Dust off your nineteenth-century inspired bloomers and top hats, Michigan’s original Holly Dickens Festival is returning to the city’s historic downtown district Nov. 23-25, Dec. 1-2 and 8-9, 2018.
Warm up with some caroling starting at 6 p.m. Friday, Nov. 23 at the Presbyterian Church in prelude to the lighted parade. The procession begins in Holly Elementary School’s parking lot and ends with the tree lighting ceremony downtown, where Santa will make his debut appearance on the “Oh! Christmas Tree” stage.
Every weekend, kids can stop by the DIA Away Mobile Interactive Experience from 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturdays and noon-5 p.m. Sundays and then visit Santa’s Village to send a postcard to Santa.
Santa’s periodical Inspirations Workshops at Inspirations Arts and Crafts Workshop on Saginaw Street allow visitors to craft their own personalized gifts, worthy of a North Pole toy assembly line. Hadley House Museum will be open so visitors can brush up on their nineteenth-century history. Kids experience a creative spin on lessons catered especially for them by attending Children’s Storytime, hosted by Queen Victoria.
Horse-drawn carriage rides let visitors experience old-fashioned transportation, and kids can send postcard requests to Mr. Claus in the Children’s Tent. But if you’ve prepared a wish list in advance, you’re bound to see the jolly, bearded fellow greeting kids downtown. Keep your eyes peeled for Mr. Ebenezer Scrooge and the three ghosts from A Christmas Carol, too. Watch them in their native story during street theater-style performances all weekend long.
Don’t neglect the Oh! Christmas Tree stage at the heart of downtown. It offers musical entertainment ensues onstage, stories, stage performances and more.
With the exception of kick off night, Friday, Nov. 23, the festival runs 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturdays and noon-5 p.m. Sundays, Nov. 24-Dec. 9, 2018
For more information on the 2018 Holly Dickens Festival – plus details on other family fun things to do this weekend – visit the Metro Parent calendar.
This post was originally published in 2015 and is updated regularly.
Photo by Terry L. Connell
