Thanksgiving weekend 2026 in the Tri-Cities: Nov. 26-29 planner

Thanksgiving weekend is when all three Tri-Cities switch on the holidays, and the big events land on different days, so you can catch most of them without double-booking. This planner lays out Thursday, Nov. 26 through Sunday, Nov. 29. For the full season in each town, see our St. Charles Holiday Homecoming guide, Geneva holiday guide and Batavia holiday guide.

Thursday, Nov. 26: Thanksgiving Day

Run before the turkey in Batavia. Fox River Trail Runners holds its 30th Fox and the Turkey in downtown Batavia, with a 1-mile youth race at 7:30 a.m. and a 4-mile run at 8:15 a.m. The club gives $5 from every 4-mile registration to the Batavia Interfaith Food Pantry. Event details

St. Charles Turkey Trot 5K. Also on Thanksgiving Day, with kids' options listed on its RunSignup page. Check that page for start time and location.

Friday, Nov. 27: Lights on in St. Charles

Lighting of the Lights. Holiday Homecoming starts at 5 p.m. on the 1st Street Plaza, where downtown St. Charles flips on its holiday lights. High school choirs sing, and Santa stays for photos after the ceremony until 7 p.m. It is free and dog-friendly. Event details

The Fox Valley Nutcracker opens. Fox Valley Ballet's Nutcracker runs four times at the Batavia Fine Arts Centre, starting at 3 p.m. Friday, then 1 and 6 p.m. Saturday and 1 p.m. Sunday. Standard tickets are listed at $38 to $59, with kids 10 and under $10 less, and prices rise as seats sell. Event details

Saturday, Nov. 28: Small Business Saturday and a parade

Saturday is Small Business Saturday nationwide, and the Tri-Cities give you plenty of reasons to shop local:

• Batavia Indoor Market, 9 a.m. to noon at Sturdy Shelter Brewing, 10 S. Shumway Ave. Batavia MainStreet
• St. Charles Holiday Shop Crawl, with promotions at participating shops and a grand prize giveaway, running through the holiday season. Holiday Homecoming

Free Elf at the Arcada. Doors open at 9 a.m. and the movie starts at 10 a.m. Snacks are for sale in the lobby. Event details

Santa's Cottage opens. Santa's new cottage on the 1st Street Plaza in St. Charles is open 1 to 4 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays from Nov. 28 through Dec. 20.

Winter Wonder Lights, Geneva. Peck Farm Park lights up at 5 p.m. sharp for a free kickoff that runs until 7 p.m., with hot cocoa, s'mores and letters to Santa. The lights then stay on daily from 5 to 10 p.m. through Jan. 1. Event details

Electric Christmas Parade, St. Charles. Lighted floats, bands and Santa step off at 5:30 p.m. from 6th Street and head down Main Street to 4th Avenue. Main Street closes about 15 minutes before the start. Event details

If you want both evening events, note that the Peck Farm kickoff and the parade overlap.

Sunday, Nov. 29: Art in Geneva, lights in Batavia

Artists Sunday Road Rally, Geneva. From 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., downtown Geneva hosts a self-guided art tour with local artists, live demonstrations and in-store exhibits. Event details

Celebration of Lights, Batavia. The Batavia Park District's free kickoff on the Riverwalk around the Peg Bond Center runs 5 to 7 p.m., with a sing-along at 5:15 p.m. and Santa's arrival and the tree lighting at 5:30 p.m. Hayrides are free with a food donation for the Batavia Food Pantry. Event details

Tree shopping

Abbey Farms in Aurora, near Batavia, lists Christmas tree sales daily from Nov. 21 through Dec. 23, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., including choose-and-cut while daylight allows. Abbey Farms

Next up

Two more downtown shopping nights bracket the weekend. Batavia's Holiday Lantern Walk keeps more than 30 downtown shops open late on Friday, Nov. 13, from 5 to 9 p.m. Geneva's Christmas Walk is Friday, Dec. 4, starting at 6 p.m., and the Geneva Chamber's Holiday House Tour runs Dec. 4 and 5. More holiday shows are in our Norris and Batavia Fine Arts Centre guide.