December Holiday Celebrations

‘Tis the season for snow, lights, and holiday celebrations! Whether you celebrate Christmas or Hanukkah there is something for you to check out in Metro Detroit or Toledo this holiday season! Check out the list below of some of the events happening in your neck of the woods. And when planning your holiday trips (even to the events below), don’t forget to take a look at our services!

Metro Detroit

• Wayne County Lightfest
  • Dates: November 16, 2017 – December 31, 2017
  • Times: Monday through Friday 7:00pm – 10:00pm / Saturday and Sunday 6:00pm – 10:00pm
  • Location: Merriman Hollow Park – Westland, MI
  • This magical light display is a wonder to drive through and “the Midwest’s largest and longest light show”. There are over 47 holiday-themed scenes, perfect for driving through with the holiday tunes blasting!
• Skating the Rink at Campus Martius Park
  • Dates: November 18, 2017 – March 4, 2018
  • Time: Varies
  • Location: Campus Martius Park – Detroit, MI
  • The outdoor skating rink is now open at Campus Martius Park! Enjoy ice skating while taking in the beautiful holiday light displays and the giant Christmas tree!
  • Website: http://downtowndetroitparks.com/events/list/Skate-the-Rink/(date)/1510981200
• Holiday Celebration & Christkindlmarkt
  • Date: December 1-3, 2017
  • Time: 11:00am
  • Location: Frankenmuth Farmers Market – Frankenmuth, MI
  • Frankenmuth is known for its love for Christmas, and you can experience it by attending the German Christmas Street Market also known as Christkindlmarkt! Frankenmuth has so much to offer during the holiday season from a Nativity with live animals to festive decorations and live music. While there, don’t forget to visit Bronner’s Wonderland, the world’s largest Christmas store!
  • Website: http://frankenmuthfarmersmarket.org/images/2017Christkindlmarkt.jpg
• Santa’s Magic Forest
  • Dates: December 1-23, 2017 – Friday through Sunday
  • Times: Fridays 5:00pm – 8:00pm / Saturdays 1:00pm – 8:00pm / Sundays 1:00pm – 7:00pm
  • Location: Heritage Park Activity Building – Taylor, MI
  • Santa’s Magic Forest is a giant holiday display with a wide variety of magical winter village scenes, some featuring moving animatronic figures. A lot of the displays were originally created for Hudson’s Department Stores and later acquired by the city of Taylor. All proceeds benefit the Fish and Loaves Community Food Pantry.
  • Website: https://www.exploretaylor.com/1213/Santas-Magic-Forest

