Things To Do

Thanksgiving in Pittsburgh: Turkey Trot, Dinner and Light Up Night

Date Published

Illustration of Thanksgiving in Pittsburgh with a turkey trot, holiday tree and skyline

At a glance

  • Where: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: North Shore, Downtown, the Strip District, Oakland and Highland Park
  • When: Thanksgiving Day is the fourth Thursday of November; Light Up Night is usually the weekend before it
  • Cost: Free to watch Light Up Night; Turkey Trot, rink, dinners and Phipps are ticketed (see the official sites)
  • Transit: Pittsburgh Regional Transit runs holiday schedules on Thanksgiving Day; check rideprt.org

A good Thanksgiving in Pittsburgh runs on three beats: a Thursday-morning race on the North Shore, a sit-down or take-home dinner Downtown or in the Strip District, and a long weekend that opens the holiday season with Highmark Light Up Night, ice skating and light displays. This guide groups the picks by when they happen, so you can build your own day.

One honest note first: we found no official Thanksgiving Day parade in the City of Pittsburgh. The city's big holiday kickoff is Light Up Night, which usually lands on the weekend before Thanksgiving, not on the day itself.

What happens on Thanksgiving morning in Pittsburgh?

The main Thursday-morning event is the YMCA of Greater Pittsburgh Turkey Trot, a Thanksgiving-morning race organized by P3R, the group behind the Pittsburgh Marathon. Several suburbs run their own smaller trots too.

1. YMCA of Greater Pittsburgh Turkey Trot (North Shore)

The Turkey Trot is a Thanksgiving-morning race with several distances, typically a 5 Mile, a 5K, a Double Gobble (both races back to back) and a 1 Mile Family Fun Run. Bib pickup for the race is at PNC Park, 115 Federal Street, on the North Shore, in the days before and on race morning. Proceeds go to YMCA food pantries and the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank, so your entry feeds people the same day you eat. Register at p3r.org.

Worth knowing: the longer races start earlier than the 5K, so check your start time on the official page before you set an alarm.

2. UPMC Rink at PPG Place (Downtown)

The UPMC Rink at PPG Place, 4 PPG Place, is an outdoor skating rink among the glass towers of Downtown. It typically opens for the season in mid-November and posts special Thanksgiving Day hours on its site. Skating is a good way to burn off the morning's second helping. Hours, tickets and skate rental are on therinkatppgplace.com.

Where can you eat Thanksgiving dinner in Pittsburgh?

Several Downtown restaurants and one Strip District bakery confirm Thanksgiving meals on their own sites. Menus and prices change each year, so treat the details below as what each place typically does and confirm before you book.

3. Morton's The Steakhouse (Downtown)

Morton's The Steakhouse, 625 Liberty Avenue in Downtown Pittsburgh, has offered a set multi-course Thanksgiving dinner built around roasted turkey, served on the day only. Reservations are strongly recommended. Book through mortons.com or call (412) 261-7141.

4. fl.2 at the Fairmont Pittsburgh (Downtown)

fl.2, on the second floor of the Fairmont Pittsburgh at 510 Market Street, runs an all-day Thanksgiving menu where each entrée is priced on its own, including a heritage turkey plate with stuffing and gravy, plus pumpkin and pecan pies for dessert. It is a good pick for a smaller table that wants to order its own courses. Reserve through the restaurant's Thanksgiving page or call 412-773-8848.

5. Pane è Pronto (Strip District)

Pane è Pronto, 2627 Penn Avenue in the Strip District, sells a Thanksgiving meal kit that you reheat at home: a choice of mains such as fennel-rosemary turkey breast or porchetta, with sides such as cacio e pepe mashed potatoes and a sausage, spinach and apple stuffing. It is packed cold, and pickup is the day before Thanksgiving. Order on the bakery's Thanksgiving page or call 412-815-3300.

For more places to eat year-round, browse our food and dining listings.

How can you give back on Thanksgiving in Pittsburgh?

The clearest ways to help are volunteering or donating through the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank and Light of Life Rescue Mission, both of which post details on their own sites.

