Light up your holidays in Downtown Kalamazoo with a festive slate of free events scheduled all season long. The downtown holiday season features Santa’s Workshop, Small Business Saturday, the Holly Jolly Trolley, Moonlight Madness and more!

Fun for the family

Visit Bronson Park Tree for the Tree Lighting Ceremony

Join in on this annual event scheduled 5-7 p.m. on Friday, November 25 in Bronson Park, presented by the Kalamazoo Valley Museum, The Kalamazoo Civic Theater, and Kalamazoo First Presbyterian Church. Come help light up Bronson Park and kick off the holiday season! Festivities include live music, crafts, hot chocolate, visits with Santa, reindeer, and other holiday fun. The Tree Lighting Ceremony is always free, and everyone is welcome to join the fun.

Moonlight Madness

Come to Downtown Kalamazoo to enjoy extended store hours and discounts, restaurant specials, the colorful holiday lights, rides on the Holly Jolly Trolley (until 9p.m.) and everything else downtown has to offer. Many local businesses are providing shopping discounts/giveaways for shoppers for one night only. Join us in supporting our small and local Downtown merchants and restaurants and bring a friend to shop ’til you drop until 11p.m. on Friday, December 9th, 2022.

Dana at WKFR FM 103.3 will be broadcasting Moonlight Madness LIVE on the Kalamazoo Mall from 8-9p.m. on Friday, December 9th. Come down and see Dana for a chance to be interviewed as a shopper and enjoy the late night lights of the Kalamazoo Mall!

To help plan your shopping trip, please visit: https://fb.me/e/1XsjOsunk

Santa’s Workshop opens Saturday, Nov. 26, featuring visits with Black Santa every Thursday and Sunday afternoon

Santa’s Workshop, presented by the Radisson Plaza Hotel Downtown Kalamazoo and supported by Peregrine and Meijer, opens Saturday, November 26 on the first floor of the Radisson Plaza Hotel in the Blush Salon Beauty Lounge Space at 100 W. Michigan Ave. This magical place filled with little animated elves and twinkling lights is sure to delight all ages! 

Each child who visits will have the opportunity to enjoy coloring pages, decorate a shopping bag, and write a letter to Santa. The children are free to stay and craft for as long as they would like.

Santa will see visitors from near and far Thursdays and Fridays from 4 to 8 p.m., Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Sundays from 12 to 4 p.m. In the spirit of ensuring Santa reflects the vibrant diversity of our community, Santa’s Workshop welcomes Black Santa every Thursday and Sunday in December from 12 to 4 p.m.

Getting around downtown

The Holly Jolly Trolley runs Thursdays through Sundays throughout Downtown Kalamazoo

The Holly Jolly Trolley, sponsored by Drive and Shine, will run its traditional route through Downtown Kalamazoo Nov. 27 through Dec. 19 Thursdays-Sundays, Saturday, Dec. 24th for Christmas Eve, and on Saturday, Dec. 31 for New Year’s Eve. With nine stops throughout the Downtown, the route includes stops at City Hall, along the Kalamazoo Mall, Portage Street, and Michigan Avenue. The trolley will leave City Hall at the top and bottom of every hour.

The trolley will run Thursdays and Fridays from 5 to 9 p.m., Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., and Sundays from 12 to 4 p.m. Special hours include Saturday, Dec. 24 from 12 to 4 p.m. and Saturday, Dec. 31 from 8 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. All trolley rides are free.

Support local businesses this holiday season

Join the nationwide movement to shop local on Small Business Saturday – November 26. And for Downtown Kalamazoo, Small Business Saturday doesn’t end on November 26 –  every Saturday in December is “Small Business Saturday.” That means even more chances to snag the perfect holiday gift – all while supporting local.

And, supporting local just got even easier (and rewarding) with Consumers Energy. Consumers Energy will be providing free $10 Downtown Dollars gift certificates from 11a.m. to 1p.m. on Small Business Saturday on the Kalamazoo Mall.  

Many of the businesses will host in-store promotions and specials. Plus, when shopping at a downtown retailer this Small Business Saturday, customers will receive a limited-edition reusable holiday retail shopping bag, while supplies last.

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