Thanksgiving in Napa: Turkey Trot, Dinner and Holiday Lights

At a glance

• Where: Napa, California: Napa Valley College, Downtown Napa and Carneros
• Thursday morning: Napa Valley Turkey Chase, a 10K and 5K that usually runs on Thanksgiving morning
• The week's kickoff: Downtown tree lighting at Veterans Park, held every year during Thanksgiving week
• Public transit: VINE Transit does not run on Thanksgiving Day
• Cost: Race registration and holiday meals vary; check each official site before you go

Thanksgiving in Napa starts with the Napa Valley Turkey Chase, a 10K and 5K at Napa Valley College on Thanksgiving morning. Dinner options include a four-course feast at La Toque and take-home meals from Carneros Resort and Spa, and the holiday season opens downtown with a tree lighting and a Christmas parade. VINE Transit, the local bus system, does not run on the day itself.

This guide groups everything by when it happens: Thursday morning, the meal, and the long weekend. Napa's holiday calendar is compact and walkable, so it is easy to stack two or three of these into one trip.

How we chose

Every pick below is in Napa, California (Carneros Resort and Spa and di Rosa sit in the Carneros area just outside city limits, with Napa addresses), and each was checked against its own official site or the official event listing. If a restaurant's site did not mention Thanksgiving, it is not in this guide. Exact dates for the current year sit in one section near the end; everything else describes what returns every year and its usual timing.

What happens on Thanksgiving morning?

The main Thanksgiving morning event in Napa is the Napa Valley Turkey Chase, a timed race that usually runs on Thanksgiving morning.

Napa Valley Turkey Chase (Soscol Gateway)

The course starts at Lower Lot J of Napa Valley College, 2277 Napa Vallejo Highway, in the Soscol Gateway area. Both the 10K and the 5K run on a paved course around the college and along the Napa River Trail. Registration goes through RunSignup, and the price steps up in the days before the race, so sign up early. The registration page does not name a charity, so we are not claiming one.

Tip: the 5K starts about 15 minutes after the 10K, which makes it simple to run with someone who picked the longer distance.

Where can you eat Thanksgiving dinner in Napa?

Several Napa restaurants and resorts serve Thanksgiving dinner or sell take-home meals, and each one confirms it on its own site. Reservations or advance orders are the norm, so book ahead.

La Toque (Downtown)

La Toque, at 1314 McKinstry Street, has served a four-course Thanksgiving Day Feast for nearly three decades. Seatings run in the afternoon rather than the evening, and the site lists optional wine pairings and a children's menu. The detail we like: each guest is sent home with a turkey sandwich, which solves the question of what to eat on Friday. The menu is announced each year, so check latoque.com for the current one.

Carneros Resort and Spa: MARKET, FARM and Boon Fly Cafe (Carneros)

Carneros Resort and Spa, at 4048 Sonoma Highway in the Carneros area just outside Napa city limits, has two ways to do the holiday. MARKET sells a take-home Thanksgiving at Home meal: either a full dinner for six with turkey, sides, Parker House rolls, gravy and cranberry relish, or a Just the Fixings package of sides only. Wine pairings and house-made pies can be added. Orders close several days before Thanksgiving, so do not wait until the week of.

If you would rather sit down, the resort's Thanksgiving page also lists a family-style feast at FARM Restaurant and Bar and a Thanksgiving option at Boon Fly Cafe. Book through the resort's reservation links.

Angèle Restaurant and Bar (Downtown)

Angèle Restaurant and Bar, at 540 Main Street in Downtown Napa, posts a Thanksgiving banner on its homepage with a menu and booking link for a dine-in dinner. The site did not list the details we could quote, so open the menu and the booking page before you plan around it.

For everything else in the city, browse the Napa dining listings and call ahead. Many restaurants have holiday hours or are closed for the day.

What opens the holiday season on Thanksgiving weekend?

Napa's holiday season starts with a downtown tree lighting during Thanksgiving week and runs through an early-December parade, with a craft fair, a Christmas tree lot and a holiday lights trolley in between.

Christmas tree lighting at Veterans Park (Downtown)

The Downtown Napa Association (DoNapa) lights the city Christmas tree at Veterans Park in Downtown every year during Thanksgiving week and bills it as the start of the holiday celebrations. It is a short, local evening that works as a warm-up for the weekend. DoNapa's events page is where the official start time appears, so check it that week.

Napa Christmas Parade (Downtown)

The Napa Christmas Parade in Downtown Napa usually runs on a Saturday in early December, with floats assembling around 3 pm and the parade itself starting at 5 pm. It starts at Second and School Streets and runs east on Second, south on Brown, west on Third and back to School Street. Santa visits the Napa Valley Welcome Center afterward. The parade is not on Thanksgiving weekend, so plan for the following one. It is cancelled in bad weather.

Napa Valley Wine Trolley Holiday Lights Tour (Downtown)

The Napa Valley Wine Trolley runs an annual Holiday Lights Tour from Downtown Napa in December, listed on DoNapa's events page. It typically runs on weekend evenings; check the trolley's booking page for times and tickets before you go.