• Holly Dickens Festival
  • Date: December 2-3 & 9-10, 2017
  • Time: Varies
  • Location: Holly Michigan’s Historic District
  • This is the 44^th year of the Holly Dickens Festival, the oldest and longest running Dickens themed event in the USA. The festival is full of entertainment, food, vendors, and even has a presentation of A Christmas Carol!
  • Website: http://hollydickensfestival.org/
• Holiday Nights at Greenfield Village
  • Date: December 1-30, 2017 – Friday through Saturday
  • Time: 6:30pm – 10:00pm
  • Location: Greenfield Village at The Henry Ford Museum – Dearborn, MI
  • Holiday Nights at Greenfield Village is a wonderful experience of Christmases past, named “one of the Top 10 Christmas experiences” in the country by Reader’s Digest and USA Today. Take a walk down the lantern-lit paths, go ice skating, and say hi to Santa and his reindeer, all while soaking in the magic of Christmas. You can also go on a historical home tour, take a ride on a horse-drawn wagon or in a Model T, enjoy songs from carolers and live music performances, and watch the fireworks finale with a singalong!
  • Website: https://www.thehenryford.org/current-events/calendar/holiday-nights-in-greenfield-village/
• Rochester Kris Kringle Market and Hometown Christmas Parade
  • Date: December 1-3, 2017
  • Time: Friday 4:00pm – 10:00pm / Saturday 12:00pm – 10:00pm / Sunday 2:00pm – 5:00pm
  • Location: W. Fourth Street – Downtown Rochester, MI
  • The Rochester Kris Kringle Market is a festive market inspired by the Christmas markets that have been held in Europe for centuries. The shops will offer unique, hand-crafted items and delicious specialty food. There will also be fun activities and entertainment such as a visit with Santa, crafts, a horse-drawn carriage ride, and carolers! The festivities finish off with the Hometown Christmas Parade on December 3^rd.
  • Website: https://www.downtownrochestermi.com/kris-kringle-market/
• Wild Lights at the Detroit Zoo
  • Date: December 1-3, 8-10, 15-17, 20-23, 26-31 (2017)
  • Time: Weeknights and Sundays 5:30pm – 9:00pm / Fridays and Saturdays 5:30pm – 10:00pm
  • Location: Detroit Zoo – Royal Oak, MI
  • Experience the wonder of the Detroit Zoo in winter as you walk through spectacular light displays, animal sculptures, and illuminated trees and buildings. Included are holiday entertainment and activities along with the chance to see Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer in the 4-D theatre.
  • Website: https://detroitzoo.org/events/zoo-events/wild-lights/
• Fantasyland
  • Date: December 1-24, 2017 – Wednesday through Sunday
  • Times: Wednesday through Friday 4:00pm – 8:00pm / Saturday and Sunday 2:0pm – 8:00pm
  • Location: 3240 Ferris Ave – Lincoln Park, MI
  • Fantasyland is a wondrous place filled with the magic of Christmas. Experience the North Pole and see Santa’s elves prepare for Christmas, hear carols being sung by the Fantasyland School children’s choir, and spend some time with Santa at this fun holiday event.
  • Website: https://www.facebook.com/pg/lpfantasyland/about/
• Cosmic Christmas – The Light Show
  • Date: December 1-30, 2017
  • Times: Daily 4:00pm / Thursday through Saturday 7:00pm
  • Location: Sloan Longway Museum, Planetarium, and Automotive Gallery – Flint, MI
  • This Christmas light show is set to stunning 4k visuals and filled with 16 songs that will amp up your holiday cheer!
  • Website: http://sloanlongway.org/cosmicchristmas/
• Christmas at Crossroads Holiday Magic
  • Dates: December 1-3, 8-10, 15-17, 21-23, 26-30 (2017)
  • Time: 4:00pm – 9:00pm
  • Location: Crossroads Village & Huckleberry Railroad – Flint, MI
  • One of Mid Michigan’s favorite holiday traditions, Christmas at Crossroads Village is a holiday experience where you will find costumed villagers, gifts and stocking stuffers, holiday lights, live entertainment, and model trains and craft demonstrations – and, of course, Santa!
  • Website: http://geneseecountyparks.org/crossroads-village/programs/christmas-holiday-magic/

