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Brightmoor Lights Holiday Festival presents giant nutcracker garden
DETROIT — The nonprofit Williams Park Alliance Inc. will host the second Brightmoor Lights Holiday Festival from Dec. 18 to Jan. 3, featuring life-sized illuminated holiday displays, including symbols of Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Christmas and more. (Read more)
New Chanukah Village to lead up to menorah lighting Dec. 29
ROYAL OAK — Royal Oak Chabad Jewish Center is getting ready for its sixth annual menorah lighting and brand-new Chanukah Village experience that will take place 4-6 p.m. Dec. 29. (Read more)
Ugly Christmas sweater party to raise money for Adopt-A-Block program
ROYAL OAK — Show off your ugliest Christmas sweater and give back on Dec. 20 at the Blind Owl, 511 S. Main St. in Royal Oak, for the Filthy Cares Adopt-A-Block Ugly Sweater Christmas Party. (Read more)
Packard Proving Grounds to present ‘’Twas a Night Before Christmas 1939’
SHELBY TOWNSHIP — The Packard Proving Grounds is bringing back a historical Christmas setting with ’Twas a Night Before Christmas 1939,” which will take place from 5 to 9 p.m. Dec. 20. (Read more)
Ice skating returns to Dodge Park
STERLING HEIGHTS – On Dec. 1, the Dodge Park Ice Rink returned to the Dodge Park Farmers Market Pavilion in Sterling Heights. (Read more)
Downtown events help spread holiday cheer this December
ROCHESTER — Downtown Rochester is making spirits bright with a number of holiday events to complement the city’s popular Big, Bright Light Show. (Read more)
Holiday spirit takes over Glenlore Trails
COMMERCE TOWNSHIP — Glenlore Trails in Commerce Township has undergone a transformation and is now filled with the holiday spirit. The annual “Aurora Winter Wonderland” interactive light show opened Nov. 15 and will be open on Thursday and Friday nights through Dec. 29. (Read more)
There’s no business like holiday show business
METRO DETROIT — Banish the “bah humbugs!” with seasonal songs, dances and tales as holiday shows make their way to stages in metro Detroit. (Read more)
UPCOMING EVENTS:
Dec. 20-21
‘Humbug’: Modern-day take on “A Christmas Carol” with female lead as Eleanor Scrooge, 8 p.m. Dec. 20-21, Farmington Players Barn, 32332 W. 12 Mile Road in Farmington Hills, facebook.com/TheFarmingtonPlayers
Dec. 20
Holiday concert: Performance by Motor City Chorale, 7:30 p.m., First Congregational Church of Rochester, 1315 N. Pine St., motorcitychorale.com
’Twas A Night Before Christmas 1939: Lodge House tour, Santa visit, storytelling, make-and-take crafts and more, 5-9 p.m., Packard Proving Grounds, 49965 Van Dyke Ave. in Shelby Township, packardprovinggrounds.org/christmas39
Dec. 20-22
‘Miracle on 34th Street’: Performance by Warren Civic Theatre, 7 p.m. Dec. 20-21 and 3 p.m. Dec. 22, Owen Jax Community Center, 8207 E. Nine Mile Road in Warren, warrencivic.org
Dec. 21
Holiday Hike: Enjoy hot cider around a fire, then search for animal tracks and possibly wildlife with Rochester Hills Outdoor Engagement team, 11 a.m.-noon, meet at Hilltop Shelter in Bloomer Park, 345 John R Road in Rochester, registration required, Eventbrite
'Holiday Hits Then & Now': Performance by PRISM Chorus, 8 p.m., Macomb Center for the Performing Arts on Macomb Community College - Center Campus, 44575 Garfield Road in Clinton Township, macombcenter.com
Santa visits: Also stories with special readers, bring own cameras, 9 a.m.-noon, rear space of The Spice and Tea Exchange, 17037 Kercheval Ave. in Grosse Pointe, thevillagegrossepointe.org
Old-Fashioned Christmas: Take wagon to all buildings for theater groups, live music, crafts, snacks and more, noon-4 p.m., Rochester Hills Museum at Van Hoosen Farm, 1005 Van Hoosen Road, rochesterhills.org/musprograms
Winter Solstice Hike & Bonfire: Also crafts, hot cocoa and presentation about longest/darkest night of year, 6:30 p.m., Burgess-Shadbush Nature Center, 4101 River Bends Drive in Shelby Township, registration encouraged, Facebook
