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Thanksgiving in Aruba is a normal Thursday for the island, which works in your favor. Shops, supermarkets and restaurants keep regular hours, and many resorts add a turkey dinner for American guests. You get a warm beach day, a sunset around 6 p.m. and a holiday meal without cooking. Here’s what’s open on Thanksgiving 2026, what the weather is like, where to eat, and how to beat the airport crush going home.

Thanksgiving in Aruba: the quick answer

  • Thanksgiving is a US holiday, not an Aruban one, so businesses, banks and supermarkets keep normal weekday hours.
  • It falls on the fourth Thursday of November, a few weeks before Aruba’s high season starts in mid-December.
  • Expect highs around 89°F, sea water around 83°F, and the occasional shower: November is one of Aruba’s wetter months.
  • Many resorts and restaurants run special Thanksgiving menus. Reserve as soon as your dates are set.
  • Flying home Friday to Sunday? Those are the airport’s busiest US departure days, so check in three hours before your flight.

Is Thanksgiving a holiday in Aruba?

No. The Government of Aruba’s official holiday list has no Thanksgiving and no public holiday at all in November. The next official days off are Christmas Day and Boxing Day on December 25 and 26.

So Thanksgiving Thursday runs like any other weekday. The places that act differently are the ones catering to American visitors, mainly resort restaurants with holiday menus.

The date moves every year. US Thanksgiving is the fourth Thursday of November, so it can land anywhere from November 22 to November 28, according to The Old Farmer’s Almanac. In 2026 it falls on Thursday, November 26, and in 2027 on Thursday, November 25.

Palm-lined shopping street in downtown Oranjestad, Aruba
Oranjestad runs a normal weekday on Thanksgiving. Photo: Jamie Tudor via Unsplash

What’s open on Thanksgiving in Aruba

Because the day isn’t a local holiday, the short answer is almost everything.

Place On Thanksgiving Thursday Tip
Shops and malls in Oranjestad Normal weekday hours Good morning activity before the beach heats up
Supermarkets Normal weekday hours Shop a day or two early for a big holiday meal
Banks and government offices Normal weekday hours No local holiday closures in November
Restaurants Open; some add holiday menus Book ahead for resort Thanksgiving dinners
Beaches, boat trips and tours Running as usual Book a sunset sail a few days ahead

November weather in Aruba

Late November is hot and breezy, with a real chance of a passing shower. November is the wettest month in the long-term averages from the Departamento Meteorologico Aruba, yet the whole month averages only about 3.4 inches of rain.

November average Value Source period
Average high 31.5°C (about 89°F) 1991–2020 normals
Average low 26.0°C (about 79°F) 1991–2020 normals
Sea temperature 28.1°C (about 83°F) 1971–2000 normals (latest DMA sea figures)
Rainfall 87.1 mm (about 3.4 in) 1991–2020 normals
Days with at least 1 mm of rain About 10 1991–2020 normals
Average wind speed 5.6 m/s (about 13 mph) 1991–2020 normals

In the older 1971–2000 normals, those rainy days added up to only about 71 hours of rain across the month, so most hours stay dry. The Atlantic hurricane season runs until November 30.

The sun sets early. Meteo.aw’s 2026 table puts sunset at 6:11 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day, so plan dinner reservations around it. For the rest of the year, see our guide to the best time to visit Aruba month by month.

Beach loungers under palm trees on white sand in Aruba
A lounger and some shade is most of the Thanksgiving plan. Photo: Paulo Evangelista via Unsplash

Crowds and prices around Thanksgiving week

Thanksgiving sits in Aruba’s shoulder season. Lonely Planet puts peak prices from mid-December to mid-April and calls September to mid-December the best stretch for budget travelers.

The holiday week itself is the exception. Americans travel in huge numbers that weekend: AAA projected a record 81.8 million US travelers over Thanksgiving 2025. Thanksgiving is the busiest US travel holiday of the year, so book flights early and reserve holiday dinners ahead.

Where to eat Thanksgiving dinner in Aruba

You won’t have to skip turkey. Aruba’s tourism authority noted in 2025 that many resorts and restaurants create special Thanksgiving menus, often mixing classic dishes with seafood and Caribbean flavors.

One example from last season: Hilton Aruba’s holiday events page listed a prix-fixe Thanksgiving dinner at its Sunset Grille for $85 per person (as of November 2025). Holiday menus change every year, so check what your own resort is planning.

