Looking to share the magic of Holiday Lights with your little ones this season?We’ve rounded up the events closest to you! Click your county below, and then scroll through to see all the places you can take in spectacular displays and get into the holiday spirit a little more each time.
Did we miss a tree lighting event? Comment below, so we can add it to our list!
November 9 – January 1
Main Street Tree Lighting
Kellogg Park, Downtown Plymouth
6:30 p.m-7:30 p.m.
Cost: free
Join the community Friday, November 10 in Kellogg Park as the downtown lights and Salvation Army kicks off their Red Kettle Campaign. Free hot chocolate and cookies provided by community partnerships.
November 15 – December 31 (closed December 25!)
Wayne County Lightfest
Hines Drive, Westland
7:00 p.m.-10:00 p.m. (Monday through Thursday) and 6:00 p.m.-10:00 p.m. (Friday through Sunday)
Cost: $5 a vehicle
Enjoy this drive through an animated holiday lighting display along Hines Drive, featuring more than 1 million lights! Visit Santa’s Workshop at the end of Warrendale Park starting November 19 until December 23. Don’t forget to bring your letter to Santa; you can drop it in the giant mailbox!
November 24
Winterfest Parade and Tree Lighting
Heritage Park, Taylor
4:00 p.m.-7:00 p.m.
Cost: free
Be part of the Winterfest fun that includes a 5K run/walk and the opening of Santa’s Magic Forest. You’ll love this old-fashioned Christmas tree lighting ceremony that will light up a 20-foot Christmas Tree under the conservatory dome. Enjoy singing your favorite Christmas songs inside the Petting Farm visitor center while sipping on hot cocoa and cider.
December 2
Menorah in the D
Campus Martius, Detroit
5:00 p.m.
Cost: free
Menorah in the D is a community-wide menorah lighting event in downtown Detroit taking place this Chanukah. This event is full of inspiration and pride for our entire community and local Jewish families throughout metro Detroit. The 26-foot Menorah was designed and built by artists Erik & Israel Nordin of the Detroit Design Center in Corktown. Enjoy a concert with the Soul Farm Band along with lots of family fun, including strolling jugglers and acrobats, roasted marshmallows, the Detroit Mascot Paws, as well as a free food court serving traditional Chanukah doughnuts (“sufganiot”), hot soup bar, hot apple cider, snacks, and lots more!
December 2
Holiday Parade and Tree Lighting
Livonia City Hall and Civic Center Library, Livonia
4:00 p.m.
The parade is scheduled to start at 4:00 p.m. and should last about an hour. The parade ends at at City Hall and the Livonia Civic Center Library, just in time for the annual Tree Lighting Ceremony.
December 3
Tree Lighting + Sing-Along
Ford Community & Performing Arts Center, Dearborn
5:45 p.m.-9:00 p.m.
Cost: free
This annual Christmas tree lighting and sing-along event will feature visits with Santa and the lighting of the City Christmas tree!
December 5
Annual Tree Lighting Celebration
Summit Park, Canton
6:00 p.m.-8:30 p.m.
Cost: free
Kick off the holiday season with the annual Township Tree Lighting Event. The ‘official’ tree will be lit in front of the Summit on the Park at 6:30 p.m. and special festivities will take place both indoors and outdoors. Join us for seasonal entertainment, crafts, activities, refreshments, and visits with Santa!
November 17-18, 23-25, 30; December 1-2, 7-9, 14-16, 20-23, 26-31
Wild Lights at the Detroit Zoo
Detroit Zoo, Royal Oak
5:30-9 p.m.
Cost: $10-$16/advance purchase per person and $16/person at the gate; parking is $7/car
Experience the magic of the Detroit Zoo lit up with more than five million LED lights illuminating trees, buildings, and more than 100 animal sculptures. There will be live entertainment, arts and crafts, ice carving, holiday train displays, and an exhibit featuring the Wildlife Photographer of the Year.
November 21-January 6
The Big, Bright Light Show
Downtown Rochester, Rochester
5:00 p.m.-12:00 a.m.
You are invited to brighten your holidays in downtown Rochester with The Big, Bright Light Show, celebrating its 10th Anniversary! The buildings in downtown Rochester will be covered with more than one million points of glimmering holiday light. As a BONUS, the lights will continue shining through all weekends in January until the Fire & Ice Festival.
November 26
Holiday Tree Lighting
Civic Center Plaza, Madison Heights
6:00 p.m.
Cost: free
The Mayor will welcome Santa and present him with the key to the city. Watch as Santa and Mrs. Claus turn on the holiday lights for city to see. Come enjoy cookies and cocoa while listening to your favorite holiday music.
November 27
Waterford Tree Lighting + Santa Celebration
Waterford Town Hall, Waterford
6:00-8:00 p.m.
Cost: free
Grab a non-perishable food item or unwrapped toy, and head down to Waterford Township Hall. Get ready for cookie decorating, a visit with Santa and Mrs. Claus, children’s crafts, and performances by Waterford Mott Jazz band and Pontiac-Waterford Big Chief Chorus. Refreshments will be sold.
