Thanksgiving 2026 falls on Thursday, November 26, and the week around it is freshly confirmed with classic Portland traditions within an easy drive of 1111 SW Coronado St: the Zoo Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving morning, the Pioneer Courthouse Square Tree Lighting downtown on Friday, Lake Oswego's annual Tree Lighting Festival the same day, and a season of light that officially begins when ZooLights, the Grotto, and the Christmas Ships all kick off the week after the holiday.
Thanksgiving Day, Thursday November 26
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Zoo Turkey Trot
Thanksgiving morning | Oregon Zoo, 4001 SW Canyon Rd
Portland's turkey-day road race returns to the Oregon Zoo on Thanksgiving morning, with a 5K through Washington Park and shorter family-friendly distances plus a kids' dash. Costumes are practically required, and it is the kinetic way to earn the big meal later. Route, wave times, and registration are on the Oregon Zoo Turkey Trot page. From the property it is about 20 minutes through West Haven and Washington Park.
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A Quiet Forest Morning First
Tryon Creek State Natural Area | Across the street from the listing
Before the trot, the parade, or the first pie, the forest across the street from 1111 SW Coronado St is at its quietest on Thanksgiving morning. Friends of Tryon Creek keeps the calendar of programs updated through the holiday week, including Nature Journaling on Mushrooms on November 20, Morning Bird Walks on Sundays, Stewardship Thursdays, and Saturday Guided Nature Hikes at 10:00 AM. A short walk on the winding trails is the calmest way to start the day.
The Holiday Season Officially Begins: Friday November 27
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Pioneer Courthouse Square Tree Lighting
~5:30-6:45 PM program, ~7:00 PM lighting | Pioneer Courthouse Square, downtown
Portland's official holiday kickoff returns the day after Thanksgiving: a free evening program at the Square downtown with performances and hosts, including Pink Martini's Thomas Lauderdale, leading to the 7:00 PM lighting of the 75-foot Douglas fir. It is the classic downtown way to open the season, about 25 minutes from the property, and details are on the Pioneer Courthouse Square site.
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Lake Oswego 62nd Annual Holiday Tree Lighting Festival
3:00-7:00 PM | Downtown Lake Oswego
The day after Thanksgiving, downtown Lake Oswego, minutes from the property, hosts its 62nd Tree Lighting Festival: an outdoor holiday marketplace, winery row, photos with Santa, reindeer from Timberview Farm, letters to Santa, and performances from Lake Oswego and Lakeridge high school musicians. It is a glowing, walkable evening along the old downtown blocks, and the City of Lake Oswego posts the full lineup on its parks and recreation page.
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Ants in the Kitchen: Holiday Kick-Off
The Headliners Club, Lake Oswego | Wednesday before Thanksgiving
Portland's beloved high-energy cover band Ants in the Kitchen celebrates the season with a Holiday Kick-Off show on Wednesday, November 25 at The Headliners Club in Lake Oswego, a polished live-music room just a few minutes from the property. It is the perfect pre-Thanksgiving night out for a crowd; ticket links are on the Headliners Club site.
Lights, Lights, Lights: ZooLights & the Festival Season
ZooLights at the Oregon Zoo opened November 20 and runs nightly into early January (closed November 24-26 for the holiday), and the week after Thanksgiving the season broadens: The Grotto's Christmas Festival of Lights and the first Christmas Ships sailings both begin Friday, November 27, and the Portland Holiday Market holds its early-December run downtown. Our late-November guide covers the Reunion Market, Small Business Saturday, and the week's other happenings, the early-December guide walks through Christmas Ships, the downtown Holiday Market, and the light festivals, and the holiday-week guide carries the season into ZooLights after Christmas and New Year's Eve.
A Home Base for Thanksgiving Week
What makes this stretch of SW Portland special this week is the contrast: a quiet forested morning at Tryon Creek, the trot or a morning run, then the tree lighting in Lake Oswego or downtown the next evening. 1111 SW Coronado St offers that same mix of seclusion and proximity year-round, with nearly 3 private acres, a remodeled kitchen built for hosting Thanksgiving, two fireplaces, and a guest-ready walkout suite for visitors. If you would like to see what it is like to live minutes from Tryon Creek, Lake Oswego, and downtown Portland, contact Danielle Bade to schedule a private tour.
Danielle Bade
Principal Real Estate Broker, Bade Real Estate