Most downtown Birmingham holiday plans start with Friday, Dec. 4, the night the 41-foot tree in Shain Park lights up. The 2026 schedule begins on Sunday, Nov. 1. At 8 a.m. that morning, registration opens for two things you can't simply show up for: appointments at Santa House and spots in the Birmingham Santa Walk.
Both sign-ups lead to the same day. Saturday, Nov. 28 is when the season opens downtown, and the Birmingham Shopping District has scheduled more for that one Saturday than for any other day before the Winter Markt. If you sort out the sign-ups on Sunday morning, the rest of the season gets much simpler.
What Sunday's 8 a.m. sign-up decides
The two registrations work a little differently, and the difference matters if you have children who have been asking about Santa since Halloween.
The Santa Walk requires registration. According to the Santa Walk page, registration opens Nov. 1 at 8:00 a.m. and is required to take part. The walk starts at 9:30 a.m. on Saturday, Nov. 28 and runs about an hour. It's a short stroll through downtown with stops at local shops, and it ends at Santa House in Shain Park, where families can stay for a visit with Santa and the horse-drawn carriage rides.
Santa House is a mix of booked and walk-up times. The Santa House listing says appointments are required for certain days and times, with "plenty of opportunities for walk-ups as well." Appointment registration opens Nov. 1 at 8 a.m., the same time as the walk. The visits and the carriage rides are free, as they have been in past years.
On Nov. 1, families planning the walk need to register for it, and families who want a set time with Santa on a particular day need to book one. Walk