Thanksgiving in Memphis 2026

Last checked Oct. 23, 2026. This page is updated each year at the same address. Facts come from the race organizers’ registration pages, the University of Memphis football schedule, the Memphis Public Libraries holiday list and the City of Memphis 2025 Thanksgiving notice.

Thanksgiving is Thursday, Nov. 26, 2026. The holiday week in Memphis starts with a Sunday run at Shelby Farms Park on Nov. 22, the Memphis Turkey Trot fills the same park at 9 a.m. on Thanksgiving morning, City Hall and the libraries close Thursday and Friday, and trash pickup moves earlier in the week for City of Memphis customers. The Tigers host Temple at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium the day after. For a city question, call Memphis 311, 901-636-6500.

Who to call

• City services and trash questions: Memphis 311, 901-636-6500
• Library hours: memphislibrary.org
• Emergency: 911

Updated Oct. 23: added the Memphis Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving morning and the Tigers’ home game against Temple on Friday, Nov. 27.

Turkey runs

• Memphis Turkey Trot, 9 a.m. Thursday, Nov. 26, from the First Horizon Foundation Visitor Center at Shelby Farms Park, Great View Drive North. Start 2 Finish runs it with the Campbell Clinic Foundation, which the race benefits. It is a 4-mile course with a 2-mile relay option, and the organizers say it draws more than 2,000 people of all ages. Every registrant gets a long-sleeve shirt, and the first 2,500 finishers get a medal. Prices and packet pickup are on the registration page.
• Turkey Trails - Memphis, 8 a.m. Sunday, Nov. 22, at Shelby Farms Park, 6903 Great View Drive N. Distances: a kids’ dash, 1 mile, 5K, 10K and half marathon, plus a virtual option and a volunteer-then-run entry. Course maps, parking and packet pickup are on the registration page.
• Thanksgiving Gobble Trot, 7:30 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 28, on the downtown Riverwalk, with 5K, 10K and half-marathon distances and a virtual entry. The organizer emails the course map to runners.

Race directors with another holiday run can send us the details.

Community meals

The City of Memphis runs MemFeast with community partners: in 2025 it handed out Thanksgiving food boxes at churches across the city in the days before the holiday and served hot meals on Thanksgiving Day (city news page). The 2026 dates and sites had not been announced when we checked; we will add them when the city posts them. Churches and nonprofits that serve a free Thanksgiving meal can send us the time and address.

Thanksgiving brunch

The Peabody Memphis serves a Thanksgiving Brunch buffet on Thursday, Nov. 26, 2026, from 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., with omelets made to order, a carving station and seasonal sides; reservations are taken online (Thanksgiving Brunch). Restaurants that open on Thanksgiving can send us their hours.

What is open and closed

Library closings come from the Memphis Public Libraries holiday list. Stores and malls set their own hours; see our Black Friday and holiday shopping page.

Trash pickup

City of Memphis Solid Waste does not collect on the days City Hall closes. The 2025 schedule, from the city’s Thanksgiving notice:

• Tuesday and Wednesday customers rolled carts out on Tuesday.
• Thursday and Friday customers rolled carts out on Wednesday.
• Team Waste customers ran one day late: Thursday on Friday, Friday on Saturday.
• Excess trash and yard waste pickup was limited during the holiday week.
• Carts at the curb by 7 a.m. on collection day.

The 2026 notice had not been posted when we checked; the city usually issues it about a week ahead. We will update this page and our trash and recycling guide when it does.

Tigers football, Friday, Nov. 27

The University of Memphis plays Temple at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium on Friday, Nov. 27, with kickoff at 11 a.m. or 2:30 p.m.; the athletics department will set the time, according to the Tigers’ schedule. It is the last regular season home game.

After Thanksgiving

The holiday season starts the same weekend: downtown tree lightings and the Beale Street parade are on our Christmas parade and tree lighting page, and light shows are on holiday lights and Christmas events.

What this means for you

• Plan library visits around the Thursday and Friday closing.
• Expect your trash day to move up if it falls on Thursday or Friday; check the city notice the week before.
• Two Shelby Farms Park runs bracket the week: Turkey Trails on Sunday, Nov. 22, and the Memphis Turkey Trot at 9 a.m. Thanksgiving morning. Expect park traffic both mornings.
• The Tigers’ game on Friday, Nov. 27, adds traffic around Liberty Park on Black Friday.

Related: things to do this month and Black Friday and holiday shopping.

Frequently asked questions

When is Thanksgiving in 2026?

Thursday, Nov. 26, 2026.

Is there a turkey trot in Memphis?

Yes. The Memphis Turkey Trot, a 4-mile run with a 2-mile relay, starts at 9 a.m. Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 26, at Shelby Farms Park. Turkey Trails, with a kids’ dash, 1 mile, 5K, 10K and half marathon, starts at 8 a.m. Sunday, Nov. 22, at Shelby Farms Park, 6903 Great View Drive N. A Thanksgiving Gobble Trot on the riverfront follows on Saturday, Nov. 28.

Are Memphis libraries open on Thanksgiving?

No. All Memphis Public Libraries locations are closed Thursday, Nov. 26, and Friday, Nov. 27, 2026.

Does Memphis trash pickup change for Thanksgiving?

Yes. In 2025 the city skipped Thursday and Friday and moved Tuesday and Wednesday routes to Tuesday and Thursday and Friday routes to Wednesday; Team Waste ran one day late. The 2026 schedule had not been posted when we checked.