Does your Thanksgiving Weekend checklist look something like this:
Stuff 22-pound turkey. Check. Peel 22 pounds of potatoes. Check. Mash potatoes. Check. Trim green beans (use magnifying glass). Check. Cook the food. Check. Slice 22 varieties of pies. Check. Overeat. Urp. Rent storage container for leftovers. Check. Wave goodbye to guests. Apologize for the cranberry disaster. Collapse. Triple check.
After all that drumstick drama, this weekend, take a little time for yourself. Check.
There are 22 tons of things to do this weekend. On top of the usual “Turkey Trot” runs and shopping center sale-a-thons, there’s even activities more this year — from top-tier NFL football to holiday-themed light shows to real-live ice skating. There’s truly something for everyone (except maybe that unfortunate gobbler).
We compiled this list of a dozen options to help you find some bliss this Thanksgiving weekend. You’re welcome.
Los Angeles Auto Show: Enjoy hours of comparison shopping, the opportunity for test drives and rides, plus check out automotive brands. Hours: 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Nov. 27 (Thanksgiving Day); 9 a.m.-10 p.m. Nov. 28-29; 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Nov. 30. Check admission prices on the website — including the “Any Day” ticket; early entry admission; VIP guided tours, and other special admission tickets: tinyurl.com/5bx7cc8z. No tickets sold at the door. All tickets must be purchased online. Facts: laautoshow.com/know-before-you-go/#faq. Also, laautoshow.com/know-before-you-go. Los Angeles Convention Center, 1201 S. Figueroa St., Los Angeles. laautoshow.com.
Pro football: Sure, we’re all accustomed to a Thanksgiving Day stuffed with Lions and Bengals and Bears, oh my. But this year, the NFL serves up a Black Friday match, too. Thursday’s triple-header: Packers at Lions (10 a.m. FOX), Chiefs at Cowboys (1:30 p.m., CBS) and Bengals at Ravens (5:20 p.m., NBC). Friday features Bears-Eagles at 9 a.m. on Prime. The weekend concludes with a full slate of games on Sunday — including Rams at Panthers (10 a.m., FOX) and Raiders-Chargers at SoFi at (1:25 p.m., CBS). Monday Night Football provides dessert with the Giants at Patriots matchup (5:15 p.m, ESPN).
Speaking of Cowboys … Cowboys and Christmas trees exhibits – Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum: The museum presents “Cowboys – History and Hollywood,” through April 19, 2026 (https://www.reaganfoundation.org/library-museum/special-exhibits/cowboys), and also “An American Christmas,” a favorite museum theme exhibit, with this year’s tree decorations representing culture and society from decades 1770-2020 and beyond, runs through Jan. 4, 2026 (https://www.reaganfoundation.org/library-museum/special-exhibits/an-american-christmas). Hours: 10 a.m.-5 p.m. (closed on Nov. 27, Thanksgiving Day). Tickets $25; $22 ages 62 and older and college students with ID; $18 ages 11-17; $15 ages 3-10; free for ages 2 and younger. Location, 40 Presidential Drive, Simi Valley. https://www.reaganfoundation.org/library-museum
Enchanted – Forest of Light at Descanso Gardens: An interactive, approximately 1-mile walk, through a display of lights. Event is rain or shine on selected dates through Jan. 4 (closed on Nov. 27, Thanksgiving Day, though). Purchase of a timed-ticket in advance is required for admission (time frame, 5:30-8:30 p.m.; no tickets sold at the door). Admission $27 and up; $17 ages 2-12 (age 1 and younger are free but must also have a ticket). Tickets are not refundable and cannot be rescheduled. Frequently asked questions: https://www.descansogardens.org/enchanted-faqs. Location, 1418 Descanso Drive, La Cañada Flintridge. https://www.descansogardens.org/enchanted-tickets/
At the movies: Remember, back before COVID, when we all sat in huge rooms to watch moving pictures together with the sound turned up way loud? C’mon, let’s all go back to the movies. It’s a particularly strong weekend for big, glitzy crowd-pleasers, including “Wicked: For Good” and “Zootopia 2.”
