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Thanksgiving Weekend 2022 in Connecticut: Reindeer Fest, Turkey Trots, and Tree Lightings

The holiday season really lights up this Thanksgiving Weekend 2022 in Connecticut! Magic of Lights courtesy of Live Nation Connecticut
The holiday season really lights up this Thanksgiving Weekend 2022 in Connecticut! Magic of Lights courtesy of Live Nation Connecticut
11/22/22 - By Ally Noel

Looking for the best things to do in Connecticut on Thanksgiving weekend? Here are some family-friendly events and activities to add to your list for this Thanksgiving weekend.

There is a full roster of holiday activities this Thanksgiving weekend in Connecticut 2022. It's time for seasonal cheer and family fun. Nutmeggers won't have to look far to find some festivities for Connecticut kids. The state is lighting up for the holidays! Tis weekend marks the opening of glittering light displays in Hartford and East Hartford. You can launch some pumpkins in Wilton and waddle away your weekend in New Canaan. Or, you can work off some Thanksgiving calories at holiday-inspired fun runs in Rowayton and Fairfield. 

Hopefully, you will have a chance to enjoy the company of friends and family. Have safe and easy travels if you are on the road this holiday weekend. Pass the downtime by checking out our Connecticut Holiday Fun Guide, updated with all the latest Christmas, Hanukkah, and New Year's Eve events for the 2022 season. Happy Thanksgiving from all of us at Mommy Poppins!

More Things to do in Connecticut this Week with Kids 

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One of Connecticut's Thanksgiving fun runs will work up that appetite! Photo courtesy of the Rowaton Turkey Trot
One of Connecticut's Thanksgiving fun runs will work up that appetite! Photo courtesy of the Rowaton Turkey Trot

Thanksgiving Weekend 2022 in Connecticut - Things To Do with Kids

Thanksgiving Cupcake Battle

Canton - November 23, 2022
We are challenging our little bakers to a Thanksgiving cupcake challenge! Each child will bake their own batch of cupcakes and make buttercream frosting. When the cupcakes have cooled, they will get to choose items from the TLGT treats bar to decorate their cupcakes. READ MORE

Magic of Lights at Pratt & Whitney Stadium

East Hartford - Opens November 23, 2022
The Magic of Lights is a spectacular drive-through holiday lights display using the latest LED technology and digital animations. Enjoy the all-new drive-through Blizzard Tunnel as well as returning favorites including 12 Days of Christmas, Winter Wonderland, and The Night Before Christmas.  READ MORE

Manchester Road Race

Manchester - November 24, 2022
A CT Tradition, 78 years strong! The race is a 4.748 mile long hilly course through Manchester. Fans, bands, and merriment will greet you along the way. If you don't want to run, spectating is just as fun for all ages! Race will be closed after 15,000 runners or walkers. Race starts at 10 a.m. sharp. A very popular race! READ MORE

Pequot Runners Thanksgiving Day Road Race

Southport - November 24, 2022
This scenic and fast course offers a 5-mile run or a 2.6 mile walk that goes through the Gold Coast and has some of the state's loveliest views, including Southport Harbor. READ MORE

Rowayton Turkey Trot

Norwalk - November 24, 2022
This brisk run through picturesque Rowayton has become a popular Thanksgiving Day tradition. There is a 5K course and a 1-mile option.  READ MORE

Thanksgiving Trebuchet Launch

Wilton - November 24, 2022
Head to Ambler Farms to watch the “Pumpkin Warrior” launch pumpkins down the field! You can watch this beauty in action before heading home or to family or friends’ for the big turkey dinner. READ MORE

Festival of Silver Lights at Hubbard Park in Meriden

Meriden - Opens November 23 , 2022
Witness the illumination of more than 350,000 twinkling white lights. Enjoy more than 200 figures and buildings decorated with lights in this spectacular display.  READ MORE

