FREE Family-Friendly Events in Metro Detroit in December
We know…kids are expensive, so we’ve put together the top FREE events to enjoy as a family this month!
Saturday, December 1 / 8:00 am – 10:30 am
@ The Crofoot, Pontiac
The WinterFUN Festival is a great opportunity for families to come together to participate in several activities. There is a Gallery of Ice with live ice carving competition, a petting farm with adorable animals, live Santa reindeer, s’mores and much, much more. There is also a children’s WinterART Center that allows kids to participate in several different craft projects, get their face painted and much, much more.
MICHIGAN SCIENCE CENTER FREE DAYS
Saturday, December 1 / 10:00 am – 5:00 pm
@ Michigan Science Center, Detroit
Enjoy free general admission at the Michigan Science Center! General admission includes 250+ hands-on exhibits, live stage shows, Spark!Lab from the Smithsonian, Kids Town gallery, STEM Playground space and more. Planetarium theater tickets will be available for purchase online and at the box office during your visit.
VISIT SANTA AT VILLAGE CENTER MALL
Saturday, December 1 – December 22
@ Village Center Mall, Milford
Santa’s Coming to Visit at Village Center Mall and get some shopping done in downtown Milford!
HOLIDAY EXTRAVAGANZA ANNUAL PARADE
Saturday, December 1 / 11:00 am – 1:00 pm
@ Downtown Pontiac
There will be over 100 of your favorite costume characters handing out FREE hugs, beautiful professional floats from The Parade Company, professional balloons, marching bands, fire trucks and choreographed dancers all joining together to bring you a memorable parade.
Saturday, December 1 / 11:00 am – 10:00 pm
@ Midtown Detroit
With over 110 participating venues and 150 free performances and activities, five hours of fun just doesn’t cut it anymore. Noel Night’s is extending the long-standing tradition with new daytime and nighttime hours. Participating daytime venues such as the Detroit Institute of Arts, Detroit Public Library, Detroit Historical Museum, Charles H. Wright Museum, College for Creative Studies, and Michigan Science Center will feature family friendly performances and activities. All Cultural Center venues will be open free to the public.
December 1, 2, 8 & 9
@ Holly Dickens Festival
Don’t miss a historic Dickens themed festival, that the entire family will enjoy in Historic Downtown Holly.
Sunday, December 1 – December 23
@ Heritage Park, Taylor
Santa’s Magic Forest — Downriver’s finest holiday display — is open weekends from Thanksgiving Weekend through Christmas in the Heritage Park Activity Building. The magical winter wonderland includes hundreds of animated characters, dozens of Christmas scenes and beautiful holiday light displays. Visitors have an opportunity to visit with Santa and Mrs. Claus.
Saturday, December 1 / 5:30 pm – 7:00 pm
@ Fraser Parks and Recreation
Join us as we ring in the Holidays at City Hall! We will sing Christmas carols, enjoy refreshments and welcome Santa to Fraser! Smores, Music, Performances and more! All ages are welcome and encouraged.
Saturday, December 1 / 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm
@ Downtown Lake Orion
Lake Orion is the home of one of the only nighttime holiday lighted parades in Michigan. In fact, it’s the second largest lighted holiday parade in the nation!
Saturday, December 1 / 6:00 pm – 11:00 pm
@ Clinton Township Civic Center
Clinton Township is officially “Aglow” at this event. This long standing tradition of the Township will once again mark the opening of our holiday season. Bring your whole family and join neighbors from across Clinton Township at a night full of fun. Boys and girls will have a chance to personally visit with Santa and give him their Christmas list. Enjoy the music of the season, ice sculptures, horse drawn trolley rides, and light refreshments as we usher in the holiday season.
SENSORY SENSITIVE SUNDAYS AT CHUCK E. CHEESE’S
Sunday, December 2 / 8:00 am – 10:00 am
@ Chuck E Cheese, Canton
Chuck E. Cheese’s now offers a sensory-friendly experience on the first Sunday of every month. Our trained and caring staff is there to make sure families who have children with autism and special needs have a fun filled visit.
DOWNTOWN LIONS TAILGATE & WATCH PARTY
Sunday, December 2 / 11:00 am – 5:00 pm
@ Beacon Park, Detroit
Join us at Beacon Park for five family friendly Detroit Lions tailgates, watch parties and two very special ticket giveaways!
