Thanksgiving trivia is a fun way to get everyone talking at the dinner table, in the classroom or on a family video call. Dressing for the day? Try these Thanksgiving outfits for men. This list has more than 60 Thanksgiving trivia questions and answers, sorted from easy to hard, plus sections on food, football, the parade and true-or-false questions for kids. Every answer has been checked against trusted history sources, so you can play with confidence.
How to play: read a question aloud, give players a few seconds to answer, and award one point for each correct answer. Easy questions work well for younger kids; save the hard ones for history buffs.
In this article
Easy Thanksgiving Trivia Questions
- On which day of the week is Thanksgiving always celebrated in the United States? Answer: Thursday.
- In which month is Thanksgiving celebrated in the US? Answer: November.
- Which bird is most often the centerpiece of a Thanksgiving dinner? Answer: The turkey.
- What is a male turkey called? Answer: A tom.
- What is a female turkey called? Answer: A hen.
- What is a baby turkey called? Answer: A poult.
- What is the name of the famous parade held in New York City on Thanksgiving morning? Answer: The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.
- What sport is traditionally watched on Thanksgiving Day? Answer: American football.
- What is the name of the big shopping day the day after Thanksgiving? Answer: Black Friday.
- What orange vegetable is used to make a classic Thanksgiving pie? Answer: Pumpkin.
- What red berry is turned into a sauce for Thanksgiving dinner? Answer: Cranberries.
- What do you call the bread-based dish cooked inside or alongside the turkey? Answer: Stuffing (also called dressing).
Medium Thanksgiving Trivia Questions
- What ship carried the Pilgrims to North America in 1620? Answer: The Mayflower.
- In which present-day US state did the 1621 harvest celebration take place? Answer: Massachusetts (at Plymouth).
- Which Native American people shared the 1621 harvest celebration with the Pilgrims? Answer: The Wampanoag.
- Who was the Wampanoag leader at the 1621 celebration? Answer: Ousamequin, also known as Massasoit.
- Roughly how many Wampanoag men came to the 1621 feast? Answer: About 90.
- How many days did the 1621 harvest celebration last? Answer: Three days.
- Which US president issued the first national Thanksgiving proclamation in 1789? Answer: George Washington.
- Which president made Thanksgiving an annual national holiday in 1863? Answer: Abraham Lincoln.
- On which Thursday of November is Thanksgiving held today? Answer: The fourth Thursday.
- What year was the first Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade? Answer: 1924 (see the parade history).
- Which NFL team has hosted a Thanksgiving Day game almost every year since 1934? Answer: The Detroit Lions.
- Which NFL team has hosted a Thanksgiving game almost every year since 1966? Answer: The Dallas Cowboys.
- In which month does Canada celebrate Thanksgiving? Answer: October (on the second Monday).
- What is the name of the horn-shaped basket overflowing with fruit and vegetables that symbolizes harvest? Answer: A cornucopia.
- Which US state raises the most turkeys? Answer: Minnesota (for many years running, according to USDA figures).
Hard Thanksgiving Trivia Questions
- Who wrote the only surviving eyewitness account of the 1621 harvest celebration? Answer: Edward Winslow, in a letter later published in Mourt’s Relation (1622). Read it at Plimoth Patuxet Museums.
- Which magazine editor campaigned for years to make Thanksgiving a national holiday and wrote to Lincoln in 1863? Answer: Sarah Josepha Hale, editor of Godey’s Lady’s Book (she also wrote “Mary Had a Little Lamb”).
- On what date did Lincoln issue his Thanksgiving proclamation? Answer: October 3, 1863, during the Civil War.
- Which president moved Thanksgiving one week earlier in 1939? Answer: Franklin D. Roosevelt. Critics nicknamed it “Franksgiving”.
- Why did Roosevelt move the date? Answer: To give stores a longer holiday shopping season during the Great Depression.
- In what year did Congress fix Thanksgiving as the fourth Thursday of November? Answer: 1941. Roosevelt signed the law on December 26, 1941.
- Before 1941, in which year did Congress first make Thanksgiving a holiday (in Washington, D.C.)? Answer: 1870.
- Which president gave the first official presidential turkey pardon? Answer: George H. W. Bush, in 1989.
- What replaced live zoo animals in the Macy’s parade in 1927? Answer: Giant balloons, starting with Felix the Cat.
- For how many years was the Macy’s parade cancelled during World War II? Answer: Three years (1942 to 1944), because rubber and helium were needed for the war.
- What were the Pilgrims who sailed on the Mayflower seeking? Answer: Religious freedom (many were Separatists who had left the Church of England).
