Thanksgiving in Toronto is rapidly approaching, and already promises to be a beautiful thing. The leaves are changing colours, restaurant menus are featuring heartier fare, and by this weekend, it'll be good and proper scarf weather. Whether you're having a quiet dinner at home or going out, we have you covered with events, pesky holiday Monday closures, and where to pick up everything you need for a veritable feast.

TO DO

Farmers' Markets
Nothing says the onset of autumn like a day spent amidst fresh produce, and a trip to your local farmers' market is sure to inspire ideas for Thanksgiving dinner. Your best bets include the Leslieville Farmers' Market's (Sunday, 9am-2pm) harvest celebration, featuring loads of pumpkin pies, pumpkin pie popsicles from Augie's Ice Pops, and all the squash, corn and sweet potatoes you can handle.

Fall Colours
Ever the lazy man's early fall activity (and for some, akin to watching paint dry), celebrating the changing colours of the leaves can nevertheless be a fun afternoon (provided you pack a picnic and maybe some spiked apple cider). 'Official' celebrations, replete with guided walks, will be underway beginning on Saturday at the Kortright Centre for Conservation, although those lacking a car can stroll through pretty much any wooded area for a glimpse at yellowing leaves.

Give Thanks
If what you're most thankful for this year happens to be Toronto's thriving electronic music scene (or you just want to sweat off the holiday turkey), stop by Give Thanks, an evening of DJ sets at Loft 580 (580 King Street West) at 10pm. $15 advance tickets available.

Woofjocks Thanksgiving
Let's not forget our furry friends this Thanksgiving. The Woofjocks Canine Performance Team will be showing off tricks from Saturday to Monday (11-5pm) at PawsWay (245 Queen's Quay W.).

Pop Lobster: Pumpkin Spice Edition
Tomorrow (October 5), lady DJ-duo Short Stacks and Little Kicks take over the Magpie Taproom (831 Dundas St. West) for the monthly event Pop Lobster. It's not really Thanksgiving-themed, but it's a good kick-off to the long weekend.

Mavrik MRKT
Mavrik Wine Bar is hosting another instalment of their community-minded market on Saturday (October 6), with drinks, live music, and goodies from The Antique Appetite, Knead Bakery and Yummsies.

Thanksgiving at the Village
Black Creek Pioneer Village, that is. There are few more on-paper appropriate places to spend your Thanksgiving, and Black Creek is offering up a weekend of reservations-required dinners (Sunday and Monday, 12pm, 2:30pm, and 5pm seatings), horse-drawn carriage rides, and even a chance a the first-come, first-served specialty ale at the Historic Brewery. Rumour has it the new brew will be Sweet Stout--decadence, thy name is Stout.

TO EAT

• If you're stuck on the idea of a full-on gourmet turkey dinner, but lack the necessary energy/willpower/basic skills, consider Thanksgiving dinner at a restaurant
• No Thanksgiving (hell, even autumn) dinner is complete without a hefty helping of pumpkin pie, so check out our list of 10 bakeries that are selling oven-fresh pumpkin pie
• For the Martha Stewarts and Jamie Kennedys among you: a home-cooked turkey feast deserves the very finest birds this city has to offer. You could pick up a turkey of mysterious origins and diet from Loblaws (not to besmirch its good name), but why not splurge on one from Sanagan's or the Healthy Butcher. Here's our list of Toronto's best places to get a turkey.
• If you prefer a more relaxed approach to turkey--nestled in a bun rather than staged and slathered on a plate--you'll want to check out our list of the best turkey burgers in Toronto. For something a little different, try Museum Tavern's turkey confit torpedo.
• Not everyone loves turkey (it's true), so for those looking to deviate from the traditional dinner, stop in at some of Toronto's best butcher shops to see what glorious cuts of meat they have on offer.

GIVE BACK

The giving of thanks is in the name of the holiday itself (can't get much more heavy-handed than that), so please donate non-perishable food items, money, or your time (in the form of food sorting or food distribution) to local food banks such as Yonge Street Mission and North York Harvest.

WEEKEND CLOSURES

Check out our post on what's open and closed this weekend, and holiday Monday.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Photos by Marcus Camps, Tapes on the Floor, Six Steps and Kaeko, in the blogTO Flickr pool