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Thanksgiving in Tempe: Parades, Dinners and Giving Back

Date Published

Illustration of thanksgiving in Tempe with a lit parade float, Town Lake boats and a holiday table

At a glance

  • Where: Downtown Tempe (Mill Avenue), Tempe Beach Park on Tempe Town Lake, and restaurants across Tempe, Arizona
  • When: Thanksgiving Thursday, then the weekends after: the street parade usually falls the Saturday after Thanksgiving, and the boat parade follows in December
  • Cost: The boat parade is listed as free; the street parade page lists no cost, and dinner prices vary, so check each official site
  • Getting there: Mill Ave/3rd St light rail station is in Downtown Tempe; check Valley Metro for holiday schedules

Thanksgiving in Tempe is a short list of dependable traditions: the Fantasy of Lights Street Parade and Tree Lighting on Mill Avenue (usually the Saturday after Thanksgiving), the Fantasy of Lights Boat Parade on Tempe Town Lake two weeks later, a couple of restaurants whose own sites confirm holiday meals, and a local food pantry that welcomes help. The one thing we could not confirm on an official site is a Thanksgiving-morning turkey trot inside Tempe, and we say so below rather than guess.

The quick local plan: do your running or volunteering in the morning, eat in the middle of the day, then save your energy for the Saturday parade. In Tempe, the holiday season starts on a downtown street and ends up glowing on a desert lake.

How we chose

Every pick below was checked against its own official site or the official Downtown Tempe site, sits inside Tempe, and is a tradition that returns each year or a place with a confirmed holiday offering. We left out anything we could only find on third-party listings, including restaurants whose pages say nothing about Thanksgiving. Times and menus change, so treat everything here as typical and check the official link before you go. Dates for this year are in one labelled section near the end.

Thursday morning: is there a turkey trot in Tempe?

We could not confirm an official Thanksgiving-morning turkey trot held in Tempe. Third-party race listings mention a 5K at Tempe Beach Park in some years, but none of them linked to an official registration page, so we are not recommending one.

If you want to move on the holiday anyway, the flat, paved loop around Tempe Town Lake is the easy local answer. See our Tempe Town Lake guide for the loop and the lakeside parks. The honest local tip: search for race registrations a few weeks ahead, because new ones appear and old ones disappear from year to year.

Volunteer: Tempe Community Action Agency

Tempe Community Action Agency (TCAA) runs a food pantry at its Services Site, 2146 E. Apache Blvd., Tempe, and lists volunteer opportunities and special-event volunteering on its official site, tempeaction.org. Its page lists holiday food-drive drop-off Saturdays in the weeks before Thanksgiving and does not describe a separate Thanksgiving Day program, so the most useful help is usually earlier in the month. The page gives no pantry hours; the Services Site front desk is (480) 422-8922, extension 5882, and the Volunteer Office is extension 5881. Start with the TCAA volunteer page.

For a wider option, St. Mary's Food Bank, based in Phoenix at 2831 N. 31st Ave., takes volunteers through an online sign-up. It has no Tempe site listed, so it is a drive, not a neighborhood walk-in. Its site also points people who need food toward azfoodhelp.org.

The meal: where to eat Thanksgiving dinner in Tempe

Two Tempe restaurants publish Thanksgiving details on their own sites. Both are good for different kinds of tables.

Green New American Vegetarian

Green New American Vegetarian, at 2240 N. Scottsdale Rd., Tempe, serves a plated, full-service, fully vegan Thanksgiving dinner it calls greensGIVING. Its official greensGIVING page describes thanksLIVING favorites, chef-curated sides and an expanded dessert selection. Reservations are required for parties of two or more and sell out, so book early. The page also points to a to-go version of its thanksLIVING meal. If your table mixes vegans and traditional eaters, this is the one that makes everyone happy at the same time. Details: greenvegetarian.com/greensgiving.

Black Bear Diner

Black Bear Diner, at 7700 S. Priest Dr., Tempe, offers homestyle turkey, smoked ham or slow-roasted prime rib on Thanksgiving, according to the chain's official holiday page. The sides listed include soup or salad, mashed potatoes and gravy, cornbread stuffing, Italian green beans, a cornbread muffin and pumpkin pie. Family-style and boxed meals are available, prime rib is dine-in only, and the page says seating is first come, first served with no reservations. It is the easy pick for a big group that does not want to plan. Check blackbeardiner.com and call the Tempe location for holiday hours.

For everything else, browse our food and dining listings and call ahead. Many Tempe restaurants close for the day or change hours, and several well-known places have no Thanksgiving information on their own sites.

The long weekend: when the holiday season starts in Tempe

The season opens the Saturday after Thanksgiving on Mill Avenue and then keeps going for two more weekends.

