Thanksgiving in Sonoma Valley: Meals, Hikes and a Tractor Parade
Date Published
Thanksgiving in Sonoma Valley is a small-town holiday built around a free community dinner in the City of Sonoma, a handful of restaurants in Sonoma, Glen Ellen and Kenwood that publish holiday menus, and hikes at Jack London State Historic Park. The long weekend brings the Lighted Tractor Parade around the Sonoma Plaza and the Lighting of the Sonoma Plaza. There is no turkey trot inside the valley that we could confirm on an official site, and Sonoma State Historic Park closes for the day.
Plan Thursday around a table and a trail, and save the spectacle for Saturday night.
How we chose
Every pick below is inside Sonoma Valley (the City of Sonoma, Glen Ellen or Kenwood) and was checked against its own official site. Where a site did not mention Thanksgiving, we left the place out rather than guess. Menus, prices and sign-ups change every year, so this guide describes what returns and when, and keeps the current year's details in one dated section. Always confirm with the venue before you go.
Is there a Thanksgiving parade or turkey trot in Sonoma Valley?
There is a parade but no turkey trot. The Sonoma Valley Lighted Tractor Parade, run by the Sonoma Valley Vintners & Growers Alliance with the City of Sonoma, rolls through the City of Sonoma on the Saturday evening of Thanksgiving weekend, and no Thanksgiving-morning race for Sonoma, Glen Ellen or Kenwood appears on the official Sonoma Valley Visitors Bureau events page.
Organized turkey trots in Santa Rosa and Sebastopol are outside the valley; check those organizers' own sites if you want a race. Inside the valley, the local answer for Thursday morning is a hike.
Thursday morning
Jack London State Historic Park, Glen Ellen
Jack London State Historic Park at 2400 London Ranch Road in Glen Ellen is our pick for Thanksgiving morning, because its official site says the park and the House of Happy Walls Museum are open on Thanksgiving Day. The park is typically open daily 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and the museum 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The site does not say whether the Cottage opens on the holiday, so ask before you plan around it.
The park is the former ranch of author Jack London, with the museum, the Wolf House ruins and his grave site on the grounds. Walk first, eat later.
The meal
Sonoma Valley's Thanksgiving dining splits three ways: a free community table, restaurants that publish a holiday menu, and take-home packages. Reserve or order early for anything with a set menu.
Sonoma Community Center free Thanksgiving dinner, Sonoma
The Sonoma Community Center's Annual Thanksgiving Free Dinner is held at the Sonoma Veterans Memorial Hall in the City of Sonoma, and the Center's own homepage lists it as free and asks for volunteers. It is the valley's open table on the day: come to eat, or come to serve.
The Center's site offers a general volunteer sign-up form rather than a dinner-specific one, so use it and mention the dinner. The Center's office phone is 707-938-4626, typically answered on weekdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Stella, Kenwood
Stella at 9049 Sonoma Highway in Kenwood comes from the family behind Glen Ellen Star and is known for freshly made pasta, a mozzarella bar and a wood-fired grill. Its own site has a dedicated Thanksgiving page with a three-course set menu and reservations through the day. Details for this year are below.
Glen Ellen Star, Glen Ellen
Glen Ellen Star at 13648 Arnold Drive in Glen Ellen is typically open nightly for dinner from 5 p.m. Its website carries a Thanksgiving pre-order page for a take-home feast picked up on Thanksgiving Day, with a full package, alternative options and a vegan add-on. Packages come in set sizes with no substitutions, so order ahead.
Salt & Stone, Kenwood
Salt & Stone at 9900 Sonoma Highway in Kenwood is typically open daily for dinner from 5 p.m., with lunch and weekend brunch. Its site links a Thanksgiving menu: a sit-down dinner where you choose a soup or salad, an entrée and a dessert, with the price set by the entrée. Call to reserve.
The Plaza Bistro, Sonoma
The Plaza Bistro at 420 First Street East in the City of Sonoma is an Italian Mediterranean restaurant that is typically open daily. Its own site says it serves lunch only on Thanksgiving Day, so it suits a late-morning table, not an evening one.
The long weekend
Turkey Waddle Hike, Jack London State Historic Park
The Turkey Waddle Hike at Jack London State Historic Park in Glen Ellen is a guided walk on the Friday after Thanksgiving, about 3.5 miles round trip through mixed evergreen forest to an old-growth coast redwood. It is ticketed, the park entrance fee is waived for hikers, and dogs are not allowed on the backcountry trails. Bring water and real shoes.
Sonoma Valley Lighted Tractor Parade, Sonoma
The Sonoma Valley Lighted Tractor Parade fills the streets of the City of Sonoma with big farm vehicles strung with lights on the Saturday evening after Thanksgiving. The organizers' rules ban candy throwing and walkers in the parade, so this is a stand-back-and-watch show: pick your curb spot early, since streets close before the start.