Steve's Trees and the Gifts and Tyme Craft Faire (Napa Valley Expo)

The Napa Valley Expo, at 575 Third Street, hosts the Gifts and Tyme Craft Faire in the run-up to Thanksgiving and the Steve's Trees Christmas tree lot from Thanksgiving weekend into December. Both are listed on the Expo's official calendar, and together they cover gift shopping and tree buying in one stop.

How can you volunteer or give back in Napa?

The most direct way to help at Thanksgiving is through Community Action of Napa Valley (CANV) Food Bank or the Salvation Army Napa Corps.

Community Action of Napa Valley Food Bank

Community Action of Napa Valley's website, canv.org, lists its address as 2521 Old Sonoma Road, Napa, with a volunteer sign-up link, a Donate button and a Host a Food Drive form. Its site does not list a specific Thanksgiving drive, so sign up as a volunteer and ask what is needed that month. Phone: (707) 253-6100.

Salvation Army Napa Corps, Franklin Street

The Salvation Army's Napa Corps Community Center, 590 Franklin Street, lists volunteer and donation options on its page and is typically open weekdays from 9 AM to 3 PM, closed for lunch. The page does not mention Thanksgiving meals, so call (707) 226-8150 to ask how to help over the holiday.

What is open or closed on Thanksgiving Day?

VINE Transit does not run any routes, including regional and express service, on Thanksgiving Day, and its paratransit VineGo does not run either, according to its holidays page. Plan on a car, a ride or your own feet.

di Rosa Center for Contemporary Art, at 5200 Sonoma Highway, is typically open Friday to Sunday, so it is closed on a Thursday Thanksgiving but open on the weekend; check its site for holiday hours. On the Friday after Thanksgiving, VINE local routes run a Saturday schedule. Oxbow Public Market, at 610 First Street in Downtown Napa, lists daily hours but no holiday schedule, so call before counting on it.

This year's dates

These dates come from the official sources linked below and are for the current year only.

• Napa Valley Turkey Chase: Thursday, November 26, 2026. The 10K starts at 8:00 AM and the 5K at 8:15 AM, according to the RunSignup page.
• Christmas tree lighting, Veterans Park: Wednesday, November 25, 2026, per DoNapa's events page. No start time was posted.
• La Toque 29th Annual Thanksgiving Day Feast: Thursday, November 26, 2026, from 1:00 to 5:00 PM.
• Turkey Chase price increase: registration goes up after November 24, 2026.
• Carneros Resort and Spa MARKET take-home meals: order deadline November 20, 2026, per the resort's Thanksgiving page.
• Gifts and Tyme Craft Faire, Napa Valley Expo: November 20 to 22, 2026. Steve's Trees runs November 27 to December 23, 2026.
• Napa Christmas Parade (61st annual): Saturday, December 5, 2026, with the parade at 5 pm.
• Wine Trolley Holiday Lights Tour: December 5 to 21, 2026.

Your Thanksgiving week in Napa, day by day

1. Wednesday evening: tree lighting at Veterans Park, Downtown Napa.
2. Thursday, 8 AM: Napa Valley Turkey Chase at Napa Valley College.
3. Thursday afternoon: La Toque feast or a Carneros resort dinner, booked ahead.
4. Order take-home meals before the resort's deadline if you are cooking at home.
5. Friday to Sunday: pick a tree at the Napa Valley Expo.
6. Early December: Christmas Parade at 5 pm, then the trolley lights tour on a weekend evening.
7. Anytime: sign up to volunteer with CANV.

For more of what is on in the city, see Napa events and this weekend in Napa.

Last verified: November 2026.

Frequently asked questions

Is there a turkey trot in Napa?

Yes. The Napa Valley Turkey Chase is a 10K and 5K that usually runs on Thanksgiving morning at Napa Valley College, 2277 Napa Vallejo Highway. Register through RunSignup.

Which Napa restaurants serve Thanksgiving dinner?

La Toque, Angèle Restaurant and Bar, and Carneros Resort and Spa's FARM and Boon Fly Cafe all confirm Thanksgiving dining on their own sites. Reserve ahead through each official site.

Can you get a take-home Thanksgiving meal in Napa?

Yes. Carneros Resort and Spa's MARKET sells a Thanksgiving at Home meal for six or a sides-only package, ordered in advance through the resort's site.

When is the Napa Christmas Parade?

The Napa Christmas Parade usually runs on a Saturday in early December, with the parade starting at 5 pm in Downtown Napa. It is not on Thanksgiving weekend.

Does the bus run in Napa on Thanksgiving?

No. VINE Transit's holidays page lists Thanksgiving Day as a day with no routes, including regional and express service, and VineGo does not run either.

How can I volunteer in Napa at Thanksgiving?

Sign up to volunteer through Community Action of Napa Valley Food Bank at canv.org, or call the Salvation Army Napa Corps on Franklin Street in Napa at (707) 226-8150 to ask how to help.