If you’re planning a team-building event or an icebreaker activity around Thanksgiving, a trivia game about this holiday might be just the thing you and your employees need.
After all, Thanksgiving is one of the oldest and most beloved holidays in the United States that’s all about gratitude and togetherness, so a Thanksgiving trivia game might be the perfect opportunity for you and your employees to come together and have some fun.
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Icebreaker quizzes;
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And since you’re reading this article, we assume you’re looking for some interesting Thanksgiving trivia questions to spice the game up.
Recommended Reading: 101 Best Trivia Questions
In the paragraphs below, you’ll find 75 Thanksgiving trivia questions, organized in different categories based on the topic. Without further ado, let’s get into it!
Thanksgiving Food Trivia Questions and Answers
“The turkey. The sweet potatoes. The stuffing. The pumpkin pie. Is there anything else we all can agree so vehemently about? I don’t think so.”
Besides showing gratitude and spending the day with loved ones, one of Thanksgiving’s central aspects is food. A lot of traditional, tasty food like mashed potatoes, cranberry juice, pumpkin pie, gravy, and, of course, a big turkey. Add a glass of wine to the mix, too, and you’ll have the perfect Thanksgiving meal.
For amusing food facts, take a look at the following Thanksgiving trivia questions that are all about food.
- What is the most popular dish made with Thanksgiving leftovers in the United States?
Answer: Turkey Sandwich
- What constitutes a Thanksgiving meal/dinner?
Answer: Turkey, cranberry sauce, potatoes, beans, etc.
- Why is cranberry sauce eaten for Thanksgiving?
Answer: The pilgrims and American Indians are thought to have eaten cranberries on the first Thanksgiving.
- On average, how many calories are consumed, per person, at Thanksgiving dinner?
Answer: 4,500.
- What exactly does green bean casserole consist of?
Answer: Green beans, cream of mushroom soup, and french fried onions.
- Pumpkins are native where?
Answer: North America.
- How many pumpkin pies are consumed each Thanksgiving in the US?
Answer: About 50 million.
- What’s the most popular alcoholic drink for Thanksgiving dinner?
Answer: Red wine.
- Which popular Thanksgiving meal side is said to have fewer calories - yams or sweet potatoes?
Answer: Sweet potatoes.
- What meat product is usually high in demand during Thanksgiving?
Answer: Turducken.
- What’s a turducken?
Answer: A combination of turkey, duck, and chicken.
- Who invented the green bean casserole?
Answer: Dorcas Reilly, a Campbell Soup Company employee.
Thanksgiving History Trivia Questions and Answers
"The Pilgrims made seven times more graves than huts. No Americans have been more impoverished than these who, nevertheless, set aside a day of Thanksgiving."
- H.U. Westermayer
You can’t host a Thanksgiving trivia event without bringing the history aspect into play.
For instance, many historians claim that some of the dishes used to be prepared using particular spices native Americans had, along with their cooking methods. Also, since the Pilgrims had no oven and the Mayflower’s sugar supply had taken a downward trend by 1621, Thanksgiving meals didn’t include cakes, pies, or any type of dessert for that matter. It’s likely that desserts became a staple of much more contemporary celebrations.
But to make such parallels, we need to understand the history behind this annual holiday.
Read on to find out more through the questions we’ve included below.
- How long did the first Thanksgiving celebration last?
Answer: Three days.
- What meats were served during this Thanksgiving celebration?
Answer: Venison, duck, swan, and goose - but not turkey!
- Which president made Thanksgiving a permanent national holiday?
Answer: President Abraham Lincoln.
- When did this happen?
Answer: In 1863.
- Which president refused to celebrate Thanksgiving as a national holiday?
Answer: Thomas Jefferson.
- What city has the oldest thanksgiving day parade?
Answer: Philadelphia.
- Which president made turkey pardoning an annual tradition?
Answer: George H.W. Bush.
- On what date did the first Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade take place?
Answer: November 27, 1924.
- What year was Thanksgiving celebrated on the third Thursday in November, and not on the fourth?
Answer: In 1939 in order to boost the retail sales during the final years of the Great Depression.
- Who was the first Manga character to appear in a Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade?
Answer: Goku.
- What do you do with the wishbone on Thanksgiving, according to an ancient tradition?
Answer: The rules are pretty simple: one person grabs each side, then pulls, and the person with the bigger half gets a Thanksgiving wish.
- Has Thanksgiving been celebrated as a secular holiday?