Lighting of the Sonoma Plaza
The Lighting of the Sonoma Plaza is the City of Sonoma's community start to the holiday season, usually held on a Saturday in late November on the historic Sonoma Plaza. The official Sonoma Valley Visitors Bureau lists the current year's event without a date, so confirm timing on the City of Sonoma's site before you go.
Bring a jacket and book dinner nearby: restaurants around the plaza fill up on lighting night.
Sonoma Family Meal, Sonoma
Sonoma Family Meal is a nonprofit feeding neighbors in Sonoma Valley, and it is a practical way to give back over the holiday. Its site says weekday meal service runs Monday to Friday, typically 10 a.m. to noon, at the Tiny Homes at 18820 Sonoma Highway, and a donation page is linked. Its Unity Kitchen is temporarily closed for renovations, so email the contact on the site before showing up to help.
What is closed on Thanksgiving Day?
- Sonoma State Historic Park, 20 E. Spain Street in the City of Sonoma, is typically open daily 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and its official page says it is closed Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day and New Year's Day. That covers Mission San Francisco Solano, General Vallejo's Home and the Sonoma Barracks.
- Sonoma County Transit runs no buses or paratransit on Thanksgiving Day. On the Friday after, it runs a Saturday schedule, and the information office is closed.
- Sonoma Valley Museum of Art, 551 Broadway in the City of Sonoma, is typically open Wednesday to Sunday 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., and its site says it closes on major holidays, so do not count on it Thursday.
- Sugarloaf Ridge State Park in Kenwood and Sonoma Botanical Garden in Glen Ellen do not state Thanksgiving hours online. Call before you drive: the park's visitor center is 707-539-3911 and the garden is 707-996-3166.
This year's dates
These come from official sites and change every year.
- Thursday, November 26, 2026: Sonoma Community Center free dinner, listed 3 to 8 p.m. at the Sonoma Veterans Memorial Hall.
- Thursday, November 26, 2026: Stella takes reservations from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. for a three-course menu, $79 per adult and $45 for children 10 and under, before drinks, tax and tip. Salt & Stone's three-course Thanksgiving menu is priced by entrée, from $45 to $60. The Plaza Bistro is open 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. for lunch only.
- Thursday, November 26, 2026: Glen Ellen Star take-home pickup, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., packages for 4 or 8 guests.
- Thursday, November 26, 2026: Sonoma County Transit has no service.
- Friday, November 27, 2026: Turkey Waddle Hike, Jack London State Historic Park, 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., $15 per ticket.
- Saturday, November 28, 2026: Sonoma Valley Lighted Tractor Parade, 6:30 p.m., with street closures from 5 p.m.
Your Thanksgiving week, day by day
- Early in the week, order a take-home meal from Glen Ellen Star or reserve at Stella or Salt & Stone.
- Thursday morning, walk at Jack London State Historic Park in Glen Ellen.
- Thursday afternoon, sit down at your reservation, or volunteer or share a table at the Sonoma Community Center dinner.
- Friday, join the Turkey Waddle Hike, and plan to drive: there are no buses Thursday.
- Saturday evening, head to the Sonoma Plaza for the Lighted Tractor Parade, and watch for the date of the plaza lighting.
For more seasonal events, see the events calendar. For more places to eat, browse food and dining, or explore Glen Ellen and Kenwood.
Last verified: November 2026.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a free Thanksgiving dinner in Sonoma Valley?
Yes. The Sonoma Community Center holds an Annual Thanksgiving Free Dinner on Thanksgiving Day at the Sonoma Veterans Memorial Hall in the City of Sonoma. Volunteers can sign up through the Center's website.
Is there a Thanksgiving parade or turkey trot in Sonoma Valley?
There is a parade but no turkey trot. The Sonoma Valley Lighted Tractor Parade rolls through the City of Sonoma on the Saturday evening after Thanksgiving, while the nearest turkey trots are in Santa Rosa and Sebastopol, outside the valley.
What is closed on Thanksgiving in Sonoma?
Sonoma State Historic Park in the City of Sonoma is closed on Thanksgiving Day, according to California State Parks, and Sonoma County Transit runs no service. Jack London State Historic Park in Glen Ellen says its park and museum are open.
When is the Lighting of the Sonoma Plaza?
The Lighting of the Sonoma Plaza is usually held on a Saturday in late November in the City of Sonoma. Confirm the current year's date and time on the City of Sonoma's official site.
Which Sonoma Valley restaurants offer Thanksgiving dinner?
Stella and Salt & Stone in Kenwood publish three-course Thanksgiving menus on their own sites, and Glen Ellen Star in Glen Ellen sells take-home Thanksgiving packages. The Plaza Bistro in the City of Sonoma serves lunch only on the day.