6. Light of Life Rescue Mission (North Side)

Light of Life Rescue Mission, with its Voeghtly Street Shelter on the North Side of Pittsburgh, hosts a Thanksgiving meal at the shelter and distributes Thanksgiving dinner boxes. Its site has volunteer sign-up at lightoflife.org and a donation link, or call 412.258.6100. Sign up well ahead: holiday shifts are the first to fill.

7. Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank

The Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank is headquartered at 1 N. Linden Street in Duquesne, just outside the city line, and runs volunteer shifts for individuals and groups. Its seasonal Holiday Market, a Photos with Santa fundraiser, sets up in the Heinz Hall Courtyard in Downtown Pittsburgh. Volunteer sign-ups are at pittsburghfoodbank.org. Its site lists no dedicated Thanksgiving Day shifts, so plan a volunteer day for the week before or after.

What is there to do on the Thanksgiving weekend in Pittsburgh?

The long weekend is when the city switches on its holiday lights, and most of it is concentrated Downtown, in Oakland and in Highland Park.

8. Highmark Light Up Night (Downtown)

Highmark Light Up Night is Downtown Pittsburgh's annual holiday kickoff, usually held the weekend before Thanksgiving. It brings the official city tree lighting, fireworks, light shows, food trucks and a vendor market to Grant Street and the surrounding Downtown blocks. The organizer, the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership, posts the schedule on downtownpittsburgh.com. Come early: it is a big crowd, and the best spots by the tree fill up well ahead of the lighting.

9. Holidays at the City-County Building (Downtown)

The City of Pittsburgh's official Christmas tree stands at the City-County Building, 414 Grant Street, and is lit on Light Up Night. Inside, in the grand lobby, is an annual gingerbread display. Details are on the City of Pittsburgh's holiday page. The City of Pittsburgh has held its official tree lighting ceremony more than 110 times, so when you watch it on Grant Street you are joining a tradition your great-grandparents could have seen.

10. Phipps Holiday Magic (Oakland)

Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens, One Schenley Park in Oakland, stages Holiday Magic, its winter flower and light show. It typically opens in the days before Thanksgiving, and all tickets, member and nonmember, must be reserved in advance, so book your weekend slot early and check the site for Thanksgiving Day hours. Book at phipps.conservatory.org.

11. Zoo Lights Drive-Thru at the Pittsburgh Zoo & Aquarium (Highland Park)

The Pittsburgh Zoo & Aquarium, 7370 Baker Street in Highland Park, runs a Zoo Lights drive-thru in the evenings, typically opening on Thanksgiving weekend and running into early January. Check hours and tickets at pittsburghzoo.org.

What is open and closed on Thanksgiving Day in Pittsburgh?

Most major museums and attractions close on Thanksgiving Day, but public transit and one famous view keep running.

12. Pittsburgh Regional Transit

Pittsburgh Regional Transit (PRT) runs buses on a Sunday schedule and the light rail, The T, on a holiday rail schedule on Thanksgiving Day, and its customer service line is typically open limited hours on the day. Check the PRT holiday schedules page or call 412-442-2000 before you plan a trip.

13. Duquesne Incline (Mount Washington)

The Duquesne Incline, lower station at 1197 West Carson Street and upper station at 1220 Grandview Avenue, advertises that it is open 365 days a year, typically 6:30 a.m. to 12:30 a.m. That makes a post-dinner ride up Mount Washington for the skyline view one of the easiest Thanksgiving Day plans. Details are at duquesneincline.org.

The museums are a different story. Based on their official sites, the Senator John Heinz History Center, Carnegie Museum of Natural History, Carnegie Museum of Art, and The Andy Warhol Museum are all closed on Thanksgiving Day. Phipps and the Pittsburgh Zoo & Aquarium do not spell out their Thanksgiving hours, so check their sites or call before you go.

This year's dates

Thanksgiving Day 2026 is Thursday, November 26. These dates come from each organizer's official site as of this writing, so confirm before you go.

