On the Saturday after Thanksgiving, the walk to Santa House in Shain Park starts at 9:30 in the morning. The 41-foot tree on the same lawn stays dark until the following Friday.
The Birmingham Shopping District opens the season on Saturday, Nov. 28, with the Santa Walk, Small Business Saturday, carriage rides and Santa House all on one day, and the city's five municipal garages free all day. Winter Markt and the tree lighting arrive six days later, close to the middle of a schedule that runs through Christmas Eve. This year Nov. 28 also matters along Maple Road and Willits Street, because several of the storefronts there are spending their first holiday season in downtown Birmingham.
November 28 Opens the Season
Birmingham's Small Business Saturday listing fits a full day into Shain Park and the blocks around it. In order, the day runs like this:
- 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. The Birmingham Santa Walk ends at Santa House in Shain Park.
- 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Free horse-drawn carriage rides begin and end in the park.
- Noon to 4 p.m. Santa House is open.
- All day. Downtown shops offer Small Business Saturday activities, and parking is free in all five municipal garages.
Free garage parking is what makes this Saturday different from the others. The city already counts Thanksgiving and the day after as free-parking holidays, and the Shopping District adds Saturday on top of them. That makes Thursday through Saturday of Thanksgiving week three days in a row without paying to park downtown.
Santa House Opens Before the Tree Does
Santa House is a five-week fixture, and Winter Markt accounts for only one of those weekends. The official Santa House schedule begins Nov. 28 and ends on Christmas Eve, and carriage rides follow nearly the same calendar.
| Date | Santa House | Carriage rides |
|---|---|---|
| Sat., Nov. 28 | Yes | Yes |
| Sun., Nov. 29 | Yes | Yes |
| Fri., Dec. 4 | Yes | No |
| Sat., Dec. 5 | Yes | Yes |
| Sun., Dec. 6 | Yes | Yes |
| Sat., Dec. 12 | Yes | Yes |
| Sun., Dec. 13 | Yes | Yes |
| Sat., Dec. 19 | Yes | Yes |
| Sun., Dec. 20 | Yes | Yes |
| Thu., Dec. 24 | Yes | Yes |
Some morning Santa House slots need an appointment. Registration for those appointments opened Nov. 1, 2026. The weekend after Thanksgiving comes before Winter Markt and has carriage rides both days, which makes Nov. 28 and 29 the first chance to see Santa and ride a carriage in the same visit.
Winter Markt Lands in the Middle
Winter Markt takes over Shain Park, at Henrietta and Martin streets, from Friday, Dec. 4, through Sunday, Dec. 6, rain, snow or shine. The Shopping District lists local artists and vendors, European food, ice sculptures, live entertainment, marshmallow roasting, a Kinderhaus children's area and warming stations.
Each day keeps different hours, and the Santa House and carriage times change with them:
- Friday, Dec. 4, 4 to 9 p.m. The Holiday Tree Lighting is at 6 p.m., with Santa, caroling and more than 40,000 LEDs on the 41-foot tree. Santa House opens afterward, from 6:45 to 8 p.m. No carriage rides are listed.
- Saturday, Dec. 5, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Santa House runs from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., and carriage rides run from 3 to 7 p.m.
- Sunday, Dec. 6, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Santa House runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and carriage rides run from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Saturday's carriage window starts at 3 p.m., four hours later than on the Saturday after Thanksgiving, so the rides run into the evening. Sunday is the earliest-closing day of the three.
The New Names on Maple and Willits
For several downtown businesses, Nov. 28 is the first Small Business Saturday they have spent in Birmingham.
Cherry Republic, 243 W. Maple Road. The company announced in August that Birmingham would be its first metro Detroit store. MLive reported a target of "sometime by the end of September or in early October." The store is open now, and the company's Birmingham page lists hours and describes it as bringing "a taste of Northern Michigan to this charming Oakland County community."
Shoppe Cozette, 266 E. Maple Road. Birmingham resident Tara Stover owns this boutique, which carries women's fashion, home goods, vintage pieces and clean-beauty products, according to Downtown Publications.
e Fiori, 115 Willits St. Chef Luciano DelSignore opened this 6,800-square-foot Italian restaurant and flower-and-gift boutique with managing partner Nicole Antakli DelSignore and floral designer Darin Lenhardt, the Birmingham-Bloomfield Bulletin reported in July. Because it has both a dining room and a gift counter, a stop there can cover lunch and a hostess gift.
Two more names are part of the same wave. J.Jill is in the former Moosejaw space at 284 W. Maple Road, and Crain's Detroit Business included it in a Nov. 2 roundup of retailers new to downtown. Downtown Publications reported Greyson Clothiers, founded by Bloomfield native Charlie Schaefer, for 205 N. Old Woodward. Crain's described the newcomers as bringing apparel, golf gear and Michigan-made goods to downtown.
Cherry Republic and J.Jill are on West Maple, Shoppe Cozette is on East Maple, e Fiori is on Willits and Greyson's address is on North Old Woodward, all within the downtown blocks where the Nov. 28 Santa Walk and Small Business Saturday take place.
Where the Ice Is
Birmingham's outdoor rink is at Barnum Park, off Pierce near George. The city installs it in winter and opens it only when the weather allows a safe surface. Posted hockey hours are 8 to 10 a.m. and 2 to 4 p.m.
Skating that doesn't depend on the weather is at the city's Birmingham Ice Sports Arena, 2300 E. Lincoln. Its public-skate schedule runs from Sept. 8 through Jan. 9, 2027, which covers the whole holiday season.
The Free Parking Days
The city's parking page lists five free-parking legal holidays this season: Thanksgiving, the day after Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and New Year's Eve. Christmas Eve falls on a Thursday this year and is also the last day of Santa House and carriage rides, so the season closes the same way it opened, with free parking and Santa in the park. Small Business Saturday on Nov. 28 brings the free days to six, with Nov. 28 and Dec. 24 at either end of the Santa House calendar.
If your family is hosting relatives this season and the talk around the table turns to what life within walking distance of Shain Park looks like, Cindy and Emily would be glad to share what they know about downtown Birmingham, block by block. Cindy Kahn Real Estate invites you to Request Your KahnCierge Consultation.