KERRY TALES: OLD KING COLE AND MOTHER GOOSE
Sunday, December 2 / 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm
@ Kerrytown Market, Ann Arbor
Join Mother Goose and Old King Cole telling Kerry Tales in Hollander’s.
MERRY & BRIGHT: LIVONIA’S HOLIDAY PARADE AND TREE LIGHTING
Sunday, December 2 / 4:00 pm – 6:00 pm
@ Livonia Civic Center Library
Find a seat and watch the parade, then head to City Hall and the Civic Center for more holiday fun!
Sunday, December 2 / 4:30 pm – 5:30 pm
@ Campus Martius Park, Detroit
The Menorah In The D is a 26′ menorah which stands in downtown Detroit during Chanuka. The evening of festivities include strolling entertainment, Chanukah Gelt for the children, dancing dreidels & dreidel mascot, Mitzvah station and horse-drawn carriage rides and more.
CHRISTMAS TREE-LIGHTING & SING-ALONG
Monday, December 3 / 6:00 am – 9:00 pm
@ Ford Community and Performing Arts Center
Join us as we mark the beginning of the end-of-the-year holidays at the Ford Community & Performing Arts Center with a performance by the Dearborn Youth Symphony (DYS) String Quartet, a Sing-Along with Mayor John B. O’Reilly, Jr., annual tree lighting ceremony and an opportunity to visit with Santa Claus.
Tuesday, December 4 / 6:30 pm – 9:30 pm
@ Farmington Hills City Fire Department
The beautiful trees at City Hall will be illuminated as well as a 20-foot candle that represents our commitment to peace and unity in Farmington Hills. Santa will make a visit and refreshments will be served after the ceremony
Wednesday, December 5 / 6:00 pm – 8:30 pm
@ Summit Canton
Annual Tree Lighting Celebration 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 6:30pm and special festivities will take place both indoors and outdoors. Join us for seasonal entertainment, crafts, activities, refreshments, and visits with Santa!
Thursday, December 6 / 10:30 am – 11:30 am
@ West Bloomfield Recreation Activities Center
We invite you and your child to join our Naturalist on a nature discovery and exercise walk. After the walk, you may explore our Outdoor Natural Play Area,”BYOL” (bring your own lunch) to enjoy with other moms. The trail is unpaved so only all-terrain strollers are recommended. A baby backpack/carrier is suggested for infants.
Thursday, December 6 / 5:00 pm – 9:00 pm
@ Downtown Plymouth
Downtown Christmas shopping event with carriage rides, wagon rides, caroling, music and a festive Holiday atmosphere. City sidewalks dressed in holiday style. Horse-drawn carriages, shopping specials, dining specials, live street music, caroling, live reindeer, appearances by Santa and his elves, and more!
Thursday, December 6 / 7:00 pm – 10:00 pm
@ Shelby Township Municipal Grounds
Welcome Santa, sing carols and join us to share in the spirit of Christmas as we light the big township tree. Visit with St. Nick afterwards to deliver your wish list, enjoy kids’ crafts and partake in delicious cookies, hot chocolate and a marshmallow roast. We’ve even got horse-drawn wagon rides and food trucks like Crepe-Day Twah and Mac Shack for feasting. This year’s theme is “The Grinch Who Stole Christmas” so expect a fun guest.
Friday, December 7 / 5:00 pm – 10:00 pm
@ Cranbrook Institute of Science, Bloomfield Hills
Courtesy of the MASCO Corporation Foundation, the Institute of Science is free after 5pm the first Friday of each month. Join us for a free evening of science fun!
Friday, December 7 – Saturday December 8
@ Downtown Royal Oak
The Royal Oak Holiday Glow will feature traditional holiday activities like photos with Santa and Mrs. Claus, live reindeer, horse drawn carriage rides, letters to Santa and caroling. A warming tent on Fifth Ave will house a Winter Market, hot beverages, bar and music. There will be live ice carvings each day of a life size sleigh and reindeer.
Friday, December 7 / 5:30 pm – 7:00 pm
@ Ypsilanti District Library
Join us at 5:30pm for cookie decorating and hot chocolate. At 6pm the Ypsilanti Community Choir will lead caroling followed by a visit from Santa and photo-ops! Sponsored by the Downtown Association of Ypsilanti.
MICHIGAN SCIENCE CENTER FREE DAYS
Saturday, December 8 & Sunday, December 9
@ Michigan Science Center, Detroit
Enjoy free general admission at the Michigan Science Center! General admission includes 250+ hands-on exhibits, live stage shows, Spark!Lab from the Smithsonian, Kids Town gallery, STEM Playground space and more. Planetarium theater tickets will be available for purchase online and at the box office during your visit. Visit Mi-Sci.org for showtimes.
