Grosse Pointe Farms' holiday season runs from November 14 to the week before Christmas this year, and most of its dated events are at the War Memorial, 32 Lake Shore Road. Over those weeks the War Memorial has a children's makers market, a gingerbread competition, an opera evening, a tree lighting, a colonial-themed cocktail history night, three kinds of Santa events and a holiday supper club.
The one free night still requires registration. Everything else has a ticket price. Down the shore, Pier Park is the Farms' other big public spot on the lake, and it is spending the winter as a construction site. The War Memorial's registration and ticket pages are the real holiday schedule for anyone planning within the Farms' borders.
The free night still needs a reservation
The season starts in earnest on Sunday, November 22, with the War Memorial's Tree Lighting Ceremony. Doors open for all activities at 4 p.m. The ceremony is at 5:30 p.m., and the event runs until 7 p.m. A 20-foot decorated tree goes up in front of the fountain. The War Memorial lists hot chocolate, live ice sculpting, caroling and crafts.
Entry is free, but registration is required. New this year, Santa will see children in the ballroom after the ceremony for $5 per child. A small number of pre-registration slots are available. Walk-ups will still get a visit, but the War Memorial says wait times may vary, and it asks families with several children to register each one.
The same evening, the historic Alger House turns its Reception Room, Library, Dining Room and Palm Room into a Vintage Holiday Market from 4 to 7 p.m. It has pop-up shops selling vintage gifts and holiday merchandise.
Parking is the night's real limit. The War Memorial has an onsite lot with overflow street parking, warns that parking will be limited, and suggests extra time, carpooling, or walking if you can. For households within walking distance of Lake Shore Road, that last suggestion makes the evening a lot easier.
Everything else on the calendar carries a price
The tree lighting is the free anchor. The other events on the War Memorial's holiday schedule are ticketed, and the prices vary widely depending on who the evening is for.
| Date | Event | Time | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sat., Nov. 14 | Mini Makers Market | 9 to 11 a.m. | $10 per child; parents free |
| Sun., Nov. 15 | Gingerbread House Decorating Competition | Noon to 3 p.m. | $35 per team or individual |
| Fri., Nov. 20 | Arias After Dark | 7 to 9 p.m. | $50; $70 with wine pairings |
| Sun., Nov. 22 | Tree Lighting and Vintage Holiday Market | 4 to 7 p.m. | Free with registration; Santa visits $5 per child |
| Thu., Dec. 3 | Liquor & Lore: Colonial Christmas | 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. | $90; adults 21+ |
| Sun., Dec. 6 and Thu., Dec. 10 | Bedtime Stories with Santa | Seatings at 4, 5:30 and 7 p.m. | $25 per child; $5 per adult; keepsakes extra |
| Sun., Dec. 13 | Breakfast with Santa | Seatings at 9:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. | $50 per child; $70 per adult |
| Sat., Dec. 19 | Supper Club: Merry & Bright Holiday Dinner | 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. | See event page |
Hands-on children's events come first, on the weekend of November 14 and 15. Then come two adult evenings. Arias After Dark features resident artists from Detroit Opera, and the colonial cocktail night on December 3 is limited to guests 21 and over. The Santa events are grouped in December, with two bedtime-story dates and a breakfast spread across the first half of the month. The season closes on December 19 with a three-course holiday dinner in the Alger House, followed by a performance from the Dave Bennett Quartet in the lakefront ballroom.
The cost of a family outing depends on which event you pick. A family of two adults and two children would pay $60 for one Bedtime Stories seating before keepsakes and $240 for Breakfast with Santa. The breakfast price includes gratuity and tax, and the War Memorial offers veterans a 15% discount. The three seating times for Bedtime Stories and the two for breakfast mean families choose a slot when they book, not on the day.
The busiest week straddles a city line
The week before Thanksgiving packs the most into the shortest stretch, and one of its biggest nights is just across the Farms' border.
- Friday, November 20, 5:30 p.m. The Village Tree Lighting takes place in the City of Grosse Pointe, next to Lululemon. It is a separate city's event, run on its own schedule.
- Friday, November 20, 7 p.m. Arias After Dark starts at the War Memorial the same evening.
- Sunday, November 22, 4 p.m. The War Memorial's tree lighting and Vintage Holiday Market open on Lake Shore Road.
- Friday, November 27, 10 a.m. The 51st Annual Santa Claus Parade, themed "Stars, Stripes & Sleigh Bells!", runs until 11:30 a.m., according to the Grosse Pointe Chamber of Commerce calendar.
Grosse Pointe Farms City Council has already approved a street-closure request for the November 27 parade. For the 2025 parade, Grosse Pointe News reported a route that began at Lewiston in Grosse Pointe Farms and ran along Kercheval to Cadieux. The same report noted that the Chamber has organized the parade since 2012. The Chamber's parade page still shows the 2025 date and route, so check the 2026 starting point with the Chamber before choosing a curb spot on The Hill.
Taken together, the week puts two tree lightings 48 hours apart in two different cities, and a parade five days later that starts in the Farms if last year's route holds. A household could attend all of it without repeating a venue.
A table on The Hill for a group too big for home
The War Memorial's schedule covers the events. A holiday gathering with extended family or a team dinner needs a room. On The Hill, Tavola Mia at 123 Kercheval opened in April 2026, with a ribbon cutting on Thursday, April 23, Grosse Pointe News reported. The owners are Vesna Cadikovska-Maniac and her husband, executive chef Mario Maniac. The restaurant serves scratch-made modern Italian food at breakfast, lunch and dinner, including pizza, seafood and steak, and it offers takeout.
Downstairs, Tavola Mia has a private banquet room for up to 30 guests. This is its first holiday season at the address. 123 Kercheval was previously The Bronze Door, which set December 31, 2025, as its last day of service, Deadline Detroit reported. If a group dinner is planned around the parade or a War Memorial evening, booking that room early is the same advice that applies to every ticketed event above.
Down Lake Shore, Pier Park is mid-build
The War Memorial carries so much of this season partly because the Farms' other lakefront gathering place is unavailable. Pier Park's pools, bathhouse and splash pad were closed for the entire 2026 season, and the beach and kayak and paddleboard area closed on September 28.
The rebuild is moving. At the September 14 City Council meeting, City Manager Shane Reeside reported that the project remained on schedule and on budget. The competition pool was already complete, the recreation pool walls had been formed and poured, and gutter installation was about to begin. On the bathhouse, windows were in, the roof was going on soon, and bricking was set to start the next week.
The scale explains why it takes a full year offline. The city's Pier Park aquatic facility page lists a total budget of $14,798,179. That includes $12,409,222 in construction costs. The page lists the financing as $10,798,000 in general obligation bonds and $4 million from the Grosse Pointe Farms Foundation, which comes to $179 less than the total budget. The design, by Grissim Metz Andriese Associates, includes a central bathhouse with changing rooms, showers and accessible family options, connected to the pools by walkways. The city's stated target is completion in time for the 2027 summer season.
That leaves the calendar split between two places on Lake Shore. Through December 19, the War Memorial's registration links are the schedule that matters. After that, the next date Farms residents will be watching is Pier Park's 2027 opening, and the city's council updates are the place to follow it.
If you're thinking ahead to next year, when a finished Pier Park and a full year of Tavola Mia on The Hill will be part of how Grosse Pointe Farms looks to buyers, Five Star Luxury Realty can show you what those changes mean for your home's position in the market. Get a Free Home Valuation, and we'll walk you through it in plain terms.
