Start Thanksgiving Morning with the Drumstick Dash in North Hollywood
Before the turkey goes in, pull on your running shoes and head to the NoHo Arts District, where the Drumstick Dash L.A. takes over the streets on Thanksgiving morning. Billed as the world's largest Thanksgiving run, it offers both a 5k and a 10k, and the mood is closer to a street party than a race: expect a costume contest, giveaways, and a crowd that has clearly decided calories don't count today. The proceeds go to Hope the Mission, which provides hot meals to more than 2 million people, so your entry fee does something useful before you've even sat down to eat.
Spend the Afternoon in Griffith Park, Where the Trails Stay Open
Most museums and attractions inside Griffith Park close on Thanksgiving Day, but the park itself does not. With more than 4,210 acres in the Santa Monica Mountains, it gives you room to walk off the morning's effort or stake out a picnic spot with a view. You'll find Griffith Observatory, the Greek Theatre, the Autry Museum of the American West, the LA Zoo and Botanical Gardens, and the Hollywood Sign all within the park's boundaries, so even with the doors shut you can orient yourself around them and plan which ones to return to later in the week. Bring layers; a November afternoon in the hills cools quickly once the sun drops.
Walk Into the Holiday Season at Universal Studios Hollywood
Thanksgiving week marks the turn into LA's holiday and Christmas season, and Universal Studios Hollywood is the rare place that stays open on the day itself. The park operates 365 days a year, including Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day, which makes it a straightforward option if you'd rather not spend the day indoors. Limited-time seasonal events and decorations begin appearing across the city in November, so the days around Thanksgiving are when the lights start coming on.
See the LA Auto Show and Watch Hollywood Parade Past
The LA Auto Show lands over Thanksgiving week, filling more than 1 million square feet of exhibition space and drawing attendees from more than 50 countries to see new car models and industry technology. It's a genuinely large-scale way to spend a post-turkey afternoon, and it pairs well with the other fixed point on the calendar: the Hollywood Christmas Parade, held annually on the Sunday after Thanksgiving. The route runs from Hollywood Boulevard at Orange Drive to Sunset Boulevard, with floats, marching bands, dance groups and celebrity guests — a tradition that has been running for more than 90 years. Check current schedules and ticketing before you build your day around either one.
Eat, Then Plan the Rest of the Week
- Build your day around the run, the park, or the theme park first, then let the meal land wherever it fits; the city's restaurants and markets fill up fast on Thanksgiving itself.
- If you're here for the week rather than the day, the Auto Show and the Hollywood Christmas Parade bracket the holiday neatly — one during, one the Sunday after.
- Griffith Park is your reliable open-air option on the day, since its museums and attractions close but its trails and picnic areas do not.
- November is also when LA switches on its seasonal decorations and limited-run holiday events, so the days either side of Thanksgiving are worth keeping free.
Book the run entry, the theme park ticket and your parade-day spot early, then leave the rest of the week loose enough to follow whatever the city turns on next. Thanksgiving in Los Angeles works best when you treat it as the opening act of the season rather than a single Thursday.