Saturday, December 8 / 10:00 am – 4:00 pm
@ Downtown Ferndale
Ring in the holidays with Downtown Ferndale’s annual Holiday Ice Festival, Saturday, December 8th from 10am to 4pm! Come for plenty of traditional holiday-time activities for the whole family to enjoy. Experience downtown as it transforms into a winter wonderland with nearly 50 magnificent ice creations lining streets! Watch the ice carvers as they chain-saw, chisel and shape blocks of ice into magical holiday masterpieces.
Saturday, December 8 / 12:00 pm – 10:00 pm
@ Corktown, Detroit
Join us for our 3rd Annual Corktown Aglow Saturday, December 8th starting at noon and going into the evening. Stop by Corktown all day on Saturday, December 8th for heaps of holiday fun and family friendly festivities throughout the neighborhood including time with Santa and a tree lighting ceremony.
Sunday, December 9 / 1:00 pm – 5:00 pm
@ Charles H Wright Museum, Detroit
Bring your list and visit Santa. There will be seasonal crafts, guest musicians and goodies to eat. Photos with Santa are taken on your own device.
Sunday, December 9 / 1:30 pm – 3:30 pm
@ Michigan Theater, Ann Arbor
This modern holiday classic comedy stars funnyman Will Ferrell as Buddy, a human who was raised as an elf and thus struggles to fit in.
WINTERFEST: MULTI-CULTURAL HOLIDAY CELEBRATION IN THE LOG CABIN
Sunday, December 9 / 2:00 pm – 5:00 pm
@ Palmer Park, Detroit
Bring your whole family for an afternoon of old-fashioned holiday fun at WinterFest, a multi-cultural holiday festival at the historic Log Cabin. Enjoy Christmas magic with Santa and Mrs. Claus, horse and carriage rides through the woods (suggested donation $5per adult or family, $2 per child), sweets, treats and hot cocoa, holiday ornament making and music as well as Hanukkah with the Downtown Synagogue and Kwanzaa with the Wright Museum of African American History.
Sunday, December 9 / 4:00 pm – 5:30 pm
@ Congregation Shaarey Zedek, Southfield
We hope you’ll join us for the 8th night at our first annual Chanukah Bash! It’s the perfect way to celebrate the holiday for families with children ages 0 to 4 with something for every kid and kid at heart!
Friday, December 14 / 5:00 pm – 8:00 pm
@ Belle Isle State Park, Detroit
The Dossin Great Lakes Museum is pleased to partner with the Belle Isle Aquarium and the Anna Scripps Whitcomb Conservatory for the 5th annual Belle Isle Stroll. Families are invited to visit all three attractions for good holiday fun. At the Dossin, families can enjoy hot cocoa and cookies, holiday music and free winter-themed crafts.
SELFIES WITH SANTA AND FAMILY FUN
Saturday, December 15 / 1:00 pm – Sunday, December 16
@ Beacon Park, Detroit
Put on your best holiday outfit and head to Beacon Park Detroit to see Saint Nick. Don’t forget to snap a few photos with the larger-than-life holiday light installations that transform the park into a winter wonderland!In addition to selfies with Santa, come enjoy activities for the whole family to enjoy, including make and takes.
Saturday, December 15 / 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm
@ Farmington Community Library, Farmington Hills
This princess will sing, lead the audience in a hula dance, and pose for a group photo. Registration is required; Register one child and note how many people will be in your party.
HOLIDAY STORYTIME WITH MRS CLAUS
Saturday, December 15 / 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm
@ Shelby Township Library
Visit with Mrs. Claus to hear favorite holiday stories and join in singing classic holiday songs. Children will also make a holiday craft to take home. Be sure to have a picture taken with Mrs. Claus by the glow of the library’s Christmas tree!
Sunday, December 16 / 5:00 pm – 8:00 pm
@ Downtown Rochester
Join us for more holiday spirit than you can shake a candy cane at! Christmas Around The World Choirs, Christmas Cookie Station and the debut of the Rochester Community Carolers and so much more! You won’t want to miss it when we transform Downtown Rochester into Whoville with the grand finale of the community caroling around the Christmas tree in the middle of Main Street.
