Guide
A Friendsgiving trip
Thanksgiving is Thursday 26 November 2026, so decide now between a dinner on Saturday the 21st and a long weekend away from Wednesday to Sunday. One person roasts the turkey, everyone else signs up for a dish. A house weekend runs roughly $250 to $600 per person for three nights, before travel.
Thanksgiving falls on Thursday 26 November in 2026, which leaves about three weeks. Most groups choose between two versions: Friendsgiving at someone’s place on the Saturday before, or a long weekend in a rented house where friends who cannot go home spend the holiday together. Both work with the same three decisions: the date, who cooks what, and how to share the costs.
The cabin example trip shows what a shared house weekend looks like as a plan.
Pick the version and the date
Saturday 21 November is the classic Friendsgiving date: it does not clash with family Thanksgiving, and nobody has to travel. A weekend away suits a group that stays in town for the holiday, or friends who would otherwise spend it alone. Ask the group with two options and a deadline of a couple of days, because three weeks out the good houses are already going.
A long weekend in a rented house
Look within a three- or four-hour drive: a cabin in the mountains, a lake house, a beach town out of season. Check the kitchen before you book: an oven big enough for a turkey, enough plates and chairs for everyone, and a table that seats the group. Two nights is enough for most; three makes the dinner day calm.
Book this week if you can.
| Day | Daytime | Evening |
|---|---|---|
| Wednesday 25 November | Drive in, the big grocery run, the turkey into the fridge to finish thawing | Pizza and the first fire |
| Thursday 26 November | A morning hike or the parade on TV; the turkey goes in by early afternoon | The dinner, then games |
| Friday 27 November | Leftover sandwiches, a long walk or a town nearby | Dinner out, so nobody cooks |
| Saturday 28 November | Nothing planned | A second dinner from the leftovers |
| Sunday 29 November | Clean up, check out, leave early to beat the traffic | Home |
Travel on the busiest days
At airports the Wednesday before and the Sunday after Thanksgiving are usually among the busiest days of the year, and roads are slow on both. Drive in on Wednesday morning or Tuesday evening, and leave the house early on Sunday or stay until Monday. If people fly in, they should book now and bring only a carry-on.
The turkey
Allow about 1 to 1.5 pounds of whole turkey per person, so a 12 to 15 pound bird feeds ten with leftovers. A frozen turkey needs about a day in the fridge for every 4 to 5 pounds, so a 15 pound bird goes in on Saturday or Sunday for Thursday. It is done at 165°F in the thickest part of the thigh; bring a meat thermometer if the house does not have one.
Who brings what
One host cooks the turkey; everyone else takes one thing from a list, so there are not four pies and no gravy. Put the list where everyone can see it and claim a dish by name. Ask about allergies and who does not eat meat before the list goes out, and make one side that suits them.
| Dish | How much for ten | Who |
|---|---|---|
| Turkey | A 12 to 15 pound bird | The host |
| Stuffing and gravy | A large tray of stuffing and a quart of gravy | One person |
| Mashed potatoes | About 5 pounds of potatoes | One person |
| Two vegetable sides | Green beans and a roasted squash or a salad | Two people |
| Rolls and cranberry sauce | Two dozen rolls and two cans or a homemade pot | One person |
| Pies | Two pies, pumpkin and one other | Two people |
| Drinks and ice | Wine, beer, something without alcohol, and a full bag of ice | Two people |
Splitting the costs
For a dinner at home, the host usually covers the turkey and everyone brings a dish, so nothing needs splitting. For a house weekend, record the house, the grocery runs and the firewood as they are paid, with the payer and how each is split. Awayfolk works out who owes whom; it does not move money, so settle up with Venmo, Zelle or whatever the group uses.
What to pack for the house
Warm layers and boots for a walk, games, a speaker, a long extension cord, foil pans, a carving knife if you are fussy about it, and containers for leftovers. Put the shared things on one list with a name on each, so the house gets one speaker and not three.
Updated 3 November 2026
Image credits
- Autumn trees around a lake in Vermont: chensiyuan · CC BY-SA 4.0
- The Brooklyn Bridge and the towers of Lower Manhattan at blue hour, seen from the Manhattan Bridge: John Cunniff · CC BY 2.0
- The lit arch of the Wiener Christkindlmarkt in front of Vienna City Hall at dusk: Bybbisch94 · CC BY 4.0
- The lighthouse and old walls of Castillo San Felipe del Morro in San Juan: Godot13 · CC BY-SA 4.0
- Cast-iron balconies hung with ferns on a corner of St. Louis and Dauphine Streets in the French Quarter: edenpictures · CC BY 2.0
- The Austin skyline at sunset over Lady Bird Lake, with the Congress Avenue Bridge on the right: Ed Schipul · CC BY-SA 2.0
- Friends on the rocks below Riomaggiore at dusk: Ralf Steinberger · CC BY 2.0
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