Thanksgiving in Palo Alto

Thanksgiving in Palo Alto is a quiet, at-home holiday. Stanford students scatter, the public schools close for the whole week and the downtown streets empty out on Thursday afternoon. What is left is a pleasant long weekend for anyone who stays: a race to work up an appetite, a short list of dining rooms that cook the whole meal for you, free community dinners for neighbors who need one and two farmers markets on the weekend after.

This guide covers Thanksgiving 2026, which falls on Thursday, November 26. We name races, restaurants and community meals only where we confirmed them with the organizer or local press. We also flag what still needs checking. For the rest of the month, see our November guide.

Thanksgiving week at a glance

Turkey Trot runs

Silicon Valley Turkey Trot, San Jose

The biggest Thanksgiving race in the area is the Applied Materials Silicon Valley Turkey Trot in downtown San Jose. The Silicon Valley Leadership Group Foundation founded and produces it and bills it as America's largest Thanksgiving Day race. The 2026 race is on Thursday, November 26. According to the registration page, the 5K run or walk and the 10K run both start at 8:30 a.m. at West Santa Clara Street and North First Street. A Kids Fun Run for ages 2 to 7 starts at 10:15 a.m. in a Kids Fun Zone at Arena Green West that opens at 9 a.m.

Entry for the 5K or 10K was listed at $55 including fees, with prices rising after October 30, 2026. The Kids Fun Run was $27.50. A virtual option runs through December 6 for anyone who would rather jog around the Baylands. All proceeds go to four nonprofits: Healthier Kids Foundation, HomeFirst, Second Harvest of Silicon Valley and Second Harvest Food Bank Santa Cruz County. Race times are subject to change, so check the official race page before you set an alarm.

Downtown San Jose is about 20 miles from Palo Alto. Driving is simplest on Thanksgiving morning. Caltrain runs a weekend schedule on Thursday, November 26, per its 2026 holiday service page. Check the first southbound departures before you count on the train for an 8:30 a.m. start. Our San Jose guide covers parking and the downtown core.

Closer to home

We could not confirm a 2026 Thanksgiving morning race inside Palo Alto. If you just want a holiday run, the flat loops at the Baylands and the paved Dish trail in the foothills are popular on Thanksgiving morning. Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District docents have also led holiday-themed hikes at Rancho San Antonio, so check Midpen's activity calendar. Our running routes guide lists distances.

Restaurants with Thanksgiving menus

Most independent Palo Alto restaurants close on Thanksgiving Day or serve their regular menu to a thin crowd. The places that reliably publish a Thanksgiving menu are the big hotel dining rooms. Two near Palo Alto had posted plans for 2026 when we checked.

Four Seasons Silicon Valley, East Palo Alto

The Four Seasons at 2050 University Avenue in East Palo Alto, just across San Francisquito Creek from Crescent Park, published a Rustic Harvest Thanksgiving Brunch at its Quattro restaurant for November 26, 2026. The spread includes a seafood station, a carving station, several entrées and a dessert buffet. The listed price is $220 per adult and $85 per child, with reservations through OpenTable. The hotel also sells a whole turkey dinner to go with sides and pumpkin pie: $482 for four to five people or $589 for six to eight. Orders close November 20 and pickup at Quattro runs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day.

Madera at Rosewood Sand Hill, Menlo Park

Rosewood Sand Hill's holiday page lists a four-course Thanksgiving dinner at Madera, its restaurant with a view of the Santa Cruz Mountains. The page did not show a 2026 price or seating times when we checked, so book through the hotel's site. Our Rosewood Sand Hill guide has more on the property.

Other ideas

Some Palo Alto restaurants post a holiday prix fixe each year and others decide in November. Check the websites of your favorite places in early November and book as soon as menus appear. Our fine dining guide is a good place to start. Grocery stores and bakeries around town take orders for pies and sides well before the holiday, so order by the middle of November.

Community meals and giving back

Several free Thanksgiving meals on the Midpeninsula have run for many years. Hosts change their plans from year to year, so confirm 2026 details with each one.

• Ristorante Don Giovanni, Mountain View. Owner John Akkaya has served a free Thanksgiving Day meal at 235 Castro Street for decades. KRON reported in 2023 that the tradition had run for 35 years and that about 1,500 people came for turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, yams and cranberry sauce. It is open to everyone. See our Castro Street guide for the street.
• Palo Alto Community Thanksgiving Meal. In past years this meal was served at All Saints Episcopal Church, 555 Waverley Street, with support from LifeMoves and Downtown Streets Team, plus leftovers and bag lunches the next day. Downtown Streets Team has since closed: the group ended all operations on October 31, 2025. We could not confirm the 2026 plan. Our homelessness services guide lists the groups still working in Palo Alto.
• St. Anthony's Padua Dining Room, Menlo Park. The dining room at 3500 Middlefield Road has served about 1,000 Thanksgiving meals in past years. Holiday volunteer shifts there have filled early.

Thanksgiving volunteer slots are the hardest to get. Most groups would rather have help on an ordinary Tuesday in February. Our volunteering guide lists food programs that need people all year.

What is open and closed

Palo Alto does not shut down on Thanksgiving, but a lot pauses.

• Schools: PAUSD is out from Monday, November 23 to Friday, November 27, 2026. Stanford also breaks for the week.
• Ice skating: The Winter Lodge is closed on Thanksgiving Day, November 26. It is open the rest of the weekend. Holiday sessions sell out, so buy tickets online in advance.
• City services: City offices and libraries normally close on Thanksgiving. Check the city's website for the Friday schedule.
• Shops: Stores at Stanford Shopping Center set their own holiday hours for Thanksgiving Day and Black Friday. The center posts them on its site in November.
• Transit: Caltrain's 2026 holiday page lists a weekend schedule on Thursday, November 26 and a modified schedule on Friday, November 27. See our Caltrain guide and check the agency's timetable.
• Farmers markets: Both markets run year-round, so the downtown market on Saturday, November 28 and the California Avenue market on Sunday, November 29 should go ahead as usual.

The long weekend

The weekend after Thanksgiving is a good time to see the town without the usual crowds. On Saturday, November 28, Stanford closes its 2026 home football schedule against SMU at Stanford Stadium. Caltrain said Stanford station would not open for 2026 games, so ride to Palo Alto station and walk. Our Stanford sports guide covers tickets.

Families with young kids can also look at the Turkey Toss at the Hiller Aviation Museum in San Carlos on Wednesday, November 25. By the following weekend the holiday season is in full swing, with the Lytton Plaza tree lighting on Friday, December 4. Our holiday season guide picks up from there.

Frequently asked questions