November 29
Tree Lighting Ceremony
Outside of the Farmer’s Market, Royal Oak
4:00 p.m.-9:00 p.m.
Cost: free
Royal Oak’s Annual Tree Lighting Ceremony will include caroling, refreshments, and a special visit from Santa! Hot dogs, hot chocolate, and coffee are complimentary. The Farmer’s Market will be also be hosting the Holiday Magic Marketplace, featuring over 60 local artisans and crafters, starting at 4:00 p.m.
November 30
Auburn Hills Tree Lighting
The corner of Auburn and Squirrel roads, Auburn Hills
6:00 p.m.
Cost: free
This Annual Tree Lighting Ceremony is sure to dazzle the downtown area of Auburn Hills. Enjoy a joyous festival centered around the arrival of Santa Claus, Mrs. Claus, and lighting an enormous Christmas tree. Your child can write a letter to Santa and send it to the North Pole by dropping it into Santa’s mailbox. Bundle up and take a ride through downtown on a horse drawn carriage. Take the time to send a special note to a soldier and donate hats, scarves, and gloves to local charities in need.
November 30
Birmingham Tree Lighting
Shain Park, Birmingham
6:00 p.m.
Cost: free
This tree lighting with over 40,000 LED lights will start the festivities. Santa’s home in Shain Park will open for the season, and kids can get photos taken for $5 donations to Leader Dogs for the Blind. There will also be free carriage rides during the event.
November 30
Light Up the Night
Novi Civic Center, Novi
6:00-9:00 p.m.
Cost: free
Come enjoy an evening of fun roasting marshmallows, ice sculptures, live reindeer, train rides (behind the Civic Center), and FREE refreshments. Don’t miss an appearance by everyone’s favorite {jolly} guy, Santa, and the main tree lighting event happening at 6:15 p.m.
December 1
Tree Lighting
Governor Warner’s Mansion, Farmington
During Holly Days at the Governor Warner Mansion, you’ll enjoy watching the tree-lighting celebration to kick off the holiday season in Farmington. Enjoy listening to carolers and sample freshly-baked cookies while sipping hot chocolate. YUM!
November 27
Tree Lighting + Afterglow
Steps of Town Hall, Macomb Township
6:00 p.m.
Cost: free
Join in on caroling, watch the arrival of Santa, and experience the lighting of the tree. Refreshments and children’s crafts and activities will be inside the recreation center, as well as visits with Santa.
November 30 and December 1, 7, 8, 14, 15
Heritage Holidays
Wolcott Mill Metropark Historic Center, Ray Township
6:00 p.m.-9:00 p.m.
Cost: $5/person
This special celebration is something the whole family is sure to love. You can enjoy a stroll through the park, admiring all of the holiday decorations and twinkling lights. Stop by and visit Santa in the mill and make a festive holiday craft. Don’t forget your blankets to snuggle up with while riding a horse-drawn wagon. Warm up with a delicious cup of hot chocolate by the bonfire. Ready to make a holiday memory with your loved ones?
December 1
Tree Lighting
Fraser
5:30 p.m.
Cost: free
This event will kick off the holiday season with caroling and your favorite Christmas music, a visit from Santa, holiday treats, and the iconic tree lighting ceremony.
December 1
A Sterling Christmas
Recreation Center/Dodge Park, Sterling Heights
5:45 p.m.-8:30 p.m.
Cost: free
This family fun holiday event– in its 39th year– is filled with caroling and holiday music, horse-drawn carriage rides, wagon and pony rides, a petting farm, campfires, the annual tree lighting ceremony, refreshments, and more!
December 6
Christmas Aglow Tree Lighting
Shelby Township Municipal Grounds, Shelby Township
Cost: free
Christmas Aglow is one of the oldest and largest events in Shelby Township. Santa will light the town tree, and then make his way to the historic Hope Chapel where he will join Mrs. Claus to hear the children’s holiday wish lists. There will be arts and crafts for the kids, as well as horse-drawn carriage rides. The Shelby Township Lions Club will provide coffee & cookies. Don’t forget to stop by the campfire to warm up and roast marshmallows. The Eisenhower High School Choir will perform, too.
November 30
Tree Lighting Ceremony
Pierce Park, Chelsea
6:00 p.m.
Cost: free
Sounds of the holiday season will be performed by members of the Chelsea Middle School Choir followed by the Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony and a visit from a very special guy in the big red suit to add to the holiday festivities! Santa arrives on the Chelsea Fire Authority Ladder truck at approximately 6:00 p.m.
December 1
Saline Tree Lighting Ceremony
Corner of Downtown N. Ann Arbor St. and Michigan St, Saline
5:30 p.m.
Cost: free
This tree lighting ceremony will bring joy to all with a Christmas Carol sing-a-long, hot chocolate to warm your soul, and delicious cookies.