Answer: Yes, it has.
Thanksgiving Trivia Questions and Answers For Kids
“[...] My dear young cousin, if there's one thing I've learned over the eons, it's that you can't give up on your family, no matter how tempting they make it. [...]”
Thanksgiving trivia questions for kids are easy and fun, so why not include them to help your workers win an extra point or two?
After all, if some of your employees aren’t that familiar with Thanksgiving and all the details surrounding it, they might have better luck with the questions below.
- What simple phrase do people usually say on Thanksgiving when greeting each other?
Answer: "Happy Thanksgiving!".
- Is it true that America has a special stamp for Thanksgiving?
Answer: Yes, it’s true.
- What do we call a group of turkeys?
Answer: Rafter/flock.
- On what day does the Thanksgiving holiday take place each year?
Answer: On the fourth Thursday of each November.
- Which comic character has made the most appearances at Thanksgiving parades?
Answer: Snoopy.
- On A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving, what did Snoopy serve for Thanksgiving dinner?
Answer: Buttered toast, pretzel sticks, jellybeans, and popcorn.
- Which character complained about Snoopy’s Thanksgiving feast, and said they were supposed to have a “real Thanksgiving dinner?”
Answer: Peppermint Patty.
- In the TV show Friends, which character hates Thanksgiving?
Answer: Chandler.
- What do you call the Thanksgiving football game?
Answer: The National Football League.
- What’s the main part of a Thanksgiving meal?
Answer: Turkey.
Interesting Thanksgiving Facts Trivia Questions and Answers
"A new survey found that 80 percent of men claim they help cook Thanksgiving dinner. Which makes sense, when you hear them consider saying 'that smells good' to be helping."
Each national day and annual holiday comes with interesting facts and information. And Thanksgiving is no exception.
There are many such Thanksgiving facts, however, we managed to include those we consider relevant for a proper trivia event.
We’re sure this section will leave many of your employees at a loss for words (who could guess that 46 million turkeys are prepared every Thanksgiving in the United States, right?).
Also, feel free to expand on the list as you do your own Thanksgiving trivia research. You’d be surprised at all the Thanksgiving information you’ll encounter on the Internet.
- What year did the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade have balloons for the first time?
Answer: 1928.
- Which city’s Thanksgiving Day Parade is said to end with Santa Claus getting a key to the city?
Answer: Detroit.
- How much did the world’s most expensive Thanksgiving dinner on record cost?
Answer: $150,000 at New York City’s Old Homestead Steakhouse.
- How many turkeys are prepared for Thanksgiving in the United States every year?
Answer: About 46 million.
- When is Thanksgiving in Canada celebrated?
Answer: On the second Monday in October.
- About how many pumpkin pies are consumed each Thanksgiving?
Answer: About 50 million.
- Sarah Josepha Hale, who advocated for Thanksgiving to be a national holiday, wrote what well-known Thanksgiving song?
Answer: “Mary Had a Little Lamb”.
- What’s a wattle?
Answer: A turkey’s red flesh right under their beak.
- What’s the day after Thanksgiving usually known as?
Answer: Black Friday.
- What eating utensil wasn’t used on the first Thanksgiving?
Answer: The fork. Pilgrims are said to have eaten the first Thanksgiving meal with a knife, a spoon, and their fingers.
- What American company invented the "traditional" Thanksgiving green bean casserole?
Answer: The Campbell Soup Company.
- Why are mashed potatoes with gravy, sweet potatoes, stuffing, cranberry sauce, and pumpkin pie associated with Thanksgiving dinner?
Answer: Because they’re dishes native to the Americas or have been introduced as a new food source to the Europeans after they arrived in the “New World”.
- How many questions does the Butterball Turkey Hotline answer each holiday season?
Answer: Every year, the Butterball Turkey Hotline answers more than 100,000 questions during the holiday season.
- According to the Butterball corporation, how long are you supposed to thaw a wrapped turkey in the fridge per four pounds of bird?
Answer: Butterball recommends that people allow at least one day of thawing for every four lbs.
Turkey Trivia Questions and Answers
“Turkey: A large bird whose flesh, when eaten on certain religious anniversaries has the peculiar property of attesting piety and gratitude.”
You might wonder why we decided to have a separate Turkey trivia questions section and not just include everything in the Thanksgiving food trivia part.
Here’s the thing - the turkey is such a special food aspect to the whole Thanksgiving experience, so it goes without saying that it deserves a separate heading.