  • YMCA Turkey Trot (36th annual): Thursday, November 26. The 5 Mile and Double Gobble start at 7:30 a.m., the 5K at 8:30 a.m. and the 1 Mile Family Fun Run at 9:30 a.m. Bib pickup is November 24 and 25 at PNC Park and on race morning.
  • UPMC Rink at PPG Place: Season opens Sunday, November 15; open Thanksgiving Day from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.
  • Morton's The Steakhouse: Thanksgiving dinner Thursday, November 26, 12 to 8 p.m., listed at $72 per person before tax and gratuity.
  • fl.2 at the Fairmont Pittsburgh: Thanksgiving menu noon to 8 p.m.; the heritage turkey is listed at $48.
  • Pane è Pronto: Meal kit pickup Wednesday, November 25, 12 to 5 p.m.; listed at $88 for two servings and $166 for four.
  • Light of Life Rescue Mission: Thanksgiving meal at the Voeghtly Street Shelter on November 26, 12 to 6 p.m.; the mission plans to serve more than 1,000 meals there and to hand out 3,000 dinner boxes.
  • Highmark Light Up Night: Saturday, November 21. The City tree lighting festivities start at 4 p.m., with the tree lighting, fireworks and light show at 5 p.m. It is the city's 113th official tree lighting, and the gingerbread display is the 24th annual.
  • Phipps Holiday Magic: Opens Friday, November 20; advance reservations required.
  • Zoo Lights Drive-Thru: November 27 through January 3, 5 to 10 p.m.
  • PRT: Sunday bus schedule and holiday rail schedule on November 26.

How we chose

We started with the events and restaurants Pittsburghers actually talk about at this time of year, then checked each one against its own official site. We kept only places inside the City of Pittsburgh, apart from one flagged exception (the Food Bank's Duquesne headquarters). We dropped restaurants whose own sites did not confirm Thanksgiving service at the Pittsburgh location, and we give prices only where the official page does. Menus and prices change, so confirm before you book.

Your Thanksgiving week checklist

  1. Register for the Turkey Trot (or pick a suburban trot) and note your bib pickup slot.
  2. Book your dinner reservation or order your meal kit early; take-home pickup is usually the day before.
  3. Reserve Phipps Holiday Magic tickets in advance for the weekend.
  4. Sign up for a volunteer shift with Light of Life or the Food Bank.
  5. Plan Saturday Downtown for Light Up Night and arrive early.
  6. Check the PRT holiday schedule before you head out on Thursday.
  7. Finish with the Duquesne Incline for the skyline.

Last verified: November 2026.

Frequently asked questions

Is there a Thanksgiving parade in Pittsburgh?

We found no official Thanksgiving Day parade in the City of Pittsburgh. The city's holiday kickoff is Highmark Light Up Night, usually the weekend before Thanksgiving, with a tree lighting, fireworks and light shows Downtown.

Is there a Turkey Trot in Pittsburgh?

Yes. The YMCA of Greater Pittsburgh Turkey Trot is held on Thanksgiving morning, with bib pickup at PNC Park on the North Shore. It typically offers a 5 Mile, a 5K, a Double Gobble combining both, and a 1 Mile Family Fun Run.

What is open in Pittsburgh on Thanksgiving Day?

Pittsburgh Regional Transit runs holiday schedules, the Duquesne Incline advertises that it is open every day of the year, and the UPMC Rink at PPG Place posts Thanksgiving Day skating hours. The Heinz History Center, the Carnegie museums of Natural History and Art, and The Andy Warhol Museum are closed.

When is Light Up Night in Pittsburgh?

Highmark Light Up Night is usually held on the weekend before Thanksgiving in Downtown Pittsburgh. In 2026 it is Saturday, November 21, with the City tree lighting and fireworks at 5 p.m. per the official city page.

Where can I get a Thanksgiving meal to go in Pittsburgh?

Pane è Pronto in the Strip District sells a reheat-at-home Thanksgiving meal kit with pickup the day before Thanksgiving. Order through its website or by phone at 412-815-3300.

How can I volunteer on Thanksgiving in Pittsburgh?

Light of Life Rescue Mission on the North Side takes volunteers for its Thanksgiving meal through its website. The Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank also lists volunteer shifts for individuals and groups.