Thanksgiving Weekend in Cincinnati {2026}

If you’re looking for something to do for the 2026 Thanksgiving Day weekend in Cincinnati, we’ve got you covered!

Whether you have family in town, you’re visiting for the weekend, or you simply have a few days off of work, you’ll enjoy this list of events for Thanksgiving weekend.

We will add to this list as more Thanksgiving Weekend events pop up so be sure to bookmark the link and check back often!

Don’t miss our list of Holiday Events that go on all weekend – find it after the dated events.

We have LOADS of Christmas and Holiday Craft Shows and Markets to choose from this weekend!

Friday, Nov. 27, 2026:

Duke Energy’s Light Up the Square, the annual tree lighting celebration, is back! Festivities will begin at 6pm with live music and a special appearance by Santa Claus with a dazzling fireworks display. This year’s Tree Lighting Ceremony will be bigger and better with even more activities all along 5th street, stretching to Elm Street Plaza, the new home of the ice rink!

Head to Indiana for the Metamora Old Fashioned Christmas Walk, opens for the season on Friday. The Metamora Old Fashioned Christmas Walk is all about slowing down and enjoying the simple traditions of the season—twinkling lights, friendly faces, decorated storefronts, warm drinks, and the unmistakable feeling of Christmas in a small town.

Winterfest at Kings Island opens for the season on Nov. 27, 2026.

Santa arrives at Cincinnati Museum Center! Santa will make his Holiday Junction debut on Friday. You can visit the jolly elf by his fireplace in the Ruthven Gallery.

Deerfield Township is having a Holidays in Deerfield, 5-7pm. The event will be held at District in Deerfield Park. The event includes the Deerfield Ice Rink opening, inflatables, a hot cocoa bar, Santa’s Goody Bag Band performance, carolers, a tree lighting, and more.

Saturday, Nov. 28, 2026:

Downtown Dazzle is happening at Elm Street Plaza in the Fountain District, 6-8pm. See Santa rappel from a Cincinnati skyrise and wait with anticipation for the sky to fill with a fabulous fireworks display! Come early and stay late – Saturdays are full of festive fun.

Crafty Supermarket will be at Music Hall on Saturday, 11am-5pm. This indie juried show features crafters, artists, and makers from all over North America and draws shoppers from Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky and beyond.

Sunday, Nov. 29, 2026:

TBA

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Holiday Events That Go On All Weekend:

Holiday Junction featuring the Duke Energy Trains at Cincinnati Museum Center: Nov. 13, 2026 – Jan. 4, 2027; Come experience a deep-rooted Cincinnati holiday tradition: Holiday Junction Featuring the Duke Energy Holiday Trains. The exhibition, a display of hundreds of model trains zipping around a winter wonderland, has been a part of Cincinnati holidays since 1946. Santa arrives on Friday (Nov. 27).

Cincinnati Christkindlmarkt: Nov. 20 – Dec. 28, 2026. This festive event takes place adjacent to the Moerlein Lager House on the Schmidlapp Event Lawn and Stage in Smale Riverfront Park. The European, yet Cincinnati Holiday themed event features food, beverages, merchandise, holiday lights, choral and musical entertainment, character visits an ice rink, an Igloo boardwalk, and more. with a European, yet Cincinnati Holiday theme.

Festival of Lights at the Cincinnati Zoo,  Nov. 19, 2026 – Jan. 3, 2027. The Cincinnati Zoo hosts its 44th annual PNC Festival of Lights! In addition to admiring the beauty of 5 million LED lights, visitors can find the 5 Fiona fairies in Fairyland, take in a blacklight puppet show, marvel at the spectacular Wild Lights show on Swan Lake, or snack on one of their seasonal concessions. Santa will be available for visits starting at 4 p.m. through December 23. Tickets are required. Closed on Thanksgiving Day.

Holly Jolly Days is at the Behringer-Crawford Museum from Nov 14, 2026 – Jan 10, 2027.

Pyramid Hill Lights is an artful drive through adventure at Pyramid Hill Sculpture Park, Nov. 20, 2026 – Jan. 3, 2027. This art and nature filled route is illuminated by over one million lights and features installations by local artists.

Krohn Conservatory’s Holiday Show – A Spider’s Gift, Oct. 31, 2026 – Jan. 3, 2027. The seasonal display located in the main exhibition house, invites visitors to explore a botanically designed Cincinnati theme. Guests will experience an enchanting, immersive train display, winding their way through a miniature world of botanical models thoughtfully sculpted in natural plant material. Included are models of the famed Roebling Bridge, Great American Tower, P&G Towers, Fountain Square, Krohn Conservatory, Eden Park Water Tower, the Winton Place Rail Station, Mount Adams and its incline track, along with many other icons that represent the architectural diversity of the Queen City. G-scale model train tracks traverse the elegant flow of the walking path, and pass by a waterfall, which spills into a bubbling brook. Hand-sculpted cedar mountains combined with decorative grapevine stretch throughout the layout creating a perfect backdrop for the plants, trains and models.

All events were accurate at the time of this posting but things do happen and events do occasionally get canceled or postponed. You should always double check with the event source before you head out the door. Links for each event are provided so that you can be sure the date is still accurate before you head out.