Fantasy of Lights Street Parade and Tree Lighting

The Fantasy of Lights Street Parade and Tree Lighting is Downtown Tempe's annual holiday kickoff, usually the Saturday after Thanksgiving, around Mill Avenue and Centerpoint on Mill. The Downtown Tempe site describes floats, lights, live entertainment and the holiday tree lighting, and lists it as a daytime-into-evening event. The page gives no parade route or separate tree-lighting time, so check it before you pick a curb. A separate hotel tree lighting is listed the same day and is not part of the parade. Come by light rail to the Mill Ave/3rd St station and avoid hunting for parking. See Downtown Tempe and Mill Avenue for the area, and the official page at downtowntempe.com.

Fantasy of Lights Boat Parade

The Fantasy of Lights Boat Parade floats decorated boats across Tempe Town Lake from Tempe Beach Park each December, typically a couple of weekends after Thanksgiving. The official listing says it is free, the park opens in the afternoon, the boats start in the evening and fireworks close the night, and it has a clear bag policy. The detail worth repeating: the boat parade and the street parade are separate events two weekends apart, so you can do both. Details: downtowntempe.com.

Tempe Festival of the Arts (Fall)

The Tempe Fall Festival of the Arts takes over Mill Avenue and the surrounding Downtown Tempe streets, usually the first weekend of December, about a week after Thanksgiving. The official listing counts more than 300 artist booths, plus live music, food and drink vendors and beer and wine gardens. Its hours are listed inconsistently on the page, so confirm them. It is our pick for buying handmade gifts in Tempe. Details: downtowntempe.com.

What is open and closed on Thanksgiving Day?

We could not confirm Thanksgiving Day schedules on official sites for transit or city facilities, so check before you go. Valley Metro's website is the place to confirm bus, light rail and Orbit service. The City of Tempe's site, tempe.gov, is the place to confirm library, Tempe Center for the Arts and other city closures. Our advice for the holiday: expect holiday schedules on transit, check before visiting any museum or city facility, and call any restaurant first. For this weekend's other happenings, see Tempe events and this weekend, and check the weather page for cool evening layers if you stand outside for a parade.

This year's dates (2026)

Thanksgiving Day 2026 is Thursday, November 26. The dates below come from the official sites listed in our sources, and they can change, so confirm each one.

  • Green New American Vegetarian greensGIVING: dine-in on Thursday, November 26, with arrival listed from 11:30 a.m. to noon. The page said reservations were closed with a waitlist when we checked, and listed $79.95 per adult and $39.95 per child 12 and under.
  • Black Bear Diner: online ordering for holiday meals was listed as opening November 19.
  • Fantasy of Lights Street Parade and Tree Lighting: Saturday, November 28, 4 to 8 p.m.
  • Tempe Fall Festival of the Arts: Friday, December 4, to Sunday, December 6, billed as the festival's 58th fall season.
  • Fantasy of Lights Boat Parade: Saturday, December 12, 4 to 9 p.m., with the boat parade at 7 p.m. and fireworks at 8:15 p.m.
  • Tempe Community Action Agency: holiday food-drive drop-offs were listed for Saturdays 1 to 5 p.m., ending November 14.

Save this: the Thanksgiving week checklist

  1. Early in November: call Tempe Community Action Agency about food-drive drop-offs and volunteer shifts.
  2. A week out: book Thanksgiving dinner at Green New American Vegetarian or place a Black Bear Diner order.
  3. Thursday morning: walk or run the Tempe Town Lake loop.
  4. Thursday midday: eat, then check Valley Metro if you need transit.
  5. Saturday after Thanksgiving: ride light rail to Mill Avenue for the street parade and tree lighting.
  6. First weekend of December: shop the Fall Festival of the Arts.
  7. Second Saturday of December: Town Lake for the boat parade and fireworks.

Last verified: November 2026.

Frequently asked questions

Is there a Thanksgiving parade in Tempe?

Tempe's main holiday parade is the Fantasy of Lights Street Parade and Tree Lighting in Downtown Tempe, usually held the Saturday after Thanksgiving rather than on Thanksgiving Day. A separate boat parade follows on Tempe Town Lake about two weeks later.

Is there a turkey trot in Tempe?

We could not confirm an official Thanksgiving-morning turkey trot in Tempe. Third-party listings sometimes mention a 5K at Tempe Beach Park, so look for an official registration page a few weeks before the holiday.

Where can I get Thanksgiving dinner in Tempe?

Green New American Vegetarian (2240 N. Scottsdale Rd.) lists a full-service vegan Thanksgiving dinner, and Black Bear Diner (7700 S. Priest Dr.) lists turkey, ham and prime rib holiday meals on its official site. Reserve or order ahead and call to confirm hours.

How can I volunteer in Tempe for Thanksgiving?

Tempe Community Action Agency, at 2146 E. Apache Blvd., lists volunteer opportunities and a food pantry on its official site, and its holiday food drives usually run in the weeks before Thanksgiving. Call its Volunteer Office at (480) 422-8922, extension 5881, to ask about openings.

What is open in Tempe on Thanksgiving Day?

Thanksgiving Day schedules vary by business, and we could not confirm transit or city facility hours on official sites. Check Valley Metro and tempe.gov, and call restaurants before you head out.