Thanksgiving in Greenville 2026: turkey trot, what's open, trash

Last checked Oct. 16, 2026. This page is updated each year at the same address. Facts come from the City of Greenville’s holiday collection schedule, Holiday Happenings and Ice on Main hours pages, the Turkey Day Run, the Greenville County Library System and the Greenville County Schools calendar. City questions: Greenville Cares, 864-232-2273.

Thanksgiving is Thursday, Nov. 26, 2026. Downtown Greenville starts the day with one of the Upstate’s biggest turkey trots, city garages are free, and trash pickup slides a day for the rest of the week. School is out from Wednesday.

Thanksgiving week at a glance

• Wednesday, Nov. 25: Greenville County Schools out; libraries close at 6 p.m.
• Thursday, Nov. 26: Turkey Day Run, 8:30 a.m. downtown; no trash pickup; city garages free
• Friday, Nov. 27: Black Friday; city garages free; libraries closed
• Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 28-29: free parking in city lots and on Main Street
• Holding a community dinner? Send us the details

Turkey trots

TreesUpstate Turkey Day Run. The Thanksgiving morning race has an 8K run and a 5K fun run and walk, and both start together in corrals by pace. The fastest corral leaves at 8:30 a.m. and the last before 8:45 a.m., with walkers at the back. The 8K course still uses Cancer Survivors Park, Falls Park, Unity Park and short stretches of the Prisma Health Swamp Rabbit Trail; the 5K is on roads only this year, according to the race’s registration page. The run raises money for TreesUpstate, the nonprofit that plants trees across the Upstate.

• Entry: $35 until Nov. 1, then $40; children 10 and under $20.
• No race-day sign-up or packet pickup. Online registration closes at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 25.
• Packet pickup: 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday, Nov. 23, and Tuesday, Nov. 24, at Fleet Feet Sports, 635 Augusta St.; 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 25, at Yee-Haw Brewing, 307 E. McBee Ave.
• Costumes welcome, and leashed, friendly dogs may run from the back.

Expect downtown road closures from 5 a.m. on Thanksgiving morning, including East McBee Avenue and stretches of Main Street, Spring Street and Washington Street; the city posts the times on its event calendar. The race asks runners to use city garages, which are free that day; private decks are not.

Run Turkey Run. Unity Health’s 5K is on Saturday, Nov. 14, at Conestee Park, with the city calendar blocking 7 a.m. to noon.

Community meals

Churches and nonprofits announce free Thanksgiving dinners close to the day, and we list each one here with its time and address once the host publishes it. Year-round, the Salvation Army of Greenville serves community meals from 1 to 1:30 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 417 Rutherford St., its food pantry page says. Call 211 to find a meal or food box near you.

What’s open and closed

The free garages are North Laurens Street, West Washington, Broad Street and Richardson Street, plus the West End and Main Street lots, according to the city’s Holiday Happenings page. The trash change is on the city’s holiday collection schedule; if you live outside the city, your hauler sets its own schedule. More on pickup days is on our trash and recycling guide. The zoo’s closing is on its hours page.

Skating on Thanksgiving

United Community Ice on Main, the outdoor rink at the Village Green next to City Hall, opens for the 2026-27 season in November and is open on Thanksgiving Day from 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., the rink’s hours page says. Each ticket is for a one-hour session, and the rink stays open in light rain. Rink questions: 864-365-4258.

What this means for you

• Running Thursday? Register online by 6 p.m. Wednesday and pick up your packet early in the week.
• Put your trash out a day late if your pickup is Thursday or Friday.
• Shopping downtown that weekend? Parking is free in city garages Thursday and Friday.

More guides: Black Friday and holiday shopping, holiday lights and Christmas events and the Christmas parade and tree lighting.

Frequently asked questions

When is the Greenville Turkey Day Run in 2026?

The TreesUpstate Turkey Day Run is Thanksgiving morning, Thursday, Nov. 26, with an 8K and a 5K starting together in corrals from 8:30 a.m. downtown. There is no race-day registration.

Is trash picked up on Thanksgiving in Greenville?

No. The city does not collect trash or recycling on Thursday, Nov. 26, and service runs one day later for the rest of the week.

Is parking free downtown on Thanksgiving?

Yes. Parking is free in all city-owned garages on Thanksgiving Day and Black Friday, and city lots and Main Street spaces are free on Small Business Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 28-29.

Is Ice on Main open on Thanksgiving?

Yes. United Community Ice on Main is open from 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day and from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Thanksgiving Eve and Nov. 27-29.

When is Thanksgiving break for Greenville County Schools?

Students are out Wednesday, Nov. 25, through Friday, Nov. 27, 2026, under the district’s calendar.