Thanksgiving in Woodstock 2026: what's open, closed and trash pickup

Last checked Oct. 6, 2026. This page is updated each year at the same address. Every date below comes from the agency or organizer named, linked. City Hall: 770-592-6000.

Thanksgiving is Thursday, Nov. 26, 2026. Woodstock’s city offices close for two days, Cherokee County schools are out all week, trash pickup for Thursday and Friday customers slides a day, and the Woodstock Public Library closes early the night before and stays shut through Saturday.

Who to call

• City Hall: Woodstock City Hall Annex, 12453 Highway 92, 770-592-6000
• Missed trash pickup: Red Oak Sanitation, call or text 678-455-7819
• Library: Woodstock Public Library, 7735 Main St., 770-926-5859

Trash pickup changes

Red Oak Sanitation has collected Woodstock’s household trash and recycling since July 1, 2026. Its holiday schedule lists Thanksgiving Day, Thursday, Nov. 26, as an observed holiday. Service for the holiday is done the next day, and every later day that week moves back one day. Red Oak uses Thanksgiving as its own example: only Thursday and Friday customers are affected. Thursday customers are picked up on Friday and Friday customers on Saturday. Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday routes run as normal.

Put your cart out the night before your new day. For more on carts, bulk items and Red Oak’s other holidays, see our trash and recycling guide.

Two weeks earlier, Veterans Day, Wednesday, Nov. 11, is a city holiday, so city offices are closed that day too. It is not on Red Oak’s holiday list, so trash runs as normal.

What is open and closed

• City Hall and city offices: closed Thursday and Friday, Nov. 26-27. The city’s holiday policy lists both Thanksgiving Day and the day after Thanksgiving. Utility and permit offices close at 4 p.m. on regular weekdays.
• Cherokee County schools: no school all week, Nov. 23-27, on the district’s 2026-27 calendar. See our schools guide for the rest of the year’s breaks.
• Libraries: the Woodstock Public Library, 7735 Main St., and the Rose Creek Public Library close at 5 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 25, and stay closed through Saturday, Nov. 28, according to the Sequoyah Regional Library’s closing dates. The Woodstock branch is normally closed on Sundays, so it reopens Monday, Nov. 30.
• Stores and restaurants set their own hours. Store hours, Small Business Saturday and holiday markets are on our Black Friday and holiday shopping page.

Turkey trots and community dinners

We found no in-person Thanksgiving turkey trot in Woodstock with 2026 dates on an organizer’s own website as of Oct. 6. A Woodstock Turkey Day 5K that raises money for Woodstock High School basketball still has a page on RunSignup, but it shows an old virtual edition, not a 2026 race. We also found no community Thanksgiving dinner with 2026 details. If your church, school or club is holding a race or a meal, send us the details and we will add it.

Thanksgiving weekend in Woodstock

• Holiday Lights of Woodstock opens on Friday, Nov. 20, the week before Thanksgiving, at Dixie Speedway, 150 Dixie Drive. The organizer, 112Events, lists a drive-through show with a walk-through Santa’s Village, open 6 to 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 6 to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday, through Dec. 31. More on our holiday lights and Christmas events page.
• Santa’s Mailbox opens on Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 26, in the gazebo at The Park at City Center, 101 Arnold Mill Road. Children can mail letters to Santa there through Dec. 13 and get a reply, according to the city’s special events calendar.
• Woodstock Farm Fresh Market runs Saturday mornings downtown through Dec. 19; see our farmers markets guide for hours.
• For a walk off the turkey, the Noonday Creek Trail starts downtown at Market Street, and Olde Rope Mill Park has trails along the Little River. Details are in our walking and biking trails guide.

The city’s Christmas season opens the next weekend with the Christmas Jubilee and Parade of Lights on Sunday, Dec. 6; see our Christmas parade and tree lighting page.

What this means for you

• Thursday trash customers: put your cart out for Friday, Nov. 27. Friday customers: Saturday, Nov. 28.
• Handle city business by Wednesday, Nov. 25; City Hall is closed Thursday and Friday.
• Library books due? Return them by 5 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 25.
• Children are out of school all week, Nov. 23-27.

Related: Black Friday and holiday shopping, holiday lights and Christmas events and things to do this weekend.

Frequently asked questions

Is trash picked up on Thanksgiving in Woodstock, Georgia?

No. Red Oak Sanitation, the city’s hauler, runs one day late in Thanksgiving week: Thursday customers are picked up Friday, Nov. 27, and Friday customers on Saturday, Nov. 28, 2026.

Is Woodstock City Hall open the day after Thanksgiving?

No. The City of Woodstock observes both Thanksgiving Day and the day after as city holidays, so city offices are closed Thursday and Friday, Nov. 26-27, 2026.

When is Thanksgiving break for Cherokee County schools in 2026?

Monday, Nov. 23, through Friday, Nov. 27, 2026. Schools and the district office are closed all week, according to the Cherokee County School District’s 2026-27 calendar.

Is the Woodstock library open on Thanksgiving?

No. Sequoyah Regional Library branches close at 5 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 25, and stay closed Thursday through Saturday, Nov. 26-28, 2026.

Is there a turkey trot in Woodstock?

We found no in-person Thanksgiving turkey trot in Woodstock with 2026 dates on an organizer’s own website as of Oct. 6.