Monday, December 17 / 6:00 pm – 7:00 pm
@ Clarkston Independence District Library
Rumor has it . . . Santa is coming back! He will have his furry reindeer friends with him again this year, along with a host of new crafts and activities! Come tell him all of your holiday wishes!
Monday, December 17 / 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm
@ John F. Kennedy Jr. Library, Dearborn Heights
Christmas is near, and Santa is coming to the libraries! He will read stories especially for the season. All ages are invited. There will be plenty of time at the end of the program for children to meet Santa- feel free to bring a camera if you wish to take photos.
Tuesday, December 18 / 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm
@ Novi Public Library
Make and decorate your own gingerbread house. All supplies provided.
Friday, December 21 / 10:00 am – 12:00 pm
@ Belle Isle Nature Center, Detroit
Join us for a FREE program for children ages 2-4 and their adult caregivers. Enjoy stories, crafts and activities as we use our senses to explore nature together!
TEA-TIME THEATRE: MY NEIGHBOR TOTORO
Wednesday, December 26 / 2:00 pm – 5:00 pm
@ Detroit Film Theatre
A deceptively simple tale of two girls, Satsuki and Mei, who move with their father to a new house in the countryside and discover that the surrounding forests are home to a family of Totoros, gentle but powerful forest spirits seen only by children.
Thursday, December 27 / 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm
@ Bloomfield Public Library, Bloomfield Hills
Sing-along and celebrate five years of Frozen! All ages and abilities are welcome to join us as we sing along to the move!
TEA-TIME THEATRE: THE PRINCESS AND THE FROG
Friday, December 28 / 2:00 pm – 5:00 pm
@ Detroit Film Theatre
Disney’s return to traditional hand-drawn animation features award-winning music, irresistible characters and a modern twist on a classic fairy tale. Set in New Orleans in the 1920s, our heroine Tiana, a hard-working, determined girl, meets a frog prince who desperately wants to be human again.
PUPPET PERFORMANCE: THE RAINBOW BRIDGE AND OTHER STORIES
Saturday, December 29 / 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm
@ Detroit Institute of Arts
The Rainbow Bridge and Other Stories feature Hobey Ford’s unique style combining stunning shadow puppetry and storytelling to retell three folktales. The Rainbow Bridge recalls the origins of the Chumash, a Native American tribe who inhabited the southern coastal regions of California. Then, we learn how the little coqui frog got its song in the Puerto Rican tale El Coqui, followed by an ecological twist on the Nordic tale Three Billy Goats Gruff.
Saturday, December 29 / 2:30 pm – 5:00 pm
@ Clinton-Macomb Main Library, Clinton Township
Brush off your dress robes and get sorted into your house to compete in Triwizard tasks; earn house points, or just relax with some Butterbeer while we play the movie Goblet of Fire.
MICHIGAN SCIENCE CENTER FREE DAYS
Saturday, December 29 & Sunday, December 30
@ Michigan Science Center, Detroit
Enjoy free general admission at the Michigan Science Center! General admission includes 250+ hands-on exhibits, live stage shows, Spark!Lab from the Smithsonian, Kids Town gallery, STEM Playground space and more. Planetarium theater tickets will be available for purchase online and at the box office during your visit.
Monday, December 31 / 10:00 am – 1:00 pm
@ Detroit Historical Museum
Save the date for our family friendly New Year’s celebration! Preschool and elementary-aged children and their families can make their own noisemaker, write a time capsule letter, enjoy cookies and hot cocoa, and most importantly, ring in the New Year with a countdown to noon!
Monday, December 31 / 1:00 pm – 6:00 pm
@ Beacon Park, Detroit
10…9…8… Let the countdown begin until the new year, with a family friendly event at Beacon Park. The New Year’s Eve Kids Countdown will offer all the fun and excitement of a traditional New Year’s Eve party while allowing you and the kiddos be be home and tucked safely into bed long before the clock strikes midnight.
NEW YEAR’S EVE IN NEVER NEVER LAND
Monday, December 31 / 4:00 pm – 9:00 pm
@ Downtown Mount Clemens
Family fun and fireworks in downtown Mount Clemens.
Photo credit: Facebook
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About Chrissy Hartig
Chrissy Hartig is a recent graduate of Wayne State University and contributing writer for Little Guide Detroit. Born in the Metro Detroit suburbs, she moved to Midtown to be closer to the excitement of the city. She loves spending her time outdoors and enjoying nature in places like Belle Isle and the Riverwalk.
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