dinner, doors at 9 AM, food service 10:30 AM to 3:30 PM. VIA buses run a Sunday schedule.
• Monday, November 23 and Wednesday, November 25: Bill Miller Bar-B-Q lists orders closing at 8 PM on Monday and pickups before 7 PM on Wednesday.
• Friday, November 27: Ford Holiday River Parade at 6 PM, with the live broadcast at 7:05 PM from the Arneson River Theatre, then the River Walk lighting.
• December 4 to 6 and December 18 to 20: Holidays on Houston Street market weekends, per its official page, which says planning is still underway.
• From November 21, 2026 through January 4, 2027: Six Flags Fiesta Texas Holiday in the Park, on select dates.

What should be on your Thanksgiving week checklist?

Screenshot this one and work down it from Monday to Friday.

1. Register for a turkey trot early, or sign up to volunteer.
2. Place your Bill Miller Bar-B-Q order and plan a Wednesday pickup, or call Perry's in La Cantera to book.
3. Remember VIA runs a Sunday schedule on Thanksgiving Day, and check and your attraction's holiday hours the day before.
4. Friday evening: Travis Park tree lighting, then walk to the River Walk for the parade.
5. Stay for the lights, which burn from dusk to dawn into January.
6. Put the December market weekends in your calendar.

For more to do, see our events calendar and this weekend's events. Browse by neighborhood on our areas page.

Last verified: November 2026.

Frequently asked questions

Is there a Thanksgiving Day parade in San Antonio?

The big parade is the Ford Holiday River Parade, which is usually held the evening after Thanksgiving rather than on the day. It runs on the San Antonio River Walk as the Ford Holiday River Parade and Lighting Ceremony. We did not find an official Thanksgiving morning parade.

What turkey trots happen in San Antonio on Thanksgiving?

The San Antonio Food Bank Turkey Trot 5K Run and Walk, downtown at the Commander's House at H-E-B Arsenal, and the San Antonio Roadrunners Turkey Trot, at The Rim Trailhead on the Northwest Side, both return on Thanksgiving morning. Check each official registration page for the current year's times.

When do the River Walk Christmas lights come on?

The San Antonio River Walk holiday lights start with the Ford Holiday River Parade and Lighting Ceremony, held the day after Thanksgiving. About 200,000 lights then stay lit from dusk to dawn through early January, according to the official River Walk page.

Where can I get a take-home Thanksgiving meal in San Antonio?

Bill Miller Bar-B-Q sells pre-ordered take-home Thanksgiving meals at its San Antonio locations, including a cold whole turkey that serves eight to ten. Orders close before the holiday and its FAQ says there is no pickup on Thanksgiving Day, so order early.

Is there a free Thanksgiving dinner in San Antonio?

Yes. The Raul Jimenez Thanksgiving Dinner is a free community meal held on Thanksgiving Day at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center downtown. Its official site lists food service from 10:30 AM to 3:30 PM for the current year and offers volunteer sign-up through Volunteer San Antonio.