It does not get any better than traveling over the holiday season. The winter holidays are always best spent with family and friends, so why not treat them to a holiday getaway to Traverse City. You will find our destination to always be inviting and full of fun activities. One of the best ways to enjoy the holidays is through festive events taking place all over Traverse City. Take a look at what is going down this holiday season for events in Traverse City.
Each year the holiday season officially kicks off with Thanksgiving that is then followed by a variety of winter events to help bring on Christmas. Thanksgiving takes place at the very end of November this year causing many holiday events to either take place earlier or later than usual. This includes Traverse City’s very own Downtown Traverse City Light Parade. This annual parade typically takes place the Saturday after Thanksgiving but will in fact take place the Saturday before this year. This is one of Traverse City’s most revered events that is always looked forward to by our community.
Downtown Traverse City will close down Front Street at 3:30 PM to get ready for the big festivities. Viewers are encouraged to get to the intersection of Cass and Front Street early to find the best viewing areas. Holiday music still start around 5:30 PM before Santa Claus and the Traverse City mayor arrive to start the official tree lighting ceremony. The Traverse City holiday tree stands tall among the buildings and is a joy to behold as the Christmas lights shine on for the very first time of the season. The tree lighting will start at 6:00 PM and is always very popular so getting there early will ensure you can see the fun. The light parade will kick off promptly after that at 6:30 PM. The parade will march down Front Street and feature various different floats that are decked out in thousands of Christmas lights along with unique décor. Musical performances will also be a part of the parade and so will Santa Claus too.
After the parade is over, you can visit Santa’s House until 9:00 PM for a meet and greet along with photo opportunities with Santa; you will even find some tasty candy cane treats there too! This is one of Traverse City’s biggest events of the year, so do not miss out on this year’s Downtown Traverse City Light Parade.
A visit to Santa’s House is not just reserved for the light parade this holiday season. In fact, following the light parade Santa’s House will be open for a visit every Friday through Sunday from Thanksgiving up until Christmas. Stop by on Fridays during this time frame from 5:00 PM to 8:00 PM. Saturdays and Sundays open hours will be from noon to 3:00 PM. You will also find special days that Santa’s House is open on Monday December 23rd and Tuesday December 24th so the kids can visit him just before Christmas. Santa’s House is located at City Center Plaza over on the corner of State and Cass Streets. Don’t miss out on this unforgettable meet and greet that only Santa can provide!
Everyone knows that some of the biggest deals that come with holiday shopping can be found on Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving. If you find yourself in Traverse City around Thanksgiving, you will want to make sure you take advantage of all the great deals at your fingertips. Black Friday is not just shopping stores but also for local restaurants and other businesses too. While Black Friday is widely known Small Business Saturday is little more under the radar. This day is reserved for small and local businesses to take the spotlight so you can support local. Traverse City has many incredible locally owned businesses that help make the city what it is today. Consider shopping local at this two day event here in Traverse City.
Traverse City also sponsors Ladies’ Night and Men’s Night, two separate nights focused on holiday shopping so you do not show up to Christmas empty handed. The ladies will be out on the town on December 5th while December 12 is reserved for the guys. Check out local businesses offering great deals and stop by the local restaurants and nightlife spots for a fun evening out with the town!
The holidays have never looked better than how they do here in Traverse City. Contact us to reserve one of our magical vacation rentals and see how you the holidays are always best spent here. Browse our pet friendly rentals here.
