Holiday strolls, carolers, a 26-foot menorah: 5 things to do in metro Detroit this weekend

Brendel Hightower, Detroit Free Press
·2 min read

Hanukkah celebrations, holiday displays in local parks, carolers and an illuminated downtown with more than 1 million lights are a few attractions this weekend in metro Detroit.

Here are some things to do for the weekend of Dec. 16:

Holidays in Heritage Park – Canton

View festive decorations and holiday lights that feature reindeer, snowflakes, elves and more during a seasonal display set up around a large pond at Heritage Park.

Visitors pose for a photo in front of a seasonal light display during Holidays in Heritage Park in Canton.
Visitors pose for a photo in front of a seasonal light display during Holidays in Heritage Park in Canton.

5-8:30 p.m. through Dec. 31 at Heritage Park, 1150 S. Canton Center (behind the Canton Administration Building) in Canton. Free.

Winterfest Stroll – Taylor

The holiday stroll features festive characters, circus performers, holiday décor displays, carolers, a visit to the petting farm barn and a visit with Santa and Mrs. Claus.

Michael Dahlberg at a petting farm feeding a goat.
Michael Dahlberg at a petting farm feeding a goat.

6-9:30 p.m. Friday, Saturday and Sunday and Dec. 22 and 23 at Heritage Park, 12111 Pardee in Taylor. $12 adults; $6 child; children 2 and younger are free. Discounted prices are available for Taylor residents. Visit universe.com/winter22.

The Michigan Pedaler’s Santa Sleigh Ride - Detroit

Forty-minute rides guide pedalers throughout downtown Detroit’s most popular holiday areas on a rolling party vehicle. Routes run up and down Woodward Avenue and visit Spirit Plaza, Beacon Park, Columbia Street, the Fox Theatre, Grand Circus Park, Campus Martius and Cadillac Square.

The Michigan Pedaler’s 40-minute ride guiding people through downtown Detroit's Christmas light spots.
The Michigan Pedaler’s 40-minute ride guiding people through downtown Detroit's Christmas light spots.

Holiday rides run Friday and Saturday nights leading up to Christmas and multiple days between Christmas and New Years. They leave every hour from Dessert Oasis, 1220 Griswold in Detroit. Visit michiganpedaler.com for available times. $19.99 per person. Bring your own drinks.

Menorah in the D - Detroit

The lighting of a 26-foot-tall menorah at downtown Detroit's Campus Martius Park will feature Motor City Cruise player Ryan Turell as lamplighter. The celebration will include food and activities for children.

Rick Benoit of MNC&ANC Professional Services helps secure a section of a 26-foot tall steel-and-glass menorah during installation at Cadillac Square in downtown Detroit on Monday, Dec.12, 2022, in preparation for the Menorah in the D event on the first night of Hanukkah. The menorah was designed by renowned local artists Erik and Israel Nordin of the Detroit Design Center in Corktown.

The menorah lighting is put on in partnership with the Jewish Federation of Metro Detroit, The Shul and Chabad in the D and others. It will be hybrid-attendance this year, with both in-person and live-stream components.

The in-person event begins at 5 p.m. and the livestream starts at 5:30 p.m. on the Chabad Lubavitch of Michigan Facebook page and via menorahinthed.com on Sunday, the first night of Hanukkah.

Hanukkah celebrates the Maccabees freeing themselves from control of Greek King Antiochus IV during the second century B.C.

The Big Bright Light Show - Rochester

Visit Rochester to see downtown buildings covered with more than 1 million lights glimmering for the holidays, presented by Fox Automotive of Rochester Hills.

The display will be lit every night from 5 p.m. to midnight through Jan. 21. Most stores are open Monday-Saturday until 9 p.m. Free.

Brendel Hightower is an assistant editor at the Detroit Free Press. Contact her at bhightower@freepress.com. To subscribe, go to freep.com/specialoffer.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Holiday tours, carolers and a giant menorah: 5 things to do in Detroit