• Menorah in the D
  • Date: December 12, 2017
  • Time: 5:30pm – 7:30pm
  • Location: Campus Martius Park – Detroit, MI
  • Come witness the giant menorah lighting in Campus Martius Park! Enjoy plenty of outdoor activities including marshmallow roasting, dancing dreidels, complementary snack bar and hot cider, fire juggling, dreidel mascots, mitzvah station, and more!
  • Website: http://www.menorahinthed.com
• Chanukah Wonderland
  • Dates: December 13, 14, 17, 18
  • Times: Sunday 12:00pm – 6:00pm / Wednesday, Thursday, Monday 3:00pm – 6:00pm
  • Location: Orchard Mall – West Bloomfield Township, MI
  • This event features a 10 foot “coin-orah”, Chanukah mug decorating, donut baking and decorating, dreidel bounce house and mascot, delicious food, and more! Visit on Monday and witness the grand menorah lighting celebration with the Detroit marching band at 5:00pm!
  • Website: http://www.baischabad.com/templates/articlecco_cdo/aid/2022950
• One Candle for Tzedakah – Family Hanukkah Celebration
  • Date: December 14, 2017
  • Time: 6:00pm – 8:00pm
  • Location: JCC of Greater Ann Arbor
  • The JCC of Greater Ann Arbor is hosting a Star Wars themed Hanukkah party – costumes welcome! Join them for One Candle for Tzedakah, where the community gathers to celebrate Hanukkah by giving to families in need. A meal will be shared along with activities, but the main focus of the event will be preparing gifts for families who would not otherwise have the means to enjoy the holiday season.
  • Website: https://jccannarbor.org/
• The Drop – Motor City NYE
  • Date: December 31, 2017
  • Time: 4:00pm – 1:00am
  • Location: Campus Martius Park and Cadillac Square Park – Detroit, MI
  • This New Year’s Eve festivity has all you could ask for in a NYE event from local celebrity hosts and ice skating to a ball drop and fire jugglers and acrobats. Included is a kids’ zone from 4:00pm to 7:00pm, featuring balloon animals, karaoke, face painting, bounce houses, a jungle gym, and more!
  • Website: http://motorcitynye.com

Toledo

• Lights Before Christmas
  • Dates: November 18, 2017 – December 31, 2017
  • Times: Sunday through Thursday 3:00pm – 8:00pm / Friday and Saturday 3:00pm – 9:00pm
  • Location: Toledo Zoo
  • Witness the enchanting lights of the Toledo Zoo with over one million lights and more than 200 illuminated animal images! New this year is the Scenes of Wonder, which is a 3D holiday story complete with music and projected onto the side of the Carnivore Café. In addition to the magnificent light display, there are also rides, the Santa Dives show, caroling, and a beer garden for the parents!
  • Website: http://www.toledozoo.org/lights
• Hanukkah Palooza
  • Date: December 3, 2017
  • Time: 11:30am – 2:00pm
  • Location: Sylvania Tam-O-Shanter
  • It’s time to lace up your skates for a Hanukkah ice skating party complete with pizza, crafts, face painting, and more!
  • Website: https://www.jewishtoledo.org/jewish-toledo-community-calendar/hanukkah-palooza-2017
• Christmas at the Peristyle
  • Date: December 2, 2017
  • Time: 3:00pm – 4:00pm
  • Location: Toledo Museum of Art
  • Back by popular demand, Christmas at the Peristyle will again present the songs and stories of the season in an event that your family will remember for years to come. This event will feature sing-a-longs, the talented Toledo Opera Chorus, Toledo Symphony School of Music, and a special visit from Santa. Pre-concert activities begin at 2:00 pm.
  • Website: http://www.toledosymphony.com/events/2017/12/02/the-andersons-family-series/christmas-at-the-peristyle/
• River Rose and the Magical Christmas Storytime
  • Date: December 16, 2017
  • Time: 11:00am
  • Location: Barnes & Noble Booksellers Franklin Park
  • Get your family together and head to Barnes & Noble to hear this fun story about a little girl, River Rose, who is determined to stay up all night to personally deliver a note to Santa, but ends up falling asleep and wakes to find she’s on a magical adventure!
  • Website: https://stores.barnesandnoble.com/event/9780061899337-0
• Noon Year’s Eve
  • Date: December 31, 2017
  • Time: 11:00am
  • Location: Toledo Zoo
  • The Toledo Zoo provides all of the fun of the late-night New Year’s Eve celebrations during the day so little ones can enjoy them as well! This year, the Zoo is focused on making 2018 a greener year and will celebrate the stroke of noon with the rising of their recycling ball, a waterfall of biodegradable confetti, apple juice toast, and, of course, a singalong of Auld Lang Syne. There will also be an ice carving demonstration, crafts, the Ice Slide and Bumper Cars on Ice, and more!
  • Website: https://www.toledozoo.org/noon-years-eve