Winter Solstice Celebration: Includes crafts and activities focusing on light and dark, hear medieval Christmas carols and wassails, gaze into night sky with observatory telescope, try seasonal snacks and specialty drinks, and more, 1-7 p.m. at Cranbrook Institute of Science and 1-5 p.m. at Cranbrook Art Museum, 39221 Woodward Ave. in Bloomfield Hills, also create lantern for evening parade at 6 p.m., science.cranbrook.edu/explore/programs/events
Celtic Christmas: Hosted by Motor City Irish Dance, 1 p.m., Marygrove Conservancy Theatre, 8425 W. McNichols Road in Detroit, motorcityirishdance.com
Christmas cookie decorating and handprint craft: 1-2 p.m., Harrison Township Public Library, 38255 L’Anse Creuse (Suite A), registration required, htlibrary.org/events
Christmas Pop-Up Vendor Market: Noon-5 p.m., 23348 Farmington Road in downtown Farmington, (248) 477-3033
Dec. 22
Christmas concert: Performance by Detroit Concert Choir, 3-4:30 p.m., Macomb Center for the Performing Arts on Macomb Community College - Center Campus, 44575 Garfield Road in Clinton Township, macombcenter.com, detroitconcertchoir.org/events/concert-season/christmas-dec-2024
Christmas concert: Featuring Kingdom Keys School of Music students and Covenant Missionary Temple music ministry, 6 p.m. (doors at 5:30 p.m.), Covenant Missionary Temple, 19200 Frazho Road in Roseville, kingdomkeysnation.com
Holiday concert: Performance by Motor City Chorale, 3 p.m., St. Paul Evangelical Lutheran Church, 375 Lothrop Road in Grosse Pointe Farms, motorcitychorale.com
Kids Only Winter Wonderland: Holiday shopping for ages 5-11, also photos with Santa and arts and crafts, 2-5 p.m., Hope United Methodist Church, 26275 Northwestern Highway in Southfield, hopeumc.org/2024-winter-wonderland
Dec. 25
Menorah in the D celebration: Includes lighting of 26-foot steel-and-glass structure, honoring of community lamplighters, strolling entertainment, soup and cider, photos with Dreidel Man and dancing dreidels, crafts, games and more, 5 p.m., Cadillac Square and Woodward Avenue in Detroit, menorahinthed.com
Dec. 28
'The Lost Christmas Eve': Rock holiday tradition performed by Trans-Siberian Orchestra, 3 and 7:30 p.m., Little Caesars Arena, 2645 Woodward Ave. in Detroit, trans-siberian.com
Menorah lighting: Presented by Chabad of Novi, includes ice dreidel and ice menorah carvings at 6:30 p.m. Dec. 28 and lighting at 7:15 p.m., also doughnuts, chocolate gelt and candy, and crafts, Twelve Mile Crossing at Fountain Walk, 44425 W. 12 Mile Road in Novi, novijewishcenter.com
Chanukah celebration: Presented by The Shul and Friendship Circle, includes menorah lighting, entertainment by Crazy Craig, live music, crafts, and latkes, soup and other food, 7:30 p.m. Dec. 28, gym at Friendship Circle, 6892 W. Maple Road in West Bloomfield, RSVP to mendel@friendshipcircle.org or at theshul.net
Dec. 29
Menorah lighting: Presented by Chabad Jewish Center of Bloomfield Hills, also includes festive music and treats, 4:30 p.m. Dec. 29, Shain Park, 270 W. Merrill St. in Birmingham, free but registration required, bhchabad.org/chanukah
Menorah lighting: Presented by Royal Oak Chabad Jewish Center, see ice menorah created from 4-5 p.m., then lighting at 5 p.m. followed by doughnuts, hot cocoa, latkes, fire show, gelt drop, train ride and more, plus Chanukah Village Walk featuring activities and giveaways at local businesses from 4-6 p.m., meet (and get map) at Eagle Plaza, corner of South Center Street and West Fourth Street in Royal Oak, RSVP encouraged, jewishroyaloak.com/events/menorahlighting2024
Read more: New Chanukah Village to lead up to menorah lighting Dec. 29
Chanukah on Ice: Presented by Chabad Jewish Center of Troy, includes lighting of ice menorah, ice skating, Hanukkah food and more, 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Dec. 29, Suburban Ice Rochester, 52999 Dequindre Road, jewishtroy.com
