Royal Oak Announces 2 New Major Holiday Events

ROYAL OAK, MI — Tis' the season for holiday magic and the city of Royal Oak hopes to be a metro Detroit destination for celebrating this year.

Downtown Royal Oak is gearing up for a series of new holiday festivities this season. Two huge new events are on tap, including a tree lighting and holiday festival.

The events bring together the best of the season, from decorating to shopping, time with Mr. and Mrs. Claus, Small Business Saturday festivities to support local and interesting twists like fun with hot air balloons.

Here’s a look at what’s in store:

Tree lighting

A Tree Lighting event will take place for the first time in Downtown Royal Oak on Thursday, Nov 15. Mayor Fournier will be turning on all the holiday lights in Downtown along with the city tree on Washington Avenue and Fifth Street. Guests can also enjoy live music from Men of Note Choir, free hotdogs from The Tap House and free hot chocolate from McDonald's, while supplies last.

Guests are asked to gather on the sidewalks and in the Baldwin Mall (Stage Crafters Alley) from 6p.m. – 8 p.m.

At the Tree Lighting event, the Royal Oak DDA will also be launching their Holiday tote and ornament program. On Thursday, November 15 and Shop Small Saturday (Nov. 24), spend $25 or more at participating retailers and receive a limited edition Royal Oak canvas tote bag and holiday ornament.

Royal Oak’s newest festival

A brand new festival is coming to town, the Royal Oak Holiday Glow. This two-day festival will be taking place on Washington Avenue between 5th Avenue and 7th Avenue on Friday, Dec 7 and Saturday, Dec 8. The event will feature hot-air balloons, Santa Claus, a Holiday Winter Marketplace, live ice carvings and more.

“We are really looking forward to Holiday Glow.” said Sean Kammer, Royal Oak Downtown Manager.

“This event is a breath of fresh air, promising innovative new ideas that showcase all of the great things we have to offer in downtown Royal Oak.”

A 7,200 sq. ft. enclosed heated tent will be placed on Fifth Avenue. The tent will feature unique holiday gifts from local crafters, live music and bar.

Santa and Mrs. Claus will be on site Friday, 6-10 p.m. and Saturday 2-6 p.m. to take photos with children. Parents are encouraged to bring their own cameras.

Children can drop off their letters to Santa for him to take back to the North Pole, too. Santa will also have two of his reindeer on-site for children to pet their fluffy winter coats.
A live ice carving of a life size sleigh and reindeer will take place at the event. Once complete guests will be able to climb inside and take photos. A children’s trackless train will circle on Washington Avenue offering rides for a small fee.

Horse drawn carriages and wagon rides will also be taking place Friday and Saturday evenings to view the beautiful lights throughout downtown, city officials also announced. Carriages hold up to 6 people, or four adults and two children, and wagons have 18 seats. Individual seats are available on the wagon rides, great for larger groups, too.

The wagon will be pulled by a group of horses around town. Attendees can spread holiday cheer by singing Christmas carols along the way.

Rides must be purchased in advance at www.HolidayGlowRO.com, city officials said, noting that tickets will not be sold at the event.

Among the features of this new event, festival goers are invited to gather on Washington Avenue for a hot-air balloon GLOW event each night. Guests can watch the crews set up the balloons on the street.

The eight story high hot-air balloons will glow like large holiday bulbs and illuminate the downtown. The pilots will welcome children to look inside the baskets and pull the rope to the burners.

The balloons will remain tethered down and will do a synchronize flicker event. If the Michigan weather does not cooperate, a Torch of Fire event will take place instead, organizers said. The baskets will still be placed in the streets and the burners will be lit to heat the streets with their 15’ – 20’ flames. Regardless of which event takes place, it will be a sight to see, organizers said.

Finally, family and friends can participate in the Cookie Crawl event taking place on Sat. Dec. 8 from 1:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. during the Holiday Glow. Several hundred people are expected to participate in the Cookie Crawl event, according to the city.

Each person who purchases a ticket will receive a Royal oak Holiday Glow commemorative cookie tin and will crawl from business to business in the Downtown area to collect delicious holiday cookies that were baked by local bakeries, including Herman’s, Holiday Market, Gold Fish Tea, Love & Buttercream, The Cookie and Crumb, Holy Cannoli’s and Mia’s Bakery.

Guests will check in heated tent on Fifth Avenue to receive their tin, map to all the participating retailers and a punch card. Advance tickets are required and can be purchased at www.HolidayGlowRO.com

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