How to book a Thanksgiving dinner

  • Ask your hotel’s concierge which of its restaurants is doing a holiday menu, and book when you check in, or earlier by email.
  • Confirm the format: buffet, set menu or regular menu with a turkey special.
  • Ask whether a service charge is added, so you don’t tip twice.

Not set on turkey? Thursday is a fine night for local food too. Our guides to Aruban dishes worth trying and the best restaurants in Aruba cover places that run their normal menus that night.

Rather graze your way around the island than sit through one long dinner? A food or drink tour suits a holiday week well.

Yellow resort building behind palms and bushes along the beachfront in Noord, Aruba
Resort restaurants are where most Thanksgiving menus appear. Photo: Benjamin R. via Unsplash

Cooking your own Thanksgiving: Aruba grocery stores

Staying in a condo or villa? aruba.com’s grocery guide names the big four: Ling & Sons, Super Food, Super Do It Center and Cmart. All sit outside downtown Oranjestad, near the hotel area or the airport.

Super Food Plaza is at Bubali 141-A in Noord, on the road between Oranjestad and the Palm Beach hotels. It’s the easiest big-shop stop if you’re staying on the high-rise strip.

  • Do the big shop on Tuesday or Wednesday rather than Thursday morning.
  • If you want a whole turkey, call the store ahead and ask what they have.
  • Sunday hours are shorter at the big supermarkets, so don’t leave a weekend top-up too late.

Thanksgiving Day ideas: beach, sunset and a sail

A simple holiday plan:

  1. Morning: Claim shade early on Eagle Beach, whose trees are among the most photographed fofoti trees in Aruba. Our guide to palapas in Aruba explains how early to go.
  2. Midday: Escape the heat in downtown Oranjestad, where shops are open as usual.
  3. Late afternoon: Watch the 6:11 p.m. sunset from the sand or the water.
  4. Evening: Sit down to your holiday dinner after dark.

A sunset sail is an easy way to fill that last hour before dinner, and it gives the day a sense of occasion. Our Aruba sunset cruise guide covers what’s included. Staying on land? Try our best sunset spots in Aruba.

A catamaran silhouetted against the evening sky off Eagle Beach, Aruba
A sunset sail is an easy way to mark the holiday. Photo: EgorovaSvetlana, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Flying home on Thanksgiving weekend

If you fly home Friday to Sunday, you hit the airport’s busiest days. Aruba Airport says its peak for US-bound departures is Friday to Sunday from about 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.

  • Check in three hours early. The airport’s check-in rules set three hours before departure for US flights.
  • Don’t arrive earlier than that. Under the airport’s passenger flow control, entry to the US check-in terminal opens no earlier than three hours before your scheduled departure.
  • US preclearance happens in Aruba. You clear US immigration and customs before boarding, then land in the US as a domestic passenger.
  • Eat before security. Since May 1, 2026, most shops and food outlets on the right side after security have been closed for terminal works, with relocation planned.
California Lighthouse on Aruba's northwest tip after dark
The California Lighthouse after dark, a good last-evening drive before an early flight. Photo: Arthur Ruiz, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Planning for Thanksgiving 2026

  • Book flights early, and aim for a Monday or Tuesday return if you can.
  • Reserve your Thanksgiving dinner once your resort posts its menu.
  • Book a sunset sail for Wednesday or Friday if Thursday is for dinner.
  • Pack a light rain layer for the odd shower and reef-safe, oxybenzone-free sunscreen for long beach days.
  • Staying on for December? See our guide to Christmas and New Year in Aruba.

FAQ

Is Thanksgiving celebrated in Aruba?

Not as a local holiday. It doesn’t appear on Aruba’s official holiday list, but resorts and restaurants that host many American visitors often serve Thanksgiving menus.

Are stores open on Thanksgiving in Aruba?

Yes. Because it isn’t an Aruban public holiday, shops, supermarkets and banks keep their normal weekday hours.

Can I get a turkey dinner in Aruba on Thanksgiving?

Usually, yes. Many resorts and restaurants run special Thanksgiving menus. Ask your hotel early and book ahead, because holiday-week tables fill up.

What is the weather like in Aruba at Thanksgiving?

Hot and breezy, with average highs near 89°F and sea water around 83°F. November is the wettest month, but rain falls on only about 10 days.

Is Thanksgiving week expensive in Aruba?

Late November is generally cheaper than the mid-December to mid-April high season. The holiday week itself is busier, so book flights and dinners early.

How early should I get to Aruba’s airport on the Sunday after Thanksgiving?

Plan to check in three hours before a US-bound flight. The terminal won’t let you in earlier, and weekend middays are the airport’s busiest window.

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