Downtown Detroit will celebrate 20 years of Christmas tree lighting with weekend of festivities

By Layla McMurtrie on Tue, Oct 24, 2023 at 3:13 pm

Courtesy of the Downtown Detroit Partnership

The annual Campus Martias tree lighting is celebrating 20 years.

Downtown Detroit will celebrate the beginning of the holiday season with “Merry & Bright: 20 Years of Holiday Lights.” The event will celebrate 20 years of Campus Martius Park and its annual Christmas tree lighting.

The Downtown Detroit Partnership will also host a weekend of free activities and entertainment following the tree lighting. As the event has grown from 3,000 to 100,000 attendees, according to a press release, this will also accommodate for the growth of the holiday season kickoff.

The tree lighting will take place on Friday, Nov. 17 from 4-9 p.m. Santa Claus will be the one to light up the 64-foot, Michigan-grown tree to highlight the evening.

If you want a smaller tree lighting, “Light Up Beacon Park” will happen blocks away at the same time, unveiling Beacon Park’s transformation into a “winter wonderland.” At the event, families can watch a smaller 20-foot, Michigan-grown tree come to life, decorated by local children and lit up at 6 p.m. Attendees will also be able to visit with Santa, see reindeer, and enjoy live music and food.

On. Saturday, Nov. 18, The Rink at Campus Martius Park presented by Visit Detroit will open for the 2023-2024 season with a family-friendly Santa Skate Party from noon-4 p.m. Children will also have the opportunity to write letters to Santa and skate to holiday music spun by DJ Invisible. From 6-11 p.m., skaters are encouraged to dress up for an Ugly Holiday Sweater Party.

Additionally, beginning on Nov. 18 and running through New Year’s Eve, people can experience Detroit in a new way, in a horse-drawn carriage with loved ones. The experience will be available at Campus Martius every Friday and Saturday from 6-11 p.m.

Sunday, Nov. 19 will conclude the holiday kickoff weekend festivities. From noon-4 p.m., skaters can take photos with Elsa and Olaf during a Frozen Skate Party. A few attendees will win tickets to Broadway in Detroit’s winter Frozen shows.

Food trucks and Cadillac Lodge, offering holiday shopping and drinks, will also be open the weekend of festivities and for the remainder of the season.