Celebrating Thanksgiving as an Expat in Costa Rica

How to find a turkey, set the table, and share the holiday in Playas del Coco.

Yes, you can celebrate a full Thanksgiving in Costa Rica. It is not an official holiday here, but thousands of American and Canadian expats mark it every year. In Playas del Coco you can buy a whole turkey, bake a pumpkin pie, and share the meal at home, on the beach, or at a restaurant running a holiday menu.

We have hosted and attended plenty of Thanksgiving dinners since settling in Guanacaste, and the honest summary is this: the food takes more planning than it did back home, and the setting more than makes up for it. Here is what actually works, updated for 2026.

Is Thanksgiving celebrated in Costa Rica?

Not officially. Banks, schools, and government offices stay open, and your Tico neighbors will be at work. Thanksgiving in Costa Rica is an expat and visitor tradition, kept alive in private homes, community gatherings, and a handful of restaurants in towns with large North American populations. Playas del Coco is very much one of those towns.

The dates matter if your friend group is mixed. In 2026, American Thanksgiving falls on Thursday, November 26, the fourth Thursday of November, while Canadian Thanksgiving lands earlier, on Monday, October 12, the second Monday of October. Plenty of households here quietly celebrate both. We consider that a feature of expat life, not a bug.

Late November is also one of the best moments of the year on this coast. The rains are tapering off, the hills are still green from the wet season, and the long stretch of dry season sunshine is just arriving. If you have ever eaten turkey in shorts while watching the sun drop into the Pacific, you understand why people stay.

Where do you find a turkey near Playas del Coco?

This is the question we get most, and the answer has improved a lot over the past few years.

• Auto Mercado, Playas del Coco. The upscale national chain has a store right in Coco at the Pacifico commercial center. It caters to expats and stocks imported goods, and frozen turkeys usually appear in the weeks before the holiday. They sell out, so buy early.
• PriceSmart, Liberia. Costa Rica's membership warehouse club, similar to Costco, opened its Liberia location in June 2020 at the Solarium center across from the international airport, well under an hour from Coco. It is the most dependable spot for large frozen turkeys, baking supplies, and anything you need in bulk.
• Local supermarkets and butchers. Smaller stores in Coco and Sardinal carry chicken, pork, and excellent fresh produce. Whole turkeys are hit or miss here, but almost everything else on the table can be local.

Two practical warnings from experience. First, freezers in many condos are compact, so measure before you commit to a twenty-pound bird. Second, check your oven. Some vacation rental kitchens have small ovens, and a modest turkey, or two roast chickens, will save you a stressful afternoon.

What if you cannot find an ingredient?

Some years the canned pumpkin runs out and fresh cranberries never show up at all. This is where local substitutions shine, and a few of them have permanently replaced the originals at our tables.

• Pumpkin pie: local ayote squash or camote (sweet potato) bakes into a pie most guests cannot tell apart from the original.
• Cranberry sauce: flor de jamaica (hibiscus flowers) simmered with sugar makes a tart, ruby-red sauce that plays the same role beautifully.
• Sides: ripe plantains, palmito (heart of palm) salad, fresh corn tortillas, and whatever fruit looks best at the feria that week.
• Leftovers: shredded turkey folded into gallo pinto the next morning is a genuine cross-cultural achievement.

How do expats in Coco actually spend the day?

Potlucks are the backbone of the holiday here. Someone with the biggest oven takes the turkey, everyone else signs up for a dish, and the table ends up half American, half Canadian, with a few curious Tico friends and usually one guest from somewhere unexpected. If you are new in town, say yes to the first invitation you get. It is the fastest way we know to build a community.

Several expat-owned restaurants and hotel dining rooms in the area run set Thanksgiving menus, though the lineup changes from year to year. Because the day is a normal working Thursday in Costa Rica, these dinners are limited and they fill fast. Watch the local community groups in early November and reserve as soon as a menu is announced.

Then there is the beach option: an afternoon on the sand, a barbecue or picnic as the light goes gold, and dinner finished by sunset, which arrives close to 5:30 p.m. year-round this near the equator. Calling family afterward is easy too. Costa Rica does not observe daylight saving time, and in late November it matches US Central Time, so nobody has to do time zone math between bites of pie.

Some families here also use the day to give back, volunteering with local schools, animal rescues, or beach cleanups. A holiday built on gratitude translates naturally into that.

How do you share the holiday with Tico friends and neighbors?

Invite them. Costa Ricans have no Thanksgiving tradition of their own, but a meal built around gratitude, family, and too much food is instantly understandable in a culture that treasures all three. Explain the dishes, accept that a guest or two will politely pass on the pumpkin pie, and expect to be adopted into December tamale-making in return.

A little cultural awareness goes a long way. The holiday is not part of local history, so frame it simply as a dinner of thanks rather than a national ritual. If you are still finding your footing, our post on cultural differences between the United States and Costa Rica covers the etiquette basics, and the season that follows is its own adventure: here is how Christmas is celebrated in Costa Rica.

Should you visit Coco over Thanksgiving week?

It is a smart week to come. The weather is turning dry, the December and January crowds have not fully arrived, and Liberia's international airport keeps the trip from North America short. We cover the seasons in detail in our guide to the best time to visit Costa Rica.

One thing we see every year: vacation homes for Thanksgiving week book earlier and earlier, especially larger houses with full kitchens, because a proper oven suddenly becomes the most valuable amenity in town. If you want to cook the meal yourself, reserve a vacation rental with a real kitchen well ahead, and read the listing photos carefully. We manage about 40 rentals in Coco and Ocotal, so we can tell you honestly which kitchens can handle a turkey and which cannot.

We are Expat Properties | CR, and we live here year-round, which means we have burned at least one batch of hibiscus sauce and learned where every turkey in town hides. If the idea of spending a future Thanksgiving in Costa Rica in a place of your own appeals to you, browse our current listings or send us a message. We are happy to talk it through over coffee, or a slice of ayote pie.

Frequently asked questions

Is Thanksgiving a public holiday in Costa Rica?

No. Banks, schools, and offices stay open, and Costa Ricans generally do not celebrate it. It is an expat and visitor tradition, strongest in towns with large North American communities such as Playas del Coco. In 2026, US Thanksgiving falls on Thursday, November 26, and Canadian Thanksgiving on Monday, October 12.

Can you buy a whole turkey in Playas del Coco?

Usually, yes. Auto Mercado in Coco stocks imported frozen turkeys in the weeks before the holiday, and the PriceSmart warehouse club in Liberia is a dependable backup with bulk baking supplies. Turkeys sell out early, so shop two to three weeks ahead and confirm the bird fits your freezer and oven first.

Do restaurants in Playas del Coco serve Thanksgiving dinner?

Some do. A few expat-owned restaurants and hotel dining rooms run set Thanksgiving menus each November, but the lineup changes yearly and seats are limited because it is a normal working day in Costa Rica. Watch local community groups in early November and reserve as soon as a menu is announced.

Cover photo: Rawpixel (public domain image collection), CC0 1.0, via Openverse · Photo: Jonathunder, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons