Thanksgiving isn’t just about the turkey this year as Sacramento welcomes the holiday season with a ton of family fun.

Old Sacramento Waterfront Tree Lighting Ceremony
Old Sacramento Waterfront
November 27 | Wed 5pm-7pm
Christmas comes early to Sacramento (and yes, even before Thanksgiving!). Old Sacramento Waterfront kicks off the holiday season with its annual lighting ceremony! Get the family into the holiday spirit with a street-full of entertainment and festivities, including the first night of Theatre of Lights, a live dramatization of “Twas the Night Before Christmas,” on the balconies above.

Run to Feed the Hungry
Sacramento State
November 28 | Thurs 8:15am
Burn off the calories in preparation for your Thanksgiving feast at Run to Feed the Hungry, a charity run to raises funds and awareness about food insecurity in the Sacramento community. Fun fact: It’s the largest Thanksgiving Day fun run in the entire country!

Thanksgiving Day Buffet
Hyatt Regency Sacramento
November 28 | Thurs 10am-3pm
Get in your reservations for a fest straight from the kitchen of Chef Michael Grande. This holiday buffet includes all the favorites down to roast turkey with all the fixings — without any of the cleanup.

Thanksgiving at The Firehouse
The Firehouse Restaurant
November 28 | Thurs 1pm-8pm
More of a pre-fixe menu kinda person? Firehouse offers an elegant, three-course menu that begins at roast turkey and spans to salmon with wild mushroom risotto. Mix up your holiday tradition with a meal that has something for everyone, including a kid’s menu!

Holiday Pops
Memorial Auditorium
November 30 | 8pm
The Sacramento Philharmonic & Opera‘s annual team-up with Tower of Power’s lead singer Marcus Scott returns to ignite the warmth of the holiday season with an evening of soulful holiday classics.

FYI: Did you know that SacRT is offering a system-wide free ride day on November 30? Save yourself the hassle of parking and make your way to the concert and Small Business Saturday events on public transit.

Looking for even more Thanksgiving events to check out? Take a look at Sacramento365’s Holiday Events page!