Moreover, many important people had to say significant (and quite philosophical matters if we may add!) about the turkey.
For instance, Benjamin Fraklin is said to have written the following:
For my own part, I wish the bald eagle had not been chosen as the representative of our country; he is a bird of bad moral character; he does not get his living honestly…like those among men who live by sharping and robbing…he is generally poor, and often very lousy. Besides, he is a rank coward; the little king-bird, not bigger than a sparrow, attacks him boldly and drives him out of the district…For in truth, the turkey is in comparison a much more respectable bird, and withal a true original native of America. Eagles have been found in all countries, but the turkey was peculiar to ours…
And such unusual turkey stuff is just the beginning, so prepare to impress your employees at the Thanksgiving trivia event with the following turkey questions.
- How much does an average Thanksgiving turkey weigh?
Answer: Around 15 pounds.
- What turkeys actually gobble - female turkeys or male turkeys?
Answer: Male turkeys.
- How often should you baste a turkey?
Answer: Every 30 minutes.
- How many days can a cooked turkey be kept in the refrigerator?
Answer: Approximately 3 days.
- Are female turkeys or male turkeys used in the Thanksgiving feast?
Answer: Both.
- What are male turkeys called?
Answer: Toms.
- What are female turkeys called?
Answer: Hens.
- Does a domestic turkey weigh more than a wild one?
Answer: Yes - almost double.
- Which state in the United States has the most turkeys?
Answer: Minnesota.
- Where should the meat thermometer be put in turkeys?
Answer: The thighs.
Thanksgiving and Harvest Festival Traditions Trivia Questions and Answers
“What I love about Thanksgiving is that it's purely about getting together with friends or family and enjoying food. It's really for everybody, and it doesn't matter where you're from.”
Thanksgiving is so much more than just an American holiday, as there are a plethora of other harvest festivals and thankfulness holidays around the world, too, each one special in its own way.
With that said, there are some countries that have “borrowed” Thanksgiving and celebrate it in more or less a similar manner as we’ve discussed so far.
Read on to learn more.
- Is it true that Canada's first Thanksgiving celebration predates America’s?
Answer: Yes.
- By how much?
Answer: By more than forty years.
- In Korea, what’s the festival similar to Thanksgiving?
Answer: Chuseok.
- When is Chuseok celebrated?
Answer: In late September.
- What do Koreans often eat during Chuseok?
Answer: Rice cakes.
- Japan’s celebration of Thanksgiving is referred to as what?
Answer: Kinro Kansha no Hi (Labor Thanksgiving Day).
- In Brasil they replace cranberry juice with what?
Answer: With jaboticaba.
- Can you name a few harvest festivals in India?
Answer: Makar Sankranti, Pongal, Lohri, Magh Bihu, Onam, and Baisakhi.
- What color is worn on the day of Basant Panchami?
Answer: Yellow.
- In what culture is the Mid-Autumn Festival, also known as The Moon Festival celebrated?
Answer: Chinese culture.
- Is Thanksgiving a public holiday in the Netherlands?
Answer: No, it isn’t. Those who celebrate it tend to go to church in the evening or occasionally take the day off.
Thanksgiving Songs Trivia Questions and Answers
“[...] Oh, I want to thank you for so many gifts you gave
The love, the tenderness, I want to thank you
I want to thank you for your generosity, the love
And the honesty that you gave me
I want to thank you show my gratitude
My love, and my respect for you, I want to thank you
Oh, I want to thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you
I want to thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you”
- Natalie Merchant, Kind and Generous
No Thanksgiving event is fully complete without some singing (and perhaps even dancing).
So apart from going through some Thanksgiving song trivia questions, we suggest including the actual songs in your event. Can you imagine what a difference a Thanksgiving song can make to your event? You might even take the trivia event to a whole new level and include a karaoke activity, too.
The point we’re trying to make is that hosting such trivia events gives you many options to engage your workers, yet your questions can still remain the main focus if that’s what you want.
Now, onto the questions!
- What famous Christmas song was initially written for Thanksgiving?
Answer: Jingle Bells.
- Which song are the following lines taken from?
*Grateful for this sheltered place
With light in every window
Saying, "Welcome, welcome, share this feast
Come in away from sorrow"
Father, mother, daughter, son
Neighbor, friend and friendless
All together everyone
In the gift of loving kindness*
Answer: Thanksgiving Song by Mary Chapin Carpenter.
