Can’t Miss Alabama: Celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday, family entertainment

Find everything you need for the perfect family holiday weekend.

Iron Bowl

It’s time, again, for one of the most storied college rivalry games in football. The Alabama Crimson Tide will face the Auburn Tigers on Saturday, Nov. 26 at 2:30 p.m. in Bryant-Denny Stadium for the 86th Iron Bowl. The classic clash will be broadcast on CBS and other streaming services. In the 2021 matchup, the Crimson Tide won 24-22 in four overtimes.

The Iron Bowl is Nov. 26 at Bryant-Denny Stadium. (Kent Gidley / UA Athletics)

The Iron Bowl is Nov. 26 at Bryant-Denny Stadium. (Wade Rackley / Auburn Athletics)

Glow Wild: An Animal Lantern Celebration

Get ready for the Birmingham Zoo’s larger-than-life illuminated experience, Glow Wild: An Animal Lantern Celebration. The celebration is underway through Monday, Jan. 16 from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. It’s open on Martin Luther King Day 2023 but closed this upcoming Thanksgiving, Christmas and Christmas Eve. Watch the zoo come alive with wild animal and sea life lantern creations brilliantly lighting up the night. Take a ride on the Red Diamond Express Train or go for a spin on the Protective Life Carousel. Glow Wild is a weather-dependent event with nights being subject to cancellation. Tickets are on sale at birminghamzoo/glowwild.

Galaxy of Lights in Huntsville

Explore the elaborate lights at the Huntsville Botanical Garden through Saturday, Dec. 31. Between walking nights and driving nights, new features at this year’s Galaxy of Lights include a 150-foot tunnel of lights, comprising 40,000 channels of light; lighting effects in and around the Damson Aquatic Garden; a display of 96 light poles, each 10 feet tall, programmed to dance to music in the Van Valkenburgh Daylily Garden; more than 300 colorful floodlights that emphasize the garden’s natural features and landscape; more than 10 illuminated swings spread throughout the experience; and a professional photo opportunity in the garden. For tickets and information, visit hsvbg.org/galaxy. Click here for the complete holiday schedule. The venue is at 4747 Bob Wallace Ave.

Holiday Tree Lighting – Birmingham

The city of Birmingham will host its annual holiday tree lighting in Linn Park Sunday, Nov. 27 from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. Bring your lawn chairs and enjoy free concerts, a dance performance, vendors, food trucks, holiday photos and Coca-Cola samples. The festivities will take place in front of City Hall on 20th Street North.

Events include:

4 p.m. – Magic City Market Place vendors and food trucks.
5 p.m. – Ursula Smith dance performance.
5:15 p.m. – Ampliphied Noiz.
6 p.m. – Tree lighting ceremony.
6:15 p.m. – Dave and the Party Rockers concert.

For more details, visit the website.

Turkey Day Classic – Montgomery

Alabama State University (ASU) welcomes the University of Arkansas Pine-Bluff (UAPD) at the 98th annual Turkey Day Classic (TDC), Thursday, Nov. 24 at 2 p.m. in ASU Stadium in Montgomery. In addition to the excitement surrounding one of the nation’s oldest historically Black college and university football classics, a fun-filled schedule of events is planned for the TDC, from the annual Alumni Brunch to the annual TDC concert, to the annual TDC parade in downtown Montgomery before the showdown between the ASU Hornets and UAPD Golden Lions. Click here for the complete lineup. Follow along on Facebook.

Alabama State University will play the University of Arkansas Pine-Bluff at the annual Turkey Day Classic in the ASU Stadium Nov. 24. (David Campbell)

Ice skating rink at The Wharf

Grab a pair of skates and glide, spin or fall into the season on real ice through Monday, Jan. 16 at The Wharf in Orange Beach. Skaters are required to complete a waiver before participating. Follow this link for the complete holiday schedule and ticket information. General admission is $15.The rink is under the large white tent near the Main Street entrance.

Poarch Band of Creek Indians Annual Pow Wow to Celebrate 50-Year Anniversary

After a two-year break due to COVID-19, the Poarch Band of Creek Indians will celebrate one of its most enduring Thanksgiving traditions with its annual Pow Wow. The two-day celebration will be Thursday, Nov. 24 and Friday, Nov. 25, marking the 50th anniversary of a gathering on Poarch’s reservation lands that began in 1971 as a homecoming celebration for the tribe’s members. Thousands of Alabama families and people across the nation are expected to travel to Atmore to experience Poarch’s tradition and to honor the tribe’s place in Alabama’s history. The event is packed with family activities for all ages: the crowning of the Poarch Creek Indian Princesses, crafts and goods, vendor booths, handmade items, traditional home-cooked barbecue, fire-roasted corn and buffalo burgers. The venue is at 6477 Jack Springs Road on the Poarch Creek Indian Reservation in Atmore. For complete details, visit the website. Admission is $5. Children ages 6 and younger are admitted free. Read more about the Poarch Band of Creek Indians here.

The Poarch Band of Creek Indians, the only federally recognized tribe in Alabama, will celebrate their 50th annual Pow Wow Nov. 24 (Thanksgiving Day) and Nov. 25 at the Poarch Creek Indian Reservation in Atmore. (contributed)

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