The Best Thanksgiving Events In The Bay Area
Glide Thanksgiving Dinner
Glide Memorial Church
330 Ellis St.
San Francisco, CA 94102
(415) 674-6000
www.glide.org
Date: Nov. 26-28, 2014 at various times
Aprons at the ready – volunteers are needed to prep and help serve 5,000 Thanksgiving meals with all of the trimmings to thousands of needy people. Wednesday is prep day, Thursday requires shifts on the Thanksgiving meal day from 7 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and Friday needs volunteers for breakfast. Thanksgiving is special, but it all happens again on Christmas Day. Glide provides three hot meals a day, all through the year, so donations and volunteers are always welcome.
Turkey Trot
China Basin Park
3rd St. and Terry A. Francois Blvd.
San Francisco, CA 94158
www.runthanksgivingday.com
Dates: Nov. 27, 2014 for 8 a.m. start
Register for the 5K Thanksgiving Day run to benefit the SF/Marin Food Bank, distributing enough food for more than 105,000 meals each day, but not without plenty of help. If you cannot join the run, a Safeway Help Us End Hunger Campaign has been launched. The charity suggests those who are able purchase a $10 bag of the Food Bank's most needed items, which will be distributed to those in need during the holidays. Alternatively, 29 drop-off locations in San Francisco and 30 locations in Marin are asking for non-perishables such as canned tuna, soup, fruit, vegetables, boxed cereal and more.
San Francisco Firefighters Toy Program
698 2nd St.
San Francisco, CA 94107
(415) 777-0440
www.sf-fire.org
Dates: Barrels are placed throughout the holiday season
Growing from a start of 15 repairs on toys and bikes as donations in 1949, this annual toy drive now distributes more than 200,000 toys to 40,000 needy families or to children displaced by fire or flood throughout the year. The drive gets into full swing at Thanksgiving, distributing collection barrels throughout the city. If your church, school, club or place of work can fill a barrel with donations, your own event can be turned into a giving one by getting in touch with SF Fire Fighters Union, Local 798 who will come and collect the donations.
Related: Best Places To Give Back This Holiday Season In The Bay Area
Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony and Holiday Ice Rink
Union Square
333 Post St.
San Francisco, CA 94108
(415) 781-2688
www.unionsquareicerink.com
Date: Tree Lighting Nov. 28, 2014 at 6 p.m.
The 25th Annual Macy's Tree Lighting takes place on Black Friday, November 28, 2014, the day after Thanksgiving. The ceremony begins at 6 p.m. with the tree lighting finishing about 30 minutes later. Viewing from the balcony of the Cheesecake Factory is no secret, so stake out your spot beside the heat lamps early. Otherwise, grab your ice skates and watch the illumination between twirls on the holiday skating rink, open from November 5, 2014 through January 15, 2015.
Cirque de Soleil
AT&T Park
24 Willie Mays Plaza
San Francisco, CA 94107
(866) 624-7783
www.cirquedusoleil.com
Dates: Nov. 14 through Dec. 31, 2014
"Kurios – A Cabinet of Curiosities" is an attention-grabbing headline for the five-city (aren't we lucky?) North American touring show coming to the Big Top at AT&T Park. Promising to be "an ingenious blend of unusual curiosity acts and stunning acrobatic prowess," Cirque de Soleil ushers in 2.5 hours (with intermission) from a "mysterious and fascinating realm that disorients your senses and challenges your perceptions." A performance on Thanksgiving Day takes place at 8 p.m., two shows are scheduled on Black Friday. The tent holds 2,600 spectators with ticket options including regular, VIP premium, family package and backstage tour.
Related: Best Christmas Tree Cutting Experiences In The Bay Area
Laurie Jo Miller Farr loves walkable cities. A tourism industry professional and transplanted New Yorker by way of half-a-lifetime in London, she's writing about the best of the bay and beyond for Yahoo, USA Today, eHow, and on Examiner.com.