The Christmas Ride at Pumpkintown USA

East Hampton - Opens November 25, 2022
Beginning Thanksgiving weekend you’ll be able to drive your car through the Forest and see how the Pumpkinheads celebrate the holidays.  Enjoy a one- of-a- kind daytime holiday journey through the winter Pumpkintown Forest in the comfort of your own vehicle. Step back in time on this scenic 1-mile drive through a winter themed landscape where over 30 Pumpkinhead people celebrate an old-fashioned holiday season. You'll see 17 scenes including a town green, a trading post, a blacksmith's shop and Santa's personal coal mine (where we hope that production will be at an all-time... READ MORE

Thanksgiving Friday

Guilford - November 25, 2022
Travel back to the 1600s at Connecticut’s oldest house with a self-guided tour of all three floors of the 1639 stone house filled with furnishings and artifacts. Learn about the interactions between the Menunkatuck band of the Quinnipiac tribe and the English colonizers of Guilford. Explore the inside of the Whitfield House with the “What is That?” and “Material World” scavenger hunts. Explore the museum grounds with the “I Spy Bingo” activity sheet and the “Outdoor Scavenger Hunt” available at the parking lot kiosk. READ MORE

Holiday Magic

Old Lyme - Opens November 25, 2022
The holiday season is always something to celebrate at the Florence Griswold Museum where visitors can see how families celebrated Christmas in 1910.  Browse over 220 palettes on four stunning palette trees in the Krieble Galleries. To commemorate this magical time of year, the museum has alsoa published Miss Florence’s Artist Trees: Celebrating a Tradition of Painted Palettes, which showcases each of the works of art on its own page.  READ MORE

A Holiday Wonderland at the Mansion

Norwalk - Opens November 25, 2022
The Museum will usher in the Holiday Season with a new exhibition titled, A Holiday Wonderland at the Mansion.  The exhibition will capture the magic of the holiday season with historic-era tree displays, an enchanting winter wonderland featuring a 19th-century skating scene, a festive holiday dinner party, magnificent gowns, and more. READ MORE

Annual Gingerbread House Festival: “Land of Sweets”

South Windsor - Opens November 25, 2022
The Annual Gingerbread House Festival is returning for its 12th year, showcasing sugary artistic creations set among sparkling lights and colorful décor that patrons can enjoy. READ MORE

Turkey Daze & Trail Stroll

Canton - November 25-November 27, 2022
Enjoy learning more about turkeys at the Roaring Brook Nature Center. Take a self-guided turkey scavenger hunt or register for a guided hike at 1:30 pm. READ MORE

Glow Hartford - Indoor Holiday Light Festival & Market

Hartford - Opens November 25, 2022
This winter, the Connecticut Convention Center will transform into a dazzling Christmas wonderland. Glow invites you to celebrate the magic of the season at a one-of-a-kind Holiday Light Festival and Market.   READ MORE

Merry Days and Jolly Nights in New London

New London - Opens November 25, 2022
The City of New London is celebrating their diverse array of faiths and holidays in New London's culture at Merry Day & Jolly Nights with monthly celebrations: November 25th – Christmas Tree Lighting at the Parade Plaza- 5pm December 26th – Jan 1st – Kwanzaa January 6th –Three Kings Celebration – Children can visit a live 3 kings Three Kings Celebration  Click on this link to print the celebration passbook. READ MORE

Forest of Illusions at the Ct Science Center

Hartford - Opens November 25, 2022
Follow the winding path through our Forest of Illusions, where your eyes and mind will be put to the test as you encounter some mind-bending optical illusions. Explore color and light in a whole new way as you mix things up on the interactive light wall. Find your way out of the darkness in a true black hallway that will distort your sense of depth… and space. Step inside a human-sized kaleidoscope for an entirely new perspective. Wander into the UV Cave, where the rocks will shine like you have never seen before. This forest holds many dark secrets, all waiting for you to... READ MORE

