Thanksgiving in Katy falls on Thursday, November 26, 2026, and the weeks around it are full of local traditions: the YMCA Turkey Dash at Monty Ballard YMCA at Cinco Ranch on Thanksgiving morning, the Home for the Holidays Gift Market at the Merrell Center the weekend before, and community meal prep with Operation Turkey the night before the holiday. Earlier in the month, the Gobbler races and the Katy Exchange open the season, and The Light Park drive-through light show starts November 6 and runs into January. Here is the dated, sourced rundown so Sunterra families can plan the full week.
When is Thanksgiving in Katy this year?
Thanksgiving Day in 2026 is Thursday, November 26, and Katy's holiday season effectively begins about two weeks earlier. The first clusters of events land on the weekend of November 14, the marquee gift-market weekend runs November 20 to 22 at the Merrell Center, and The Light Park drive-through light show opens November 6 and stays up through January 3, 2027.
Everything below is within about a 15-minute drive of Sunterra, most events run rain or shine, and the ticketed ones publish prices in advance, so you can book before the holiday-week crowds arrive.
Thanksgiving morning: the Katy YMCA Turkey Dash
The Katy YMCA's 24th Annual Turkey Dash, presented by Houston Methodist West, runs Thursday, November 26, from 7:00 to 11:00 a.m. at Monty Ballard YMCA at Cinco Ranch. The timed 10K starts at 7:30, followed by a timed 5K walk/run, a 1-mile family walk/run and a 1-mile kids race for ages 3 to 12.
All finishers earn medals, and a post-race party with a kids zone and vendors caps the morning. Entry runs about $22.20 to $54 depending on the race and when you register, per the official Eventbrite listing, and spots fill well before Thanksgiving. It is the rare family tradition that burns calories before the pie.
Saturday, November 14: Gobbler races and the Katy Exchange
The weekend before Thanksgiving, two traditions share the calendar. The Gobbler 5K, 10K and 13.1-mile run takes over Katy on Saturday, November 14, with entry from about $33.80 to $70.90 per the 2026 race listings. It is a shorter-distance option for runners who want the trophy without Thanksgiving-morning pressure.
That same day, the Katy Exchange runs 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at Historic Town Square on Avenue A, a free artisan and maker market that is a low-key way to start holiday shopping before the bigger markets open.
November 20 to 22: Home for the Holidays and the LaCenterra tree lighting
Katy's largest holiday gift market, the Home for the Holidays Gift Market, fills the Leonard E. Merrell Center Friday through Sunday, November 20 to 22, with 130-plus vendors. General admission is $6, First Call shopping passes are $10, and parking is free, per the market's own pages.
The same Friday, November 20, LaCenterra at Cinco Ranch hosts its free Tree Lighting Festival at 23501 Cinco Ranch Boulevard: a 51-foot Christmas tree, Santa, snow globes and holiday music, with a market of 40-plus vendors around the central green. It is about a 10-minute drive south of Sunterra via the Grand Parkway, and for much of west Katy it is the evening the season officially starts.
Give back: Operation Turkey's Katy Turkey Tailgate
The day before Thanksgiving, Wednesday, November 25, Operation Turkey hosts its Katy Turkey Tailgate from 6:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at the Katy Elks Lodge #2628, 1050 Katy Fort Bend Road. Volunteers smoke turkeys and prep meals that are served free to people in need on Thanksgiving Day; Operation Turkey's Houston page lists sign-up and donation details.
It is an easy volunteer shift for families with older kids and one of the most concrete ways Katy neighbors show up for each other during the holiday week.
Thanksgiving dinner in Katy: eat out or host at home
If cooking for a crowd is not on the menu, Astor's Table in Katy serves a three-course Thanksgiving meal on Thursday, November 26, from 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., about $59 per person. Thanksgiving reservations at the few local restaurants that open that day fill fast, so book early once you have settled your plans.
If you host instead, late-November weather in Katy is a genuine wild card, which is exactly why a covered, screened patio with ceiling fans makes a useful holiday overflow room. The waterfront home at 137 Eliana Shores Dr has one that faces the lake, and it is a pleasant spot for coffee while the turkey finishes.
Keep the season going: The Light Park and the city tree lighting
The season does not stop at Thanksgiving. The Light Park in Katy, at 555 Katy Fort Bend Road, is a drive-through light display running November 6, 2026 through January 3, 2027, with per-vehicle entry. The City of Katy's Christmas Tree Lighting returns Saturday, December 5 at Historic Town Square, paired with the Katy Nutcracker Exchange, and the full December lineup is covered in this site's Christmas events guide.
However you spend the week, the practical advice is the same: check the event pages a day or two before you go, because times and ticket prices can shift closer to the date.
Turn a Thanksgiving visit into a house tour
A long holiday weekend is one of the best times to see Sunterra: the community lakes are quiet, the amenity villages are decorated, and showings fit around the meal. 137 Eliana Shores Dr is an active listing in Sunterra, a one-story waterfront home with 4 bedrooms, 3 baths and 1,885 square feet, listed at $349,900, with the lake and fountain behind the black metal fence.
Carol Jukes, Broker/Owner of Realty Pros of Texas, can arrange a private showing around your holiday schedule and share current Sunterra market numbers for your budget. Call (832) 212-2772 or send a message through the contact page.