Thanksgiving 2019 events around Edinburgh: the best dinners and celebrations near you

The fourth Thursday in November marks American Thanksgiving, one of the country's biggest holidays.

Each November, it sees more Americans taking to the road, rails and sky than on any other day of the year, as they rush home to eat turkey and watch football with their families.

While it has yet to gain a major foothold in the UK, its presence has been steadily growing as another day on which to eat, drink and be merry. Some years, Christmas alone just isn't enough.

Several venues across Edinburgh are now getting in on the act, following in the American tradition by laying on great heaps of hearty food and screening the NFL games.

Head to The Green Room for fine wining and dining Picture: The Green Room.

The Three Sisters' Thanksgiving Feast

(139 Cowgate, EH1 1JS)

The Cowgate bar will be hosting not just a meal, but a Thanksgiving Feast to honour the true “more is more” spirit of the American holiday.

The lavish three-course affair will involve maple glazed turkey and creamy mashed potatoes in gravy.

The Thanksgiving Ball raises money for an important cause. Picture: The Balmoral

Once you're stuffed too full to move, the day's NFL games will be screened live on the pub’s massive 225” screen, giving you nothing to do but order another drink and relax in front of the game.

Two courses for £16.95 or three for £19.95.

The Hard Rock Cafe's Legendary Thanksgiving

(20 George St, EH2 2PF)

Belushi's Bar is perfect for a Thanksgiving feast with a side of football. Picture: Belushi's Bar

An iconic piece of Americana in its own right, the Hard Rock Cafe is in its element when Thanksgiving comes to town.

This year, they've promised a “Legendary Thanksgiving”, and will be serving up a slow-roasted turkey breast with sweet mash potato and roasted fresh vegetables with traditional turkey gravy and cranberry sauce to round things off.

If you still have room after that, you'll be able to tuck into the classic Thanksgiving dessert – pumpkin pie with caramel sauce, toasted walnuts and whipped cream.

Two courses for £25.20 or three for £35.55.

The Balmoral's Thanksgiving Charity Ball

(1 Princes St, EH2 2EQ)

Thanks to Edinburgh University's North American society, the USA's favourite holiday will be arriving in town in spectacular form, with the 2019 Thanksgiving Charity Ball.

Taking place in the elegant surroundings of The Balmoral Hotel, this black tie event will begin with a glass of champagne and proceed into a night of drinking, dancing and a full turkey dinner, complete with all the trimmings.

Best of all, all the proceeds from the ball will go towards The Rock Trust – a charitable organisation dedicated to ending youth homelessness in Scotland by providing advice, support and education to young people across the country.

Tickets are £55 for members and £60 for non-members.

The Green Room's Thanksgiving Dinner

(19-25 William St, EH3 7NG)

For a sophisticated Thanksgiving dinner, head to The Green Room. The wine-focused bar will be offering up its botanical surroundings as the setting of this year's Thanksgiving dinner, complete with a glass of Joel Foppiano Vineyards wine.

Far from being stuffy, they are also enthusiastically dog friendly, making The Green Room the ideal Thanksgiving destination if your dog is one of the things you're most thankful for.

£30 per person.

Belushi's Bar's All-American Thanksgiving Party

(32 Market St, EH1 1DE)

Promising an “epic US-style Thanksgiving”, Belushi's Bar is well equipped to deliver thanks to its fondness for hearty food and live sports.

The final Thursday in November will see it truly trying to outdo itself in terms of calories and cholesterol – the meal begins with loaded platters before moving on to giant Turkey Gobbler burgers, and finishing with a slice of pecan pie along with a good helping of ice cream.

With its array of huge screens and projectors, Belushi's is also the perfect venue for NFL fans looking to take in the day's games.

Since they've got so many screens, fans of the European meaning of the word “football” will also find themselves well catered for, with the night's Europa League games also being shown.

Three courses for £25 per person.