We haven’t found a 2026 Thanksgiving parade in Bakersfield, but Delano Light the Night is Saturday, Nov 28. In all we found three Thanksgiving-weekend outings in and around Bakersfield: one turkey trot with a kids’ race and two Black Friday weekend picks.
Thursday to Sunday
Everything below, laid out by day. Tap any outing to jump to its details.
Monday to Wednesday, Nov. 23–25
Many schools are off all week. The full Monday-to-Wednesday list goes up with the weekly update on Monday, Nov. 23; what’s already posted is below.
It comes from the same weekly check as the Bakersfield this-week page.
Thursday morning
Start time, route and what to know with a stroller, from the organizer’s page.
We check the organizers every week. The 3 outings below are confirmed on their official pages.
Run it off
Kids’ races, family walks and stroller rules, from each race’s own page. Kids’ turkey trots in other cities.
The Park at River Walk · 11298 Stockdale Hwy., Bakersfield, CA
For kids: The 1-mile walk is untimed, and the lower price for kids 9 and under is applied at checkout.
Thanksgiving Day and Black Friday
Holiday hours from each place’s own hours page. “Not posted” means the page doesn’t list Friday hours yet. Worth a quick check that morning.
Museums, zoos and play places post holiday hours in November. We add them as soon as they do.
Friday, Nov. 27
Tree lightings, parades, light-display openings and Santa arrivals on Black Friday.
Kern County Fairgrounds (walk-through parking at Gate 31, drive-thru at Gate 28) · Kern County Fairgrounds, off Belle Terrace east of P St., Bakersfield, CA
With littles: Light display opening this weekend. A walk-through with a hayride that loops most of the drive-thru, and Santa in his cottage every night. Free photos with Santa on your own camera. Mon–Thu nights are the least crowded.
More to come.Tree lightings and holiday openings often post closer to the holiday. We add them every Thursday.Get the Thursday emailSaturday and Sunday
Parades, lightings, light displays and other easy outings Saturday and Sunday.
Central Park · Central Park, Delano, CA
With littles: Light display opening this weekend. Delano's Central Park is lit up for the season, with Santa visits, caroling, cocoa and themed nights on weekends.
More to come.Tree lightings and holiday openings often post closer to the holiday. We add them every Thursday.Get the Thursday emailKeep planning
November: things to do in BakersfieldEvery dated listing for the month, by weekDecember: things to do in BakersfieldEvery dated listing for the month, by week
Free things to do in BakersfieldFree days, free events and places that never chargeChristmas parades in BakersfieldParades and tree lightings with dates and start times
The Nutcracker in BakersfieldBallet and touring shows, sensory-friendly flaggedThis week in BakersfieldDated outings for ages 0–6, checked every Thursday
Good questions
We haven’t found 2026 details for a Thanksgiving parade in Bakersfield yet. We check again every Thursday and add it as soon as the organizer posts it.
Bakersfield Turkey Day Run 1-mile walk: Thu, Nov 26, 2026. The 1-mile walk is untimed, and the lower price for kids 9 and under is applied at checkout.
On Thanksgiving Day (Thu, Nov 26, 2026) our list has Bakersfield Turkey Day Run 1-mile walk. Times, prices and the official links are on each card.
On Friday, Nov. 27: Bakersfield Christmas Town. Times and prices are on each card.
Delano Light the Night: Nov 28, 2026 through January, Evenings; see the event calendar for each weekend's activities, Central Park, Delano, CA. Times come from each organizer’s page.
Bakersfield Christmas Town and Delano Light the Night. Dates and times are on each card.
Each listing comes from the venue’s or organizer’s own page and links to it. We only list a date, time or price when that page shows it, and anything we can’t confirm stays off. These were last checked Oct 30, 2026, and we recheck them every Thursday through Thanksgiving week. How we choose and check.
One short email every Thursday evening: the best things to do with little kids in Bakersfield that weekend, Thanksgiving week included.
