Thanksgiving is right around the corner, and in Animal Crossing: New Horizons that means Franklin the turkey is ready to roll up his sleeves and start cooking. This ACNH Thanksgiving 2026 guide walks you through everything you need to know about Turkey Day, from the ingredients and dishes you will prepare to the furniture rewards you can collect. If you want to be fully prepared before the event kicks off, keep reading because we have packed in all the details you need.
ACNH Thanksgiving Event 2026
Turkey Day Items, Ingredients DIYs, Rewards & Complete Guide
Thanksgiving in New Horizons, officially called Turkey Day, was added back in the 1.6.0 Free Winter Update after being absent at launch. Isabelle describes the day as a celebration of either the fall harvest for Northern Hemisphere players or the blooming of spring for Southern Hemisphere players.
On Turkey Day itself, a lively feast is set up in the event plaza. Villagers put on hats, carry plates and drinks, and gather around the plaza while festive Thanksgiving music plays in the background. Franklin, the event host and head chef, stands outside Resident Services ready to task you with gathering ingredients so he can prepare a four-course meal.
With that holiday vibe set, let's move into the specifics you'll want to know for this year.
ACNH Turkey Day 2026 Schedule (Dates)
Turkey Day in Animal Crossing: New Horizons takes place every year on American Thanksgiving, which falls on the fourth Thursday of November. For 2026, that means:
Event Date: Thursday, November 26, 2026
Event Hours: 9:00 AM to Midnight (12:00 AM)
Hemispheres: Both Northern and Southern players celebrate on the same day
Requirement: Resident Services with Isabelle must already be unlocked on your island
The event is still locked behind the real-world clock, so without exploits, time traveling to it is not an option. Mark your calendar so you don't miss out on the exclusive items Franklin hands out only on this one day.
Now that you know when the party starts, here's how to get through it from start to finish.
How To Go Through the Whole ACNH Thanksgiving Day Event
When the clock hits 9 AM on November 26th, you'll notice several changes around your island. Franklin appears outside Resident Services wearing his chef hat, a cooking table loaded with pots and pans gets set up, dining tables and holiday decorations are placed nearby, and villagers wander around in festive gear.
Step-by-Step Flow of the Event
Here is the basic order of what you'll be doing throughout the day:
Talk to Franklin outside Resident Services to receive your first recipe and the list of ingredients he needs.
Gather the ingredients around your island by fishing, diving, digging for clams, picking mushrooms, and harvesting pumpkins.
Trade with villagers inside their homes if you are missing something. Any villager you find cooking in a kitchen will ask for a fish and reward you with a random ingredient plus a hint about a secret ingredient.
Return to Franklin with the ingredients to cook each dish. Each completed dish earns you a non-craftable reward.
Hand over the secret ingredient after a dish is first cooked to receive a bonus reward.
Repeat for all four dishes to complete the full event and earn the top prize.
Villager Trading Tip
If you're short on something specific, knock on villager doors. Those at home will usually be cooking at a temporary kitchen and will trade an ingredient (often tied to the current recipe) in exchange for a fish they want. They also drop hints about which secret ingredient Franklin is after next.
With the general flow covered, let's move on to the items and recipes you can collect from this event.
ACNH Thanksgiving Turkey Day Rewards, DIY Recipes & Items (Full List)
A total of 12 Turkey Day themed furniture pieces are up for grabs, along with four cooking recipes added in the 2.0 update. These rewards are split into three categories.
Four Non-Craftable Turkey Day Items (From Franklin Only)
These are the exclusive items you can only get by cooking the four main dishes with Franklin during the event:
| Dish Completed | Reward |
|---|---|
| Clam Chowder | Turkey Day Rug |
| Pumpkin Pie | Turkey Day Wall |
| Gratin | Turkey Day Flooring |
| Fish Meunière | Cornucopia |
Eight Craftable Turkey Day Set Items
These items can be earned randomly from Franklin when you give him secret ingredients, or crafted later using recipes:
Turkey Day Casserole
Turkey Day Chair
Turkey Day Decorations
Turkey Day Garden Stand
Turkey Day Hearth
Turkey Day Table
Turkey Day Table Setting
Turkey Day Wheat Decor
All eight of these items can also be customized with either a Fall Harvest look or a Spring Blooming version, which is perfect for reusing them later in the year.
Four Cooking Recipes (Added in Version 2.0)
After successfully cooking all four main dishes, Franklin hands over the Turkey Day Recipes pack. This gives you cooking recipes for:
Clam Chowder
Pumpkin Pie
Gratin (plus the bonus Bread Gratin served in a bread bowl)
Olive-Flounder Meunière
Note that you need to have the DIY Cooking feature already unlocked at the Nook Stop Terminal before the event in order to use these recipes.
