Fifty Thanksgivings After the First Run to the Lighthouse, Montauk’s Holiday Weekend Still Ends at the Point

The 50th Turkey Trot, the last open day at the Lighthouse, and the seal hikes that take over the Point in December

In 1976, the Thanksgiving run in Montauk covered 11 miles, from the village green to the Montauk Point Lighthouse and back. In 2026, the race starts at the Circle on Montauk Highway and offers a 3-mile and a 6-mile course. The Lighthouse route is still on the entry form as a virtual option.

I’m Matt Breitenbach. Every year I watch the East End calendar get quieter after Labor Day, and this particular stretch of Montauk dates hold together better than most. Thanksgiving weekend starts Montauk’s holidays, and it is also the weekend the Point closes for the year. The run that began as a trip to the Lighthouse opens the weekend. On Saturday evening the Montauk Historical Society lights the light, and after that day the museum and grounds close for the season. Here is how those dates fall, and what the Point offers once the gates close.

Eleven Miles in 1976, Three or Six on November 26

As Long Island Wave reported on November 2, John Keeshan and a few friends ran from the Montauk village green to the Lighthouse and back on Thanksgiving morning in 1976. They did it again the next year, and again the year after that. This year’s race, the 50th, is registered under his name as the John Keeshan Memorial Montauk Turkey Trot. The East Hampton Town Recreation Department now runs it, and the Montauk Chamber of Commerce serves as its home base.

Both in-person courses start at 10 a.m. on Thursday, November 26, on the west side of the Circle near the Chamber at 742 Montauk Highway. The race goes off rain or shine. The race is not run on the founders’ route. Anyone who wants to cover the full 11 miles to the Lighthouse and back does it on their own time, as a virtual entry.

Registration is through the race’s Elite Feats page and closes at 9:30 a.m. on race day. Fees are nonrefundable and go toward the cost of putting on the race. As of November 2, the in-person 3-mile race had about 820 open spots and the 6-mile had about 130. That makes the longer course the one most likely to sell out before Thanksgiving morning.

Some race-morning details to know:

• You need your bib number to pick up your bib. The first 600 people to pick one up get a race T-shirt, and sizes are not guaranteed.
• Dogs are not allowed on race morning.
• Age-group awards run from 19 and under to 70 and over.
• Virtual 3- and 6-mile entries may not include a bib or shirt.

Visit Montauk’s listing also shows a post-run stretch at 11 a.m. on the town green, so the morning ends where Keeshan’s first run began.

Saturday at the Lighthouse Is the Season’s Last Open Day

The Montauk Historical Society owns the Lighthouse. Its 2026 hours page says the museum and grounds close after November 28. That is the same date as Lighting the Lighthouse. The event the Montauk calendar treats as the start of the holiday season also marks the end of the Lighthouse’s own season.

Here is how the Point’s schedule runs from Thanksgiving week into December:

Before Thanksgiving, the Society’s hours page shows the museum open Friday through Sunday, 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. On Saturday the museum closes at 2:30, an hour earlier than on Friday, and the lighting program starts at 4.

The Society’s event page says the evening starts around dusk with singalong holiday music from Sarah Conway and the Playful Souls, followed by the lighting at around 5:15 p.m. Hampton Coffee donates the hot chocolate. Admission is free, and the Society welcomes donations. The Montauk Sun’s calendar lists the event from 4 to 7:30 p.m. and calls it the start of Montauk’s holiday season. Parking is in the lot across the street from the Lighthouse at 2000 Montauk Highway.

Santa at the Light is the next day, Sunday, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. After that, the only thing open at the Lighthouse is the gift shop, on weekends through December 13.

Once the Grounds Close, the Seals Have the Point

In December, New York State Parks schedules the Point’s programs. The calendar for Montauk Point State Park lists two Seal Hikes this winter. Each is a 3-mile out-and-back walk along the beach and through the park trails to a spot where seals haul out.

1. Saturday, December 5, 10 a.m. to noon, $4 per person.
2. Sunday, December 20, 9 to 11 a.m., $4 per person.

Both hikes are recommended for ages 8 and up, and both require a reservation through the State Parks environmental education page on Eventbrite. State Parks calls the seals “Long Island’s winter visitors.” The first hike falls one week after the Lighthouse grounds close. The second comes a week after the gift shop’s last weekend. Through December, people heading out to the Point are going for the seals.

The two hikes are also only 3 miles each. Keeshan’s original Thanksgiving run went out to this same end of the island and back, and covered 11.

Between the Circle and the Point

The rest of the long weekend happens closer to town.

On Saturday, November 28, the Friends of the Montauk Library hold their free Annual Holiday Fair from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 871 Montauk Highway. Visit Montauk’s listing mentions donated books, handmade goods from the Nauti Knitters, costume jewelry, mugs, totes, hats, and a mini raffle. The fair closes at 2 p.m., two hours before the Lighthouse program starts at 4. That leaves time to get from the library to the Point.

For Thanksgiving dinner, Gigi’s at Gurney’s, 290 Old Montauk Highway, serves regular lunch from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. on November 26. A three-course prix fixe follows from 3:30 to 8:30 p.m., at $145 per adult and $45 per child 12 and under, plus tax and gratuity. The published menu offers turkey, filet mignon, salmon, halibut, or lobster tagliatelle as entrées. Desserts are pumpkin pie, apple crumble, or chocolate cake. Gurney’s Thanksgiving weekend page also lists a welcome cocktail on Wednesday and Thursday from 4 to 6 p.m. On Friday and Saturday there is mixology from 3 to 4 p.m., movie nights from 6 to 8 p.m., and live music from 7 to 10 p.m.

Gigi’s is also one of the few dinner options with posted hours for the whole winter. Its $65 three-course fall and winter prix fixe runs Sunday through Thursday until April 15, 2027, excluding holidays. Sunset Hour at Gigi’s Bar runs Sunday through Thursday from 4 to 6 p.m. on the same dates, walk-in only.

I like that this town opens its holidays with a footrace that started as a run to the Point, then marks the Point’s last open day with music and a light. If you’re in Montauk for Thanksgiving week, the dates that matter are Thursday at 10 a.m. at the Circle, Saturday at 4 p.m. at the Lighthouse, and a reserved spot on the December 5 or December 20 seal hike. I’ll see some of you out there.

For many of the families we work with, a Montauk house is where they spend Thanksgiving weekend, from the Circle out to the Point. If you are thinking about a home within reach of those dates, or about when to bring your own Montauk property to market, the Breitenbach Advisory Team handles those conversations privately. Request Private Access, and we’ll start with what you want your Montauk weekends to look like.

Matt Breitenbach Founder, Breitenbach Advisory Team at Compass