Lobster Trap Tree Lighting Ceremony

Stonington - November 26, 2022
Celebrate the talents of more than 100 local artists and families who created beautiful hand-painted buoys that make up this giant Lobster Trap Tree. Together with thousands of colorful lights, this display will be the ideal family photo location this holiday season. READ MORE

Mystic Tree Lighting & Lighted Boat Parade

Mystic - November 26, 2022
Santa Claus is coming to Mystic with the Holiday Lighted Boat Parade in Historic Downtown Mystic. Thousands gather at the Mystic River Park to watch Santa arrive!  Come in a sailboat or other floating craft to join the parade. Your entry fee is a new or like new coat or toy donated to the Pawcatuck Neighborhood Center. We will be accepting donations in advance at the Mystic Chamber office, 22 East Main st., and before the start of the parade at the Mystic Seaport Museum. Please plan to catch the 3:40pm Drawbridge opening to rendezvous at Mystic Seaport prior to the... READ MORE

The Hip Hop Nutcracker at The Bushnell

Hartford - November 26, 2022
Ballet Theater Company is thrilled to return to The Bushnell with a refreshed version of a beloved holiday classic. In an effort to address the lingering cultural appropriation in the 130-year-old ballet, Dattellas has re-imagined a new, vibrant, and cheeky Act II featuring magical treat-foods that would wow a 19th-Century young lady in a dreamscape and will delight modern audiences. To make the vision come to life for audiences, Lead Costume Designer Pat Nurnberger will design and hand-sew over seventy costumes to pair with Dattellas’ fresh, original choreography.  BTC is... READ MORE

New Canaan Nature Center's Thanksgiving Weekend Waddle

New Canaan - November 26, 2022
Grab the entire family (and any lingering holiday visitors too!) and head on down to the New Canaan Nature Center! You won’t want to miss this awesome annual event, a long-time favorite for both members & guests. Join the NCNC Naturalists for a healthy, invigorating Trail Trek to work off that holiday meal. While “waddling” the trails, we’ll search for some of nature’s most treasured gifts (apple trees, maple trees & honey bees to name a few) and learn why the end of autumn may not be quite as quiet as you may think. In fact, autumn is a busy time of year for many wild... READ MORE

Pratt Street Winter Village

Hartford - November 26, 2022
This winter, Pratt Street will be transformed into an open-air, outdoor holiday market! Each weekend, shop from local artisans who will be popping up at the Winter Village, enjoy live musical performances and demonstrations, eat and drink at the street's restaurants and bars, and visit Pratt Street retail businesses. READ MORE

Holiday Dazzle Light Parade

Putnam - November 27 , 2022
Enjoy this fun holiday tradition through downtown Putnam with floats, music, and lights galore to kick off the holiday season in brilliant style. READ MORE

Holiday Marketplace, Photos with Santa & Kid's Craft

Stamford - November 27, 2022
Join in for holiday fun at Designs By Lee! Support local and get your holiday shopping done by shopping from local vendors, free photos with Santa (with donation to The Food Bank of Lower Fairfield County or Toys for Tots), get creative with Crystal's Craft Class and more! READ MORE

Talcott Mountain Holiday Festival

Simsbury - November 27, 2022
Kick off the festive season with a charming, European-style holiday market in Simsbury at the base of Talcott Mountain! Visit Santa, enjoy free holiday treats, enjoy the "Shmelf the Hanukkah Elf" storytime, watch the tree lighting and more! 1:00 - 5:00 pm - Local artisan marketplace 1:30 - 2:00 pm - Storytime with local author Greg Wolfe reading his holiday children's classic, "Shmelf the Hanukkah Elf," followed by a book signing 2:00 - 5:00 pm - Photos with Santa Claus 5:00 pm - Community Carol Sing featuring choirs from Simsbury High School and Northwest... READ MORE
In every part of Connecticut, you can find holiday lights and family fun!
In every part of Connecticut, you can find holiday lights and family fun!

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Places featured in this article:

Connecticut Convention Center
Stonington Town Dock
Healing Meals Community Project
Steven & Alexandra Cohen Skating Center