Buying Recipes from Nook's Cranny
Starting the day after Turkey Day, two sets become available in the Nook's Cranny cabinet:
Cozy Turkey Day DIY Collection for 19,800 Bells, containing all eight craftable item recipes.
Turkey Day Recipes DIY Collection for 6,860 Bells, containing all four cooking recipes.
Both collections remain on sale through the rest of November, so you have time to grab them if you miss anything.
With the item list sorted, next comes the actual cooking part, including each dish and what goes into it.
ACNH Turkey Day Dishes & Base/Secret Ingredients
Franklin prepares four dishes in order throughout the day. Each one has a set of main ingredients plus one secret ingredient you can hand over afterward to improve the dish and earn an extra reward. Some ingredient lists differ depending on your hemisphere.
1. Clam Chowder
Northern & Southern Hemisphere: 3 Manila Clams
Secret Ingredient: Scallop
Reward: Turkey Day Rug
Manila Clams are easy to find by digging squirting spots on the beach. The Scallop requires diving in the ocean with a wetsuit.
2. Pumpkin Pie
Northern & Southern Hemisphere: 1 Orange Pumpkin + 1 random (Green, White, or Yellow Pumpkin)
Secret Ingredient: The two pumpkin colors not originally requested
Reward: Turkey Day Wall
You can grow pumpkins year-round using Pumpkin Starts from Leif, or buy them from Nook's Cranny during October.
3. Gratin
Northern Hemisphere:
1 random: Mussel, Potato, or Carrot
1 random: Flat Mushroom, Round Mushroom, Skinny Mushroom, or Oyster
Southern Hemisphere:
1 Squid
1 random: Sea Urchin, Potato, or Carrot
Secret Ingredient (both hemispheres): Dungeness Crab
Reward: Turkey Day Flooring
Mushrooms spawn near trees during November in the Northern Hemisphere. Mussels, Oysters, and Sea Urchins come from diving. Squid can be caught by fishing in the ocean.
4. Fish Meunière (Olive-Flounder Meunière)
Northern Hemisphere:
1 Sea Bass
1 random: Dab, Olive Flounder, Red Snapper, or Flour
Southern Hemisphere:
1 Sea Bass
1 random: Olive Flounder, Red Snapper, or Flour
Secret Ingredient (both hemispheres): Barred Knifejaw
Reward: Cornucopia
Fish ingredients are caught in the ocean. Flour can be crafted at a Kitchen using 5 Wheat, grown from Wheat Starts.
Finishing All Four Secret Ingredients
If you manage to add the secret ingredient to all four dishes, Franklin rewards you with the Cozy Turkey Day DIY Recipe Pack, which teaches you all eight craftable Turkey Day furniture recipes at once. It's effectively the grand prize of the event.
Since pumpkins play a role in two of these dishes, here is a closer look at how to get them in time.
ACNH Turkey Day Pumpkins & How To Get
Pumpkins are the heart of the Pumpkin Pie recipe, and you will need multiple colors to complete both the main dish and the secret ingredient bonus.
The Four Pumpkin Colors
Orange Pumpkin (always required)
Green Pumpkin
White Pumpkin
Yellow Pumpkin
Franklin will ask for 1 Orange Pumpkin plus 1 random color among green, white, or yellow. The two remaining pumpkin colors you didn't give the first time become the secret ingredient.
How to Grow Pumpkins
Pumpkin Starts can be obtained from two main sources:
Leif's Garden Shop: Available year-round whenever Leif visits your island plaza.
Nook's Cranny: Sold during the month of October as part of the seasonal Halloween rotation.
Plant the starts on dug soil, water them for a few days, and they will mature into pumpkins ready for harvest. Each color grows from the same Pumpkin Start, and the color is randomized at harvest.
Tips for Pumpkin Prep
Start early: Plant plenty of pumpkins throughout October so you have all four colors ready by November 26th.
Water with golden watering cans or team up with friends to improve pumpkin yields.
Check your storage: If you played through Halloween, you probably already have leftover pumpkins. Grab them before heading out to Franklin.
Trade with villagers: If you are short a color, villagers you trade with during Turkey Day may hand one over.
What If You Don't Have Pumpkins?
If pumpkin season caught you off guard this year, your best option is to visit villager homes during the event. The random ingredient hand-outs from cooking villagers sometimes include pumpkins, which can save you in a pinch.
That wraps up everything you need to know for Turkey Day 2026 in Animal Crossing: New Horizons. Gather your clams, bake those pies, and help Franklin pull off a wonderful Thanksgiving feast. Whether you are chasing the Cornucopia, the full DIY set, or just enjoying the holiday mood on your island, there's plenty to look forward to on November 26th. Happy Turkey Day, and good luck cooking!
