Thanksgiving trivia is an easy game for family dinners, classroom parties, Friendsgiving celebrations, and fall gatherings.
You can play around the table, divide everyone into teams, or read a few questions whenever the party needs a little extra entertainment.
These 60 Thanksgiving trivia questions and answers cover holiday history, food, turkeys, football, the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and pop culture.
Some are easy enough for kids, while others may challenge the adults too.
Easy Thanksgiving Trivia Questions
Start with these easy Thanksgiving trivia questions covering familiar foods, traditions and holiday activities.
They’re a good warm-up for kids, adults and mixed-age teams.
On which day of the week is Thanksgiving celebrated in the United States?
Answer: Thursday.
During which month is Thanksgiving celebrated in the United States?
Answer: November.
What bird is most commonly served for Thanksgiving dinner?
Answer: Turkey.
What red sauce is traditionally served with turkey?
Answer: Cranberry sauce.
What Thanksgiving dessert is made with a type of squash?
Answer: Pumpkin pie.
What sport do many families watch on Thanksgiving?
Answer: Football.
What do people traditionally pull apart to make a wish?
Answer: A wishbone.
What shopping day takes place immediately after Thanksgiving?
Answer: Black Friday.
What horn-shaped basket is commonly used as a symbol of abundance?
Answer: A cornucopia.
What meal is commonly made with food remaining after Thanksgiving dinner?
Answer: Thanksgiving leftovers.
Thanksgiving History Trivia
These Thanksgiving history questions explore the people, events, and decisions connected to the holiday, including the 1621 harvest gathering and the creation of the national observance.
In what year did the harvest gathering commonly called the first Thanksgiving take place?
Answer: 1621.
Where did the 1621 harvest gathering take place?
Answer: Plymouth, in present-day Massachusetts.
Which Native people attended the 1621 gathering with the English colonists?
Answer: The Wampanoag.
Approximately how long did the 1621 harvest celebration last?
Answer: Three days.
What was the name of the ship that carried the English colonists to North America in 1620?
Answer: The Mayflower.
Which president issued a proclamation establishing a national Thanksgiving observance in 1863?
Answer: Abraham Lincoln.
Which writer spent years campaigning for Thanksgiving to become a national holiday?
Answer: Sarah Josepha Hale.
Sarah Josepha Hale is also associated with which famous nursery rhyme?
Answer: “Mary Had a Little Lamb.”
Which president issued the first national Thanksgiving proclamation in 1789?
Answer: George Washington.
Which president signed legislation establishing Thanksgiving on the fourth Thursday of November?
Answer: Franklin D. Roosevelt.
Thanksgiving Food Trivia
Thanksgiving dinner comes with plenty of interesting facts.
See how much your group knows about classic side dishes, desserts, ingredients, and seasonal foods.
What bread-based side dish is commonly cooked with herbs, vegetables, and broth?
Answer: Stuffing or dressing.
What Thanksgiving side dish is made by boiling and mashing potatoes?
Answer: Mashed potatoes.
Which Thanksgiving pie is usually made with corn syrup, eggs and nuts?
Answer: Pecan pie.
What orange vegetable is often topped with marshmallows or brown sugar?
Answer: Sweet potatoes.
Are sweet potatoes and yams the same vegetable?
Answer: No. They are different plants, although the names are often used interchangeably in American grocery stores and recipes.
What savory sauce is commonly made using meat drippings?
Answer: Gravy.
What tart berry is harvested in bogs and commonly served at Thanksgiving?
Answer: The cranberry.
Which three crops are commonly known as the Three Sisters?
Answer: Corn, beans and squash.
What part of a pumpkin is used to make traditional pumpkin pie filling?
Answer: The flesh.
What is the name for the edible heart, liver and gizzard often found inside a turkey?
Answer: Giblets.
Turkey Trivia Questions
What is an adult male turkey called?
Answer: A tom or gobbler.
What is an adult female turkey called?
Answer: A hen.
What is a baby turkey called?
Answer: A poult.
What is a group of turkeys called?
Answer: A flock or rafter.
What is the loose skin hanging beneath a turkey’s chin called?
Answer: A wattle.
What is the fleshy growth that hangs over a turkey’s beak called?
Answer: A snood.
Can wild turkeys fly?
Answer: Yes. Wild turkeys can fly for short distances.
Can wild turkeys run?
Answer: Yes. They are surprisingly fast runners.
Which sound is most closely associated with a male turkey?
Answer: Gobbling.
What is the name of the annual White House tradition involving a Thanksgiving turkey?
Answer: The presidential turkey pardon.
Thanksgiving Parade and Football Trivia
In which city is the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade held?
Answer: New York City.
In what year was the first Macy’s parade held?
Answer: 1924.
What animals appeared in the early Macy’s parade before character balloons became its signature attraction?
Answer: Live animals from the Central Park Zoo.
What cartoon character became the parade’s first giant character balloon?
Answer: Felix the Cat.
Which department store sponsors the famous Thanksgiving Day parade?
Answer: Macy’s.
Which performer traditionally appears near the end of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade?
Answer: Santa Claus.
Which NFL team began its annual Thanksgiving game tradition in 1934?
Answer: The Detroit Lions.
Which NFL team began regularly hosting Thanksgiving games in 1966?
Answer: The Dallas Cowboys.
Which team did the Detroit Lions play in their first Thanksgiving game?
Answer: The Chicago Bears.
What position did legendary player Red Grange play when he made his professional debut on Thanksgiving Day in 1925?
Answer: Halfback or running back.
Thanksgiving Movies, TV and Pop Culture Trivia
Which animated character hosts a famously unusual Thanksgiving dinner featuring toast, popcorn and jelly beans?
Answer: Charlie Brown.
What is the title of the animated special featuring that unusual holiday meal?
Answer: A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving.
In the television show Friends, which character famously puts a turkey on her head?
Answer: Monica Geller.
Which 1987 comedy follows two travelers trying to get home for Thanksgiving?
Answer: Planes, Trains and Automobiles.
Which two actors star in Planes, Trains and Automobiles?
Answer: Steve Martin and John Candy.
Which 1993 comedy begins when two neighbors reunite during the Thanksgiving season?
Answer: Grumpy Old Men.
Which character balloon is famous for making more Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade appearances than almost any other character?
Answer: Snoopy.
Which famous Christmas shopping season traditionally begins after Thanksgiving?
Answer: The holiday shopping season, beginning with Black Friday.
What annual television event is held by the National Dog Show on Thanksgiving Day?
Answer: The National Dog Show broadcast.
Which Beatles drummer narrates the animated Thanksgiving special The Mouse on the Mayflower?
Answer: Ringo Starr.
How to Play Thanksgiving Trivia
Choose one person to serve as the host and read the questions aloud. Players can answer individually or work together in teams.
Give one point for every correct answer. The player or team with the highest score after the final question wins.
You can ask all 60 questions or select one or two categories for a shorter Thanksgiving trivia game.
Thanksgiving Trivia for Kids
For younger players, begin with the easy questions, food trivia and familiar turkey facts. You can also offer two or three possible answers when a question is too difficult.
Pairing children with adults creates balanced teams and gives everyone a chance to participate. Avoid eliminating players after incorrect answers so children can remain involved throughout the game.
Thanksgiving Trivia for Adults
Adults may enjoy the history, football, parade and pop-culture categories. For a harder version, require teams to write down their answers without multiple-choice options.
You can also add a timer and give players 15 to 30 seconds to answer each question.
Use these Thanksgiving trivia questions during dinner, turn them into a team competition or keep a few ready for the quieter moments between the meal and dessert.
