Thanksgiving in Madrid: where to celebrate, dine and how to plan

Thanksgiving falls on the fourth Thursday of November, which is 26 November in 2026. In Madrid it is not a Spanish holiday: Thursday is a working day and shops and transport run as usual. You can still celebrate, as long as you book a dinner at a restaurant or hotel early, or cook the meal yourself. This guide explains what to expect, what to check and how to spend the weekend. We give no menus or prices: they change every year and had not been published when this was written (October 2026).

Thanksgiving in Spain: an ordinary date

No public holiday or local custom matches Thanksgiving. Schools, offices and museums follow their usual calendar, and the city holds no parade. What exists comes from the American presence: restaurants offering a special menu, hotels or associations hosting a dinner, and private hosts inviting friends. The mood is that of a chosen evening, not a street festival.

Late November is also when Christmas lights are being prepared. To place the season, read what to do in Madrid in November and, for what follows, Christmas in Madrid.

Booking a Thanksgiving dinner

The classic menu combines roast turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce and pumpkin or pecan pie. Few Spanish menus reproduce it exactly. When a venue advertises it, it is often for a single evening or a weekend, with a limited number of covers.

When to book: as soon as the menu is announced, and if possible several weeks ahead. A table for a large group is hard to find on the day itself.
What to ask: the final price with drinks and service, the seating time, what is included, and whether a meat-free or allergy-friendly menu is possible.
How to check: look at the venue's official website or account and confirm in writing. A menu shared on a 2025 blog guarantees nothing for 2026.
Times: Spaniards dine late; a Thanksgiving dinner served at 6 pm may exist but must be confirmed. For the cost of meals in general, see the budget for a trip to Madrid.

A Spanish restaurant can also work if the point is to get together: a large dish to share recalls the spirit of the day without claiming to reproduce it.

Cooking yourself or buying the products

If your accommodation has a kitchen, a meal at home is possible. Plan ahead: whole turkeys are not always on the shelves and are ordered in advance from a butcher or caterer. Cranberries, canned pumpkin and flour for pie dough are harder to find than local ingredients; some foreign-food shops and department stores stock them, with no guarantee. A simple alternative is to serve a capon, a chicken or a shoulder of lamb with seasonal vegetables, which are easy to buy at the markets.

To choose where to stay before you shop, see where to stay in Madrid.

Black Friday and the weekend in Madrid

On the Friday that follows, Spanish and international chains run Black Friday promotions. Their length and conditions vary: read the small print before buying, especially electronics. The official sales take place at other dates; the page on sales in Madrid explains the difference.

For the rest of the weekend, put fixed-time visits in the morning and book dinner for the evening: - a walk in Retiro Park, calmer at this time of year; - the Puerta del Sol and the Plaza Mayor, where the Christmas atmosphere gradually sets in; - an evening at the theatre or a concert if you want something other than dinner.

For Americans and expats

If you need a document or consular help, use the official website of your country's embassy or consulate, not intermediaries. Embassies do not provide holiday dinners. For a stay of a few days there is no need to look for a "community": a restaurant, a hotel or a meet-up with other travellers is enough to mark the date.

Also keep an eye on scams to avoid in Madrid: a dinner reservation made only by message with an unknown person, with a deposit, should raise suspicion.