Thanksgiving Hosting Trends to Expect This Year, From Large Gatherings to Potlucks

Thanksgiving remains one of the most anticipated times of year for many people to gather and celebrate with their loved ones over a shared meal. This year, gatherings will continue to grow in size, and hosts are still planning a proper feast with all the fixings despite economic concerns, predicts the Butterball Togetherness Report: 2025 Thanksgiving Outlook.

Every year leading up to Thanksgiving, Butterball surveys potential hosts and guests to learn more about their plans and expectations for the upcoming holiday. The 2025 survey, which included 1,678 U.S. adults and was conducted in July, reveals insights on how people across the country plan to shop, cook, and entertain for this year’s feast.

Here are the trends the turkey brand discovered for hosting Thanksgiving this year.

Larger Gatherings Are Back

After shrinking drastically during the pandemic, Thanksgiving celebration sizes have rebounded a lot in the last five years, as people once again embrace the holiday as a moment to connect with friends and family. In 2025, hosts are expecting an average of nine attendees, nearly the same as last year when the number was 10, and up from just five people in 2020, according to the survey results.

When asked what they are most looking forward to at Thanksgiving, the survey participants listed spending time with family as number one, followed by the food and relaxing.

Despite the stresses of preparing a feast for more people, Butterball found that many hosts have a practical, optimistic outlook, with 36 percent agreeing with the statement: "I try not to worry too much because it always ends up being fun," and 33 percent said, "I feel confident and calm about hosting."

Don't Miss

Hosting Your First Thanksgiving? See Our Menu Ideas for Beginner to Expert Cooks

Le Creuset’s Harvest Collection Just Dropped—These Fall Pieces Are Worth Collecting

Cost Cutting Isn't a Worry Right Now

While inflation remains a concern, most hosts aren't letting it impact their celebrations, with 58 percent of consumers saying they won’t make any changes to Thanksgiving to save money, per the survey findings. Fortunately, many grocery retailers offer deals and promotions during the holiday season, making meal prep more affordable, plus leftover turkey can be served up for days as sandwiches, soups, and more.

According to the survey, people plan to control the costs this year by asking guests to bring part of the meal, changing side dishes, changing non-food items like paper goods or décor, and changing the dessert.

Turkey Remains the Centerpiece

Not surprisingly, some 84 percent of hosts said that they plan to serve turkey this year, up from 82 percent the last two years and 79 percent in 2022. Butterball found that oven roasting is the preferred method of cooking the holiday bird, while a smaller percentage of hosts prefer to smoke or deep fry.

Forty-seven percent of survey participants said that turkey was their favorite part of the Thanksgiving meal, followed by stuffing, pie, sweet potatoes/potatoes, and mac and cheese.