Thanksgiving is Thursday, Nov. 26, 2026. Thursday trash moves to Saturday, Nov. 28. UF Health's Turkey Trot 5K, city closures and Holiday River Fest.

Last checked Oct. 9, 2026. This page is updated each year at the same address. Sources: the City of Jacksonville Solid Waste Division’s holiday schedule, the city’s 2025 Thanksgiving closures notice, the Duval County Tax Collector’s holiday schedule, UF Health Jacksonville’s Turkey Trot registration page and the city’s Office of Special Events. Where a 2026 notice is not out yet, we say which year a detail is from.

Thanksgiving is Thursday, Nov. 26, 2026. In Jacksonville the day starts with a turkey trot at the beach, trash pickup shifts by two days for Thursday customers only, and the weekend ends with the city’s Holiday River Fest downtown on Saturday, Nov. 28.

Who to call

  • City services and trash questions: 630-CITY (904-630-2489) or MyJax online
  • Sheriff’s Office non-emergency: 904-630-0500
  • Emergency: 911

Trash and recycling

The city’s holiday schedule says office closures do not change collection. Only the Thanksgiving Day route moves:

  • Thursday, Nov. 26: no collection. Customers with a Thursday pickup are collected Saturday, Nov. 28.
  • Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday: collected as normal, starting at 6 a.m.

The full rules are on our trash and recycling guide.

Turkey trot

UF Health Jacksonville’s 12th annual Turkey Trot 5K for Brain Injury Awareness is Thanksgiving morning at the Dune House Hotel and Spa, 1 Ocean Blvd., Atlantic Beach (formerly One Ocean Resort and Spa), at the beaches east of the city. From its registration page:

Wave Start
Competitive 5K 7:30 a.m.
8- to 12-minute pace 7:45 a.m.
13-minute pace and slower 8 a.m.
Sensory-friendly 5K 8:10 a.m.
1-mile fun run Listed separately on the registration page

Packet pickup is 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 24, and Wednesday, Nov. 25, at the hotel, and 6 to 8 a.m. on race day in the Junior Ballroom. Money raised goes to UF Health Jacksonville’s traumatic brain injury programs.

Organizing a Thanksgiving run inside Jacksonville? Send the details through our contact page and we will add it once we can confirm it.

Community Thanksgiving meals

No Jacksonville mission or nonprofit had posted a 2026 Thanksgiving meal when we checked in early October. Groups usually announce them in November; we will list each one here with its date, time and address once it is on the organizer’s own page. Nonprofits can send details through our contact page.

What is open and closed

The city had not published its 2026 Thanksgiving closures notice when we checked. In 2025, from the city’s notice, offices closed on both Thursday and Friday:

  • Closed both days in 2025: City Hall, the Duval County Courthouse at 501 W. Adams St., the Parks, Recreation and Community Services offices at 214 N. Hogan St. and the Tillie K. Fowler Regional Park Nature Center.
  • Libraries: every Jacksonville Public Library location closed at 6 p.m. the Wednesday before Thanksgiving and stayed closed through Friday, reopening Saturday.
  • 630-CITY: the call center closed Thursday and reopened at 8 a.m. the following Monday. Requests can still be filed at MyJax.
  • Household Hazardous Waste Facility: closed Thursday and Friday, open Saturday.
  • Tennis centers: closed; hard courts and pickleball courts stayed open for unsupervised play.
  • Tax Collector, 2026: its holiday schedule lists offices closed Thursday, Nov. 26, and Friday, Nov. 27, 2026.

Stores, malls and restaurants set their own Thanksgiving hours; see Black Friday and holiday shopping in Jacksonville.

Thanksgiving weekend

Holiday River Fest, Saturday, Nov. 28, downtown on the St. Johns River: festivities from 5 p.m., the city Christmas tree lighting at Riverfront Plaza at 6:25 p.m., the Jacksonville Light Boat Parade at 6:30 p.m. and fireworks at about 8:30 p.m., according to the city’s Office of Special Events. Full details are on our Christmas parade and tree lighting page.

What this means for you

  • Thursday trash customers: put carts out Saturday, Nov. 28, not Thursday.
  • Plan city business for the Monday before or the Monday after; in 2025 offices were shut Thursday and Friday.
  • Return library books by 6 p.m. Wednesday if last year’s hours repeat.

Related: holiday lights and Christmas events, things to do this month and Halloween events.

Frequently asked questions

Is there trash pickup on Thanksgiving in Jacksonville?

No. Customers with a Thursday pickup are collected Saturday, Nov. 28, 2026. Every other day of Thanksgiving week runs as normal, the city’s Solid Waste Division says.

Is there a turkey trot near Jacksonville on Thanksgiving?

UF Health Jacksonville’s 12th annual Turkey Trot 5K is Thursday, Nov. 26, 2026, at the Dune House Hotel and Spa, 1 Ocean Blvd., Atlantic Beach, with waves from 7:30 a.m. and a 1-mile fun run.

Are Jacksonville city offices closed the day after Thanksgiving?

The Duval County Tax Collector lists its offices closed Thursday, Nov. 26, and Friday, Nov. 27, 2026. In 2025 the city also closed City Hall, the courthouse and most offices on both days.

Are Jacksonville libraries open on Thanksgiving?

In 2025 every Jacksonville Public Library location closed at 6 p.m. the day before Thanksgiving and stayed closed through Friday. The 2026 notice was not out when we checked.