Downtown Birmingham's Holiday Calendar Has Two Late Saturdays. Plan the Season Around Them.
November 5, 2026
November 5, 2026
When can you take a horse-drawn carriage around Shain Park this season after you've finished dinner on Old Woodward? On most dates you can't. Most of the Birmingham Shopping District's 2026 holiday calendar ends by midafternoon. The evening hours fall on Friday, Dec. 4, Saturday, Dec. 5, and Saturday, Dec. 19. Those three nights shape the season more than any other dates.
The BSD's holiday release lists Santa House and the horse-drawn carriage rides for weekends plus Dec. 24. Both are free, and Santa House takes appointments and walk-ups. Here is the full Santa House and carriage schedule from the downtown events calendar:
| Date | Santa House | Carriage rides, Shain Park |
|---|---|---|
| Sat., Nov. 28 | Noon to 4 p.m. | 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. |
| Sun., Nov. 29 | 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. | 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. |
| Fri., Dec. 4 | 6:45 to 8 p.m. | None listed |
| Sat., Dec. 5 | 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. | 3 to 7 p.m. |
| Sun., Dec. 6 | 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. | 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. |
| Sat., Dec. 12 | 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. | 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. |
| Sun., Dec. 13 | 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. | 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. |
| Sat., Dec. 19 | 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. | 3 to 7 p.m. |
| Sun., Dec. 20 | 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. | 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. |
| Thu., Dec. 24 | 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. | 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. |
On seven of the ten dates, carriage rides run 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Santa House closes at 4. On Dec. 5 and Dec. 19 the rides shift to 3 to 7 p.m. and Santa House stays open into the evening. Dec. 4 adds a short evening Santa House window and no rides. A family that can only come downtown after work or after an afternoon game has those three dates.
The season starts on Small Business Saturday, Nov. 28, which begins at 9:30 a.m. downtown. The BSD lists retailer incentives that day, free parking in the five municipal garages, carriage rides from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. in Shain Park, Santa House from noon to 4 p.m., and free Hazel's hot chocolate from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Maple and Old Woodward.
The Birmingham Santa Walk, presented by Crain Homes, comes first. It runs 9:30 to 10:30 a.m., goes through downtown with stops at local shops, and ends at Santa House in Shain Park. Registration is required and opened Nov. 1 at 8 a.m.
Parking makes this weekend different from the rest of the season. The municipal garages are always free for the first two hours. From Nov. 28 through Nov. 30, all municipal garages are free with no time limit. If you're planning a long day of shopping, lunch and a Santa House visit, Thanksgiving weekend is the one time you won't be watching the two-hour mark. The tradeoff is timing, because everything that weekend wraps up in daylight.
The Winter Markt holds the season's longest run of hours. Mercedes-Benz of Bloomfield Hills presents the market, which fills Downtown Birmingham around Shain Park from Friday, Dec. 4, through Sunday, Dec. 6. The BSD describes it as a European-inspired marketplace with more than 70 local artists and vendors. They sell holiday greens and décor, children's toys and books, apparel, accessories, apothecary goods and jewelry. The weekend also has European-inspired food, live performances, marshmallow roasting, carriage rides, Santa visits and the Kinderhaus activity area.
The market hours are:
The annual Holiday Tree Lighting opens the weekend at 6 p.m. Friday in Shain Park, with Santa and live caroling. KW Domain presents the lighting this year. Santa House opens from 6:45 to 8 p.m. that night, right after the lighting.
Saturday, Dec. 5, is the busiest day of the season. The market runs 11 hours. Santa House is open 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., and carriage rides run 3 to 7 p.m. It is the only date this season when the market, Santa House and carriage rides all run into the evening. If you want to browse vendors in daylight and ride a carriage after dinner, that's the day.
Sunday reverses the pattern. The market closes at 4, and the carriages go back to 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
After the Markt weekend, the weekend of Dec. 12 and 13 goes back to the daytime schedule. The BSD tent at Maple and Old Woodward hands out free sweet treats on Dec. 12 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., while supplies last.
Saturday, Dec. 19, brings the evening hours back once more. Santa House runs 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. and carriage rides run 3 to 7 p.m. in Shain Park. The BSD tent has free treats again from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. No market or tree lighting is scheduled for Dec. 19, so it has the evening carriage rides without the 70-vendor weekend around them. That makes it the evening for a relaxed visit to Santa and a ride before dinner.
After that, the calendar winds down to daytime hours. Sunday, Dec. 20, and Christmas Eve both run Santa House from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and carriage rides from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Visitors to Santa House can donate to support local nonprofits.
The downtown you'll walk this season has some new addresses. Crain's Detroit Business reported on Nov. 2 on a wave of national and specialty brands coming to Birmingham this fall, J.Jill among them. The BSD's shop directory lists J.Jill at 284 West Maple Road.
On Old Woodward, Greyson Clothiers picked 205 N. Old Woodward Ave. for its Birmingham store, the longtime home of Cristions Fine Linens & Downs, according to Downtown Publications. The performance golf, lifestyle and activewear brand was founded in 2015 by Bloomfield native Charlie Schaefer. Birmingham marks its 12th store and fourth in Michigan, after Harbor Springs, Grand Rapids and its Detroit flagship in the Wright & Kay building on Woodward.
J.Jill and Greyson join a downtown retail district that the BSD says has nearly 300 retailers, including clothing stores, restaurants, salons, spas and antique shops.
Just outside downtown, Crain's reported in October that East Coast chain PopUp Bagels plans its first Michigan shop at 34400 Woodward Ave.
The downtown holiday calendar has no outdoor rink. The city's Birmingham Ice Sports Arena at 2300 E. Lincoln has regular public skate sessions on a schedule that runs from Sept. 8, 2026, through Jan. 9, 2027. Daytime skating at the arena pairs well with an evening trip downtown on Dec. 5 or Dec. 19, when the carriages are still running at 6 p.m.
The full event listings and Santa House appointments are at downtownbirmingham.com/events, and the Winter Markt details are at downtownbirmingham.com/wintermarkt.
Our office is on Old Woodward, so these Shain Park weekends happen just outside our door, and we're happy to tell you which evenings are worth it. If you're picturing a home within walking distance of the tree lighting, The Madelon Collective can show you which downtown Birmingham streets put Shain Park a short walk away. Start Your Home Search with us this season.
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