Milford's November Runs Through Wasson Field and the Green: The 2026 Calendar, From Parade Day to the Turkey Trot
October 22, 2026
October 22, 2026
"Earlier start time this year to allow for a larger crowd." That line comes from the October 2026 minutes of Milford's Veterans, Ceremony & Parade Commission. It explains why the Veterans Day Parade steps off at noon on Sunday, November 8.
The organizers changed the parade's schedule ahead of time to fit the crowd they're hoping for. Milford's two big November giving events are planned the same way. Troop 701's food drive takes donations at lobby boxes around town before its weekend at Wasson Field, and the Thanksgiving morning Turkey Trot guarantees shirts only to people who register before November 3.
Here is the month in order, with the earlier dates first.
The Veterans Day Parade is set for noon on November 8, and marching units gather at Wasson Field starting at 11 a.m. The rain date is Sunday, November 15. The commission's minutes also say the group added volunteers this year to help with the parade, including people who worked on the city's 250th Parade and who have contacts for organizing flyovers and marching units.
Three days later, on Wednesday, November 11, the city holds its Veterans Day ceremony at 10:45 a.m. at the Doughboy Monument, with the Milford Concert Band playing. Before either date, the Green starts to change too. Post 34's Heroes Banners go back up on the Milford Green starting in November, and the minutes count 44 banners so far.
The rain date matters more than usual this year, because it lands on the same weekend as the food drive at Wasson Field. If the weather pushes the parade to November 15, both events will be using the same field that weekend.
Troop 701 of Milford runs Thanks For Giving, the Quinnipiac District's flagship food drive. From Friday, November 13 through Sunday, November 15, Scouts will staff Wasson Field at 70 West River Street around the clock, collecting non-perishable food and frozen turkeys. According to the Connecticut Yankee Council's announcement, the donations will provide Thanksgiving meals to more than 250 local families.
You don't have to wait for the weekend to give. Collection boxes are already set up in the lobbies of Milford City Hall, the Parsons Government Center, Aquinas Consulting, Milford Bank and other spots around town, and they take non-perishable donations before November 13. A can dropped off while you're paying a bill at City Hall counts the same as one carried to the field on Saturday night.
The drive reaches past the city line. The council says it has supported food pantries serving Milford, Orange, Stratford, New Haven and Bridgeport for several years. This year Troop 701 is also inviting Scout troops that don't run their own community food drive to join in.
The 6th annual Milford Turkey Trot starts at 9 a.m. on Thanksgiving morning, Thursday, November 26, at Fowler Pavilion, 1 Shipyard Lane, behind the library. The race page calls it a fun run and walk for charity, not a race.
The date most likely to catch people out is three weeks earlier. Everyone who registers before November 3 gets a race shirt and packet. Organizers say they'll try to accommodate late registrations, but shirts are only guaranteed for people who sign up before that date.
The full loop is a little over 3 miles and stays on Milford sidewalks:
Two shorter out-and-back routes are marked toward Gulf Beach: 1 mile total, or 2 miles if you go all the way to the beach. No roads close for the event, and the race page reminds everyone to follow street laws. Kids, strollers and leashed pets are all welcome. You can also sign up as a virtual participant and walk wherever you're spending the holiday.
The trot is also a food drive. All proceeds and website donations go to Milford Public Schools, Purple Pantry Boxes and Avery's Little Army, which supports pediatric cancer awareness. Participants are asked to bring shelf-stable food for Purple Pantry Boxes. The race page lists the most-wanted items:
If you're already buying for the Wasson Field drive two weeks earlier, it's easy to put a second bag together for Thanksgiving morning. Volunteers and sponsors are needed as well, and the race page links to an open volunteer sign-up.
On a weeknight, Milford's November moves indoors, and much of it centers on the Milford Arts Council, whose home venue is the Eastbound train station at 40 Railroad Avenue. Its calendar starts the month with the Halloween Dance Party on Saturday, October 31: a disco ball, DJ Sonja spinning dance music from across the decades, a costume contest, snacks and a cash bar.
On Friday, November 6, the council hosts Goodnight Moonshine, the folk duo of Red Molly singer Molly Venter and producer and guitarist Eben Pariser. On Sunday, November 8, the same day as the parade, it hosts a staged reading of a new play, "The Three Lives of Duncan MacRae," followed by an audience talk-back. The council describes the play as "an existential dramedy about life choices."
Along Boston Post Road, the holiday shopping season starts well before Thanksgiving. The 3rd annual Milford Holiday Market opens at 4 p.m. on Thursday, November 12, at the Ethan Allen Milford Design Center, 1620 Boston Post Road. Ethan Allen hosts it with the Downtown Milford Business Association, and it features one-of-a-kind gifts, jewelry and gourmet treats from local businesses.
A few doors are opening on the Post Road as well. Kennedy & Perkins, the opticians, has moved its office from Orange to 977 Boston Post Road, next to Starbucks, and celebrates its grand opening at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, November 4. The next afternoon, the Milford Regional Chamber of Commerce opens its new office at 764 Boston Post Road. Doors open at 2 p.m., the ribbon cutting is at 4 p.m., and member restaurants are supplying the food.
For something more hands-on, Kinship Glassworks at 23 Seemans Lane hosts the Chamber's Business After Hours from 5 to 7 p.m. on Wednesday, November 18. The evening includes food, drinks and discounted glassblowing lessons. Admission is $20 for Chamber members and $30 for non-members, and you register through the Chamber.
The month ends in Woodmont. On Saturday, November 28, Miss Dallas' Shop at 16 Higgins Drive, off Woodmont Road, holds a holiday shopping event from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. It features vintage pieces, new goods and work from 29 local artisans. Every purchase comes in holiday tissue and a gift bag. A scavenger item is announced each hour, and shoppers who spend $35 or more get a box of homemade cookies while supplies last. Santa will be there for phone photos, and Spice Catering of Derby is serving food. The shop takes cash and credit cards except American Express, and no checks.
The city's tree lighting is the one holiday date not yet announced for 2026. Last year it was Friday, November 28, with a Christmas market starting at 1 p.m., Santa arriving around 6:15 p.m. and the lighting at 6:30 p.m., according to Patch. The Downtown Milford Business Association's Lamplight Stroll was held Friday, December 5, 2025, from 5 to 9 p.m. on the Milford Green and at participating downtown businesses.
Your neighbors are what make a November like this work, and The Hill Team is glad to be one of them. If you're walking the Turkey Trot loop or dropping cans in the City Hall box, and you've started wondering what your own home on Gulf Street or near Wasson Field might be worth these days, Kelly Hill-Mihalyak and the team can put together a free home valuation whenever you're ready, with no pressure and no rush.
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