Have you already started decorating for the upcoming holidays? Or are you like me and denounce all festive holidays until after Thanksgiving?
This weekend is filled with all sorts of holiday cheer. Here’s my list of things to do this weekend.
13th Annual Tree Lighting Ceremony – Detroit
It’s finally time for the 60 foot Norway Spruce to be lit. Friday, November 18 can’t get here soon enough.
The tree arrived on November 2, and they have been decorating it for the past couple of weeks.
This is one of my favorite events that happen in Downtown Detroit every year. The festive holiday spirit fills the streets, and everyone is in a cheerful mood.
The musical headliner for the evening will be Grammy Award Winner, Aaron Neville. Neville is a New Orleans native, and has been a recording artist for 56 years. His latest album is called Apache and it was released in July of this year. I might have broken my stick no holiday music until after Thanksgiving to listen to his Christmas album. I’m calling the experience “research”.
For those who enjoy watching ice skating, they will get the opportunity to see Olympic Gold Medalists Meryl Davis and Charlie White perform on the ice.
The party starts at 5:00 p.m., this is the perfect time to try and find a good spot to watch the tree lighting. Considering it will be unseasonably warm there is a chance that it will be really crowded. You might want to get there earlier than 5.
The Salvation Army Kettle will be lit at 6:00 p.m.
The entertainment will start at 6:15 p.m.
The tree will be lit at 7:45 p.m.
The skating rink will open to the public at 9:00 p.m.
The tree lighting ceremony is free to attend, but if you want to have preferred seats, those will be $10 per person.
Campus Martius is located at 800 Woodward Ave, Detroit, MI
Macomb Santa Parade – Mount Clemens
Bring your kids to see the Santa Parade in Mount Clemens on Saturday morning. The parade is in downtown Mount Clemens and will run north along Main Street from Church Street to Clinton Street.
This is a great way for kids to see Santa arrive if you can’t make it down to America’s Thanksgiving Day Parade next week.
The parade will have floats, marching bands (my favorite), different characters, and the big man himself Santa.
After the parade there will be an inflatable Christmas village where kids can meet Santa and Mrs. Claus. There will also be live reindeer, and 20 foot tall inflatable characters.
The parade starts at 10:00 a.m.
Detroit Roller Derby- Detroit
Head over to the Detroit Masonic Temple to watch some roller derby on Saturday, November 19. This is the season home opener for Detroit Roller Derby.
Come out for a double header. The first match starts at 6:00 PM and will be the Detroit Pistoffs Vs. Devil’s Night Dames. The second match begins at 8:00 PM will be the D-Funk Allstars Vs. the Grand Prix Madonnas.
Tickets are on sale online for $18 per person, you can also buy them at the door for the same price. Two kids (under 12) can get in with a paying adult.
Doors open at 5:00 p.m.
The Detroit Masonic Temple is located at 500 Temple Street in Detroit.
Silent Night – Detroit
We shared a write up about this really interesting opera that will be performed at the Detroit Opera House this weekend.
It is about the one fateful Christmas morning in 1914 where there was an unofficial cease fire during World War I.
I love a good opera, and this one has caught my attention. This opera will be sung in French, English, Latin, German, and Italian. Don’t worry about not being able to understand what they are saying, there will be English subtitles above the stage.
The opera is directed by Eric Simonsson and conducted by David Charles Abell. If you haven’t seen a performance at the Detroit Opera House, you are in for a treat.
Tickets range between $29 and $152. You can purchase them on the Detroit Opera House website.
Performances will be Saturday, November 19 at 7:30 PM and Sunday, November 20 at 2:30 p.m.
The Detroit Opera House is located at 1526 Broadway in Detroit.
Very Vodka Wonderland – Detroit
The holiday season is upon us. This Saturday is the first Winter Magic Weekends event in Cadillac Square.
This weekend is all about vodka. There will be an ice luge to chill the vodka to the perfect temp. Ever wanted to do a taste test to see if Russian or Polish vodka was better?
You can also fill your bellies with Russian and Eastern European food.
Find out more about the Winter Magic on the post we did yesterday.
It goes without saying that this is a 21 and over party.
Tickets are $20 in advance, or $25 at the door.
Hours: 7:00 p.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Cadillac Square is located at 662 Woodward Avenue in Detroit.