- On what popular American comedy show Adam Sandler's The Thanksgiving Song, a.k.a. Happy Thanksgiving first debuted in 1992?
Answer: Saturday Night Live.
- Complete the blank space in Sandler’s Thanksgiving song:
*Turkey for me
Turkey for you
Let's eat the turkey
In my big brown _______*
Answer: Shoe.
- Which song are the following lines taken from?
*Full steam ahead come what may
You get the world that you make they say
Chop up the wood and bale hay
Now that it's almost Thanksgiving Day*
*The kids come and go with their things
We sit and polish our wedding rings
The forecast snow on the way
Just in time for Thanksgiving Day*
Answer: Almost Thanksgiving Day by Graham Parker.
- Which song are the following lines taken from?
*December was Christmas
January was New Year
April was Easter
And the 4th of July, but
Now it's Thanksgiving*
*Oh oh oh it's Thanksgiving
We we we we're gonna have a good time
Oh oh oh it's Thanksgiving
We we we are gonna have a good time*
Answer: It's Thanksgiving by Nicole Westbrook.
- Who sings I've Got Plenty to Be Thankful For?
Answer: Bing Crosby and Bob Crosby & The Bob Cats.
Frequently Asked Questions
What can I use the Thanksgiving trivia questions for?
Thanksgiving trivia questions are great for team-building events, icebreaker games, office breaks, or any time you want to engage your workers in something themed and fun. Trivia events such as this one are a great way to improve the employee engagement levels in the office.
With that said, do keep in mind that such activities require adequate planning. You need to designate a time and a place, let everyone in the office know well in advance, prepare equipment and supplies if necessary, like a projector or printed out questions, etc.
Also, it’s worth mentioning that you can use such trivia questions as a warm-up activity before another main event (of course, the main event should somehow be related to Thanksgiving, otherwise it may not really make sense to host a Thanksgiving trivia game).
For instance, you could host an escape room or a murder mystery event that has a Thanksgiving aspect to it and you might use the trivia questions before the main game.
How do I choose the right Thanksgiving trivia questions and how many do I need?
There are no specific instructions or guidelines you can follow in terms of picking the right Thanksgiving trivia questions. It all depends on the types of questions you and your workers believe suit your preferences.
For instance, if you have many employees in the office fond of cooking, it’d probably make sense to include many food-related Thanksgiving questions. If you have workers who are interested in history and learning some new facts, you might pick Thanksgiving questions that correspond to that.
In general, think about the questions your workers will likely want to answer. It’s all about what will keep them engaged and entertained.
With that said, do make sure to include versatile questions - after all, Thanksgiving has many aspects, so it’s only natural to try and incorporate as many as you can. This means finding questions from different contexts (such as the categories we provided you with) and choosing accordingly.
When it comes to the number of questions, it’s up to what you and your team decide and how much time you’re willing to set aside for this event.
Finally, remember that such trivia activities are all about having fun - and not so much about over-analyzing, over-planning, or over-choosing questions.
What if some of my employees don’t celebrate Thanksgiving?
If you’re running an international company, chances are that at least some of your employees may not celebrate Thanksgiving. However, that doesn’t mean they’re not familiarized with Thanksgiving or that they wouldn’t like to take part in a Thanksgiving trivia event.
After all, if you have an international company, your employees are probably open to learning more about each others’ cultures, traditions, languages, and annual holidays.
Plus, even if someone doesn’t quite celebrate this annual holiday, they’ve probably heard about it. Thanksgiving truly is one of the most memorable annual holidays.
The important thing is not to make things seem as though you’re prioritizing certain annual holidays and neglecting others. So, if you go for a Thanksgiving trivia event now, you can choose another theme for the next trivia event that’ll be more relatable to your Asian employees, for example. And, of course, group your employees into diverse teams so they can help each other and learn from one another.
Finally, be open to other ideas and suggestions that come from your workers. Ask them directly how they feel about you organizing this type of event, and whether they have some ideas about how you can make it even better. Perhaps they might have an idea about another team-building event altogether that you can do some other time.
Final Words
Overall, hosting a Thanksgiving trivia event can make your employees not only appreciate the holiday more and learn new things about it, but also bond with their peers and have fun in the process!
After going through our article, we hope you know what it takes to host an interesting Thanksgiving trivia night - all you need to do now is wait for November to come round.
And if, in the meantime, you’re interested in hosting other trivia events for your employees, make sure to check out our blog section to find out more.
We have something for each business’ needs and preferences.