Menorah lighting: Presented by Chabad Programs in Huntington Woods, also includes hot latkes, doughnuts, guess the dreidel count and fire show, 5:30 p.m. Dec. 29, Scotia Park, 10853 Lincoln Drive, RSVP required, chabadhw.com
Dec. 30
Kids New Year’s Eve Pre-Party: Crafts, activities, dancing and ball drop, for ages 2-6, 4-5 p.m., Sterling Heights Public Library, 40255 Dodge Park Road, sterlingheights.gov/2136/library
Dec. 31
New Year’s Eve Skate: Dress as wizards or superheroes, also scavenger hunt, treat and prizes, 7:30-9:30 p.m., Riley Park Ice Rink, 33113 Grand River Ave. in Farmington, plus ball drop at 9 p.m. in Sundquist Pavilion (part of ticketed skating event) and midnight over ice rink (free), facebook.com/rileyparkicerink
Kids New Years Eve Bash: Pizza buffet and pop, laser tag, coloring contest and party favors, 12:30-2:30 p.m., balloon drop at 2 p.m., Paradise Park, 45799 Grand River Ave. in Novi, paradiseparknovi.com
Noon Year’s Eve Celebration: New Year’s Eve-themed science demonstrations and activities for all ages, Michigan Science Center, 5020 John R in Detroit, mi-sci.org/event/noon-years-eve-2025
New Year’s Eve in Mount Clemens: Children's activities, early ball drop, and music and fireworks display, 4-9 p.m., The Discovery Center of Macomb, 54 Cherry St., also fireworks, entertainment, karaoke and more along streets and in businesses, 10:30 p.m.-midnight, downtownmountclemens.org
Ongoing
The Big, Bright Light Show: See downtown Rochester buildings illuminated, 5 p.m.-midnight until Jan. 19, www.downtownrochestermi.com/the-big-bright-light-show
Wild Lights: Millions of lights, 500-plus displays, interactive wishing tree, seasonal drinks, food and treats, warming stations with live entertainment, and more, select dates and times until Jan. 5, Detroit Zoo, 8450 W. 10 Mile Road in Royal Oak, dzoo.org/wildlights
Holidays at Meadow Brook: Holiday Walk on select dates until Dec. 23, Winter Wonder Lights on select dates until Dec. 30, and Santa Saturdays 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Dec. 21, Meadow Brook Hall, 350 Estate Drive in Rochester, meadowbrookhall.org/holidays
Home for the Holidays: Take 1-mile lighted walk around property and visit Santa, also explore decorations inside, plus complimentary hot cocoa, entry every half hour from 5:30-8:30 p.m. until Dec. 22, Edsel and Eleanor Ford House, 1100 Lake Shore Road in Grosse Pointe Shores, fordhouse.org/events
Aurora: Take mile walk through forest of holiday lights and sounds, also use magic wand to unlock hidden surprises, takes approximately one hour to complete, Thursday-Sunday evenings until Dec. 29, Glenlore Trails, 3860 Newtown Road in Commerce Township, glenloretrails.com
Read more: Holiday spirit takes over Glenlore Trails
Holiday Market: Features nearly 100 Michigan artisans, 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Sundays, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays, and 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Thursdays until Dec. 22, Anton Art Center, 125 Macomb Place in Mount Clemens, theartcenter.org/holiday-market
‘A Christmas Carol’: Select times and dates until Dec. 22, Meadow Brook Theatre on campus of Oakland University, 378 Meadow Brook Road in Rochester, mbtheatre.com/a-christmas-carol-24-25
‘The E(Xmas)ist’: 8 p.m. Fridays, Saturdays and Mondays and 3 p.m. Sundays until Dec. 22, Ringwald Theatre at Affirmations LGBTQIA+ Community Center, 290 W. Nine Mile Road in Ferndale, theringwald.com
Santa photos: Select dates and times until Dec. 24, Cabin at the Creek at The Mall at Partridge Creek, 17420 Hall Road in Clinton Township, see times at shoppartridgecreek.com, book appointments at whereissanta.com
Santa photos: 10 a.m.-7:55 p.m. Mondays-Saturdays and noon-5:55 p.m. Sundays until Dec. 23, Somerset Collection, 2800 W. Big Beaver Road in Troy, thesomersetcollection.com
Santa photos: Daily until Dec. 24, bring pets after 4 p.m. Mondays, South Court at Macomb Mall, 32233 Gratiot Ave. in Roseville, see times at shopmacombmall.com, book appointments at vipholidayphotos.com/mall/h-mac