The Getty Center: When was the last time you went to the Getty Center — a long time ago (or never)? See the art, architecture and the gardens this weekend Nov. 28-30 (closed on Nov. 27, Thanksgiving Day). This is the final weekend to see “Going Places: Travel in the Middle Ages,” through Nov. 30 (https://www.getty.edu/exhibitions/going-places/). Admission is free, however, choose a date and then a timed-ticket admission before you go (tinyurl.com/yu6fsv3s). Parking $25 (www.getty.edu/visit/center/parking-and-transportation). Location, 1200 Getty Center Drive (at North Sepulveda Boulevard), Los Angeles. www.getty.edu
Holiday Ice Rink at Pershing Square: The largest outdoor ice skating rink in the city of Los Angeles is open for one-hour ice skating sessions, noon-9 p.m. Nov. 27-30 (and daily through Jan. 11, 2026). Check the website for ticket prices and purchasing sessions before you go. Location, 532 S. Olive St., Los Angeles. https://www.facebook.com/HolidayIceRinkDTLA. holidayicerinkdowntownla.com
Holiday Road: A self-guided, one-mile walk to see holiday-theme light installations plus a “Winter Market” for gifts, a souvenir shop and food trucks opens Nov. 28. Tickets are sold online-only and are by designated time slots (starting at 5 p.m.) and by date, Nov. 28-30 (other dates through Dec. 27). Purchase a parking pass at the same time as tickets. Details and rules here: holidayroadusa.com/faq/. King Gillette Ranch, 26800 Mulholland Highway, Calabasas. holidayroadusa.com/
Hollywood Christmas Parade Supporting Marine Toys for Tots: The parade’s 93rd anniversary kicks off, 6 p.m. Nov. 30. Grand marshal: actor Luke Wilson. Humanitarian of the Year: actor and producer Anthony Anderson. The parade highlights the Marine Corps Reserve annual Toys for Tots campaign for donations of new and unwrapped toys to be given to children in need (find out more: www.toysfortots.org). Parade route (3.2 mile): begins on Hollywood Boulevard at Orange Drive; east on Hollywood to Vine Street; south on Vine to Sunset Boulevard; west on Sunset and back to Orange, Hollywood. www.thehollywoodchristmasparade.org
Imaginarium, Land of Oz at Fairplex: The family-friendly, walk-through illuminated event, selected dates through Jan. 4. Theme areas: The Farm; Scarecrow; Tin Man; Lion; Poppy Dreams and Butterfly Illusions; Emerald City. Tickets $21 and up, ages 13-61; $16 and up, ages 3-12; free for ages 2 and younger. Frequently asked questions: https://imaginarium360.com/faq/. Use parking at Gate 17 ($20; credit or debit card only). Location, Fairplex – Pomona, 1101 W. McKinley Ave. tinyurl.com/3p8rkbbj. imaginarium360.com/pomona-ca/
Powwow at California State University, Northridge: The 40th annual pan-tribal event begins with bird singers, 10 a.m., followed by gourd dancing, 10:30 a.m., and the grand entry, noon on Nov. 29. The Powwow ends at 8 p.m. Free admission. Free parking in B3 structure only (enter the campus at Reseda Boulevard and Prairie Street). Location, Sierra Quad in the middle of the campus, 18111 Nordhoff St., Northridge. www.csun.edu/humanities/american-indian-studies
L.A. Zoo Lights – Animals Aglow: The self-guided walking tour returns with a nature-focused display of lantern sculptures and lights through different landscapes including river, alpine and rain forests, various dates through Jan. 11. Hours: 6-10 p.m. Rain does not cancel. Timed tickets start at $29 and up for ages 13 and older; $19 and up for ages 2-12 (however, higher admission on “premium” nights). Closed on Nov. 27 (Thanksgiving Day). Frequently asked questions: https://lazoo.org/plan-your-visit/special-experiences/zoolights/zoolights-faq. Location, 5333 Zoo Drive, Los Angeles. www.lazoolights.org