- Which Patuxet man, who spoke English, helped the Plymouth colonists plant corn and fish? Answer: Tisquantum, better known as Squanto.
- Which Founding Father wrote that the turkey was “a much more respectable bird” than the bald eagle? Answer: Benjamin Franklin, in a 1784 letter to his daughter.
- Which American footrace, first run in 1896, is often called the oldest continuously held race in North America? Answer: The YMCA Turkey Trot in Buffalo, New York.
- Since 1970, what event have Native Americans held in Plymouth on Thanksgiving Day? Answer: The National Day of Mourning, which remembers the impact of colonization on Native peoples.
Thanksgiving Food Trivia
- Was turkey definitely served at the 1621 feast? Answer: Not for certain. Winslow wrote that men went “fowling” for birds, which may have included turkey, ducks or geese, and the Wampanoag brought five deer.
- Which meat did the Wampanoag bring to the 1621 celebration? Answer: Venison (deer).
- Was pumpkin pie likely served at the first harvest feast? Answer: Probably not. The colonists had little flour or butter and no proper ovens for pies, though pumpkins and squash may have been eaten in other forms.
- Which three crops are known as the “Three Sisters” grown by many Native peoples? Answer: Corn, beans and squash.
- Cranberries, blueberries and which other fruit are among the few fruits native to North America that are widely grown commercially? Answer: Concord grapes.
- Which frozen meal was famously invented to use up leftover Thanksgiving turkey, according to popular company lore? Answer: The Swanson TV dinner, launched in 1953.
- What is the safe internal temperature for cooked turkey, according to the USDA? Answer: 165°F (74°C).
- What is the green vegetable side dish topped with crispy fried onions? Answer: Green bean casserole.
Thanksgiving Parade and Football Trivia
- Which street does the Macy’s parade travel down to finish at Herald Square? Answer: Central Park West and then 6th Avenue (the route ends at Macy’s Herald Square on 34th Street).
- Who traditionally arrives at the end of the Macy’s parade? Answer: Santa Claus, to kick off the holiday season.
- What company made the first Macy’s parade balloons in 1927? Answer: Goodyear.
- Which three NFL games are now played on Thanksgiving Day? Answer: One hosted by Detroit, one by Dallas, and a night game.
- What is the “wishbone” of a turkey, and what tradition goes with it? Answer: The furcula bone; two people pull it, and whoever gets the bigger piece makes a wish.
True or False Thanksgiving Trivia for Kids
- True or false: Thanksgiving is celebrated on the same day every year. Answer: False. It is on the fourth Thursday of November, so the date changes.
- True or false: Wild turkeys can fly. Answer: True. Wild turkeys can fly short distances, but most farm-raised turkeys cannot.
- True or false: Canada celebrates Thanksgiving in November. Answer: False. Canada celebrates in October.
- True or false: The Pilgrims called their 1621 feast “Thanksgiving”. Answer: False. It was a harvest celebration; the name came later.
- True or false: A turkey’s fleshy red wattle hangs under its chin. Answer: True.
- True or false: The president pardons a turkey every year. Answer: True. The National Thanksgiving Turkey is pardoned at the White House each year.
- True or false: The Macy’s parade has always had giant balloons. Answer: False. The first parade in 1924 used live animals; balloons arrived in 1927.
- True or false: Abraham Lincoln was president during the Civil War when he declared a national Thanksgiving. Answer: True.
Tips for Hosting a Thanksgiving Trivia Game
- Split into teams by family branch, table or age group.
- Mix easy and hard questions so everyone can score.
- Give small prizes, like first pick of dessert or skipping dish duty.
- Want more laughs between rounds? Try these Thanksgiving jokes for kids.
- Print the questions on cards, or read them from your phone between courses.
- Add a round of fun questions from these would you rather questions or icebreaker questions to keep the conversation going.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are good Thanksgiving trivia questions for adults?
Questions about the 1789 and 1863 proclamations, “Franksgiving” in 1939, the 1941 law and the first official turkey pardon tend to stump adults. You will find them in the hard section above.
What are easy Thanksgiving trivia questions for kids?
Questions about turkey names (tom, hen, poult), the parade, pumpkin pie and the true-or-false round work well for younger children.
Where can I check Thanksgiving history facts?
Good sources include the National Archives’ history of Thanksgiving as a federal holiday, Plimoth Patuxet Museums, including their page on Sarah Josepha Hale, and History.com’s history of the presidential turkey pardon.
Final Thoughts
These Thanksgiving trivia questions and answers are ready to play, from easy questions for kids to hard history questions for adults. Pick a few from each round, keep score and enjoy the conversation. For more holiday ideas, explore the latest articles on The Urban Splatter.