Santa visits: Take own photos at Santa’s Snug and drop off wish lists in Magical Mailbox, 2-8 p.m. Dec. 20, 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Dec. 21, noon-6 p.m. Dec. 22, 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Dec. 23 and 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Dec. 24, Festival Park at The Village of Rochester Hills, 104 N. Adams Road, free and walk-up only, see times and special dates with reindeer at Fountain Park at thevorh.com/events
Santa visits: 5-7 p.m. Fridays and noon-4 p.m. Saturdays-Sundays until Dec. 22, Centennial Commons, 221 E. Third St. in Royal Oak, romi.gov
Ice skating: 10 a.m.-11 p.m. daily, Riley Park, 33113 Grand River Ave. in Farmington, free but donations encouraged, facebook.com/rileyparkicerink
Ice skating: Noon-9 p.m. Mondays-Thursdays, noon-10 p.m. Fridays, 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Saturdays and 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Sundays, Dodge Park Ice Rink at Farmers Market Pavilion, 40620 Utica Road in Sterling Heights, (586) 446-2711 (weather hotline), sterlingheights.gov/1650/dodge-park-ice-rink
Read more: Ice skating returns to Dodge Park
Ice skating: 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Sundays, noon-9 p.m. Mondays-Thursdays, noon-11 p.m. Fridays and 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Saturdays until Dec. 31, then new hours in 2025, The Rink at Royal Oak in Centennial Commons, 221 E. Third St., therinkatroyaloak.com
Ice skating: Noon-8 p.m. Dec. 23, 26-28 and 30, and Jan. 2-4, Warren City Square outside City Hall, 1 City Square, facebook.com/warrenparks
Ice skating: 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Sundays-Thursdays and 11 a.m.-midnight Fridays-Saturdays until Jan. 5, then new hours until March 2, also holiday hours noon-10 p.m. Dec. 25 and 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Jan. 1, The Rink at Campus Martius Park, 800 Woodward Ave. in Detroit, downtowndetroit.org/experience-downtown/things-to-do/the-rink
Royal Oak Holiday’s Horse & Wagon Rides: 5-9 p.m. Fridays-Saturdays until Dec. 21, pick up/drop off on Third Street across from Lockharts BBQ, royaloakholidays.com/horse-wagon-rides
Tunnel of Lights: 5-9 p.m. until Jan. 26, also food trucks and entertainment Dec. 20-21, plus cookies and hot cocoa Dec. 20-23, Blossom Heath Park, 24800 Jefferson Ave. in St. Clair Shores, facebook.com/st.clairshoresparksandrecreation
Christmas Holiday Magic: Walk streets to see lights and classic docrations, take part in artisan crafting and timeless holiday activities, and ride 1800s-era Huckleberry Railroad, 4-9 p.m. Dec. 20-22 and 26-29, also drive-through-only events 5-9 p.m. Dec. 23-24, Crossroads Village, 6140 Bray Road in Flint, geneseecountyparks.org/christmas-holiday-magic
Holly Dazzle: See Christmas scenes along three-quarter mile outdoor trail, 5-10 p.m. Dec. 20-21, 23-24, 27-28 and 30-31, and 5-9 p.m. Dec. 22 and 29, also Polar Pub Crawl at 7 p.m. Fridays-Saturdays and Run Run Rudolph 5K at 5 p.m. Dec. 28, Michigan Renaissance Festival, 12600 Dixie Highway in Holly, hollydazzle.com
Magic of Lights: Drive-through event features displays and digital animations comprising 2 million-plus lights, 5:30-10 p.m. daily until Dec. 30 (5:30-9 p.m. Dec. 24-25), parking area at Pine Knob Music Theatre, 33 Bob Seger Drive in Clarkston, 313presents.com/events/detail/magic-of-lights
'‘Twas The Night Before…'
Cirque du Soleil Christmas show based on Clement Clarke Moore's poem “A Visit from St. Nicholas," select times Dec. 20-31 (except Dec. 25), Fox Theatre, 2211 Woodward Ave. in Detroit, cirquedusoleil.com/twas-the-night-before
Winter Park: Glow tubing, bonfires, animal experiences and more, 4-10 p.m. Fridays, noon-10 p.m. Saturdays and noon-9 p.m. Sundays Jan. 4-Feb. 23, Bowers School Farm, 1219 E. Square Lake Road in Bloomfield Township, schoolfarm.org/winter-activities
