Thanksgiving in Blue Ridge, GA 2026: What's Open & What's On

Thanksgiving in the mountains is a quiet Thursday followed by the most festive weekend of the year in Blue Ridge. The town kicks off Christmas the day after. Here's what's open, what isn't, and how to plan the four days. Every date below is from an organizer, the venue, or the Blue Ridge Mountains Chamber of Commerce.

#The weekend at a glance

#Thanksgiving Day (Thursday, Nov. 26)

#Run (or walk) the Turkey Trot

The Blue Ridge Turkey Trot 5K starts downtown, in front of the children's park at East Main and Church Street. Registration is $30 through Monday, November 23, and $35 after that. Day-of packet pickup opens at 7 AM, and registration closes at 7:55 AM (blueridgeturkeytrot.com). The Chamber lists the event from 7:30 to 9 AM (Chamber listing), so confirm the start time with the race before you set an alarm.

#What's closed on Thanksgiving

• The Blue Ridge Scenic Railway doesn't run. Thanksgiving Day is blank on its 2026 operating calendar.
• Mercier Orchards is closed (Mercier).
• Blue Ridge on Ice, the seasonal skating rink, opens November 17, but it hasn't posted Thanksgiving hours (details). Check before you go.

#Thanksgiving dinner

Restaurants have now posted their 2026 plans, from sit-down buffets to meals you pre-order and reheat at your cabin. Several order deadlines fall the week before Thanksgiving, so see our Thanksgiving dinner in Blue Ridge guide for the list, prices, and pickup days.

Or cook in. If that's the plan, rent a place with a real kitchen and a table big enough for everyone, and do your grocery run before you drive up.

#Friday, Nov. 27: Christmas starts

• Blue Friday downtown. Deals at downtown shops from noon to 5 PM, and Santa in the gazebo from noon to 4:15 PM (Light Up Blue Ridge).
• The first Holiday Express rides. The scenic railway's one-hour holiday train has holiday music, a reading of The Night Before Christmas, and a chance to see Santa. In the railway's words, "Tickets sell out FAST" (holiday rides).
• Light Up McCaysville. Festivities run from 5 to 7 PM, the tree is lit at dusk, and Santa visits the Riverwalk Shops (details). McCaysville is about 20 minutes north of Blue Ridge.
• The Best Christmas Pageant Ever. The Blue Ridge Community Theater's holiday musical opens November 27. Shows are Thursday through Saturday at 7 PM and Sunday at 2 PM, through December 20 (details).

Skip Mercier Orchards on Friday, too: its site now lists Black Friday as a closed day, along with Thanksgiving Day (Mercier).

#Saturday, Nov. 28: Light Up Blue Ridge

This is the big one, and it's free. Per the Blue Ridge Mountains Chamber:

• From 11 AM: live music downtown, starting with Tuba Christmas.
• Afternoon: entertainment on East Main Street, and Santa photos.
• 5:30 PM: the Christmas parade, starting at Church Street and East Main.
• About 7 PM: the Great Tree lighting downtown.

Get downtown early for a parade spot. Our Christmas in Blue Ridge guide has the full holiday season.

Also on Saturday: Helen's Christmas Market opens, 10 AM–5 PM, in Helen's downtown Marktplatz and Unicoi Hill Park. It's free (Helen Chamber). Helen is about an hour and 20 minutes from Blue Ridge.

#Sunday, Nov. 29: slow down

The Holiday Express runs again, and Helen's Christmas Market is open for its second day. Or skip it all, sleep in, and spend the day by the fire before the drive home.

#Tips for a Thanksgiving trip

• Book the train first. The railway says Holiday Express tickets sell out fast.
• Stay through Saturday night. Leaving Friday means missing the parade and the tree lighting.
• Time the drive. Our holiday traffic guide has the express lane directions for each day of Thanksgiving weekend.
• Plan for cold. NOAA's normals for nearby Blairsville put November nights around freezing (NOAA).
• See everything else on the calendar in our Blue Ridge events calendar, or read about the whole month in Blue Ridge in November.

#Where to stay for Thanksgiving

The Black Ember is a modern A-frame about 10 minutes from downtown Blue Ridge. It sleeps up to five. The kitchen has an oven and stove, a dishwasher, and cooking basics, and there's a dining table for the meal. We stock a baking sheet, so bring your own roasting pan if you're doing a whole turkey. After dinner, there's the barrel sauna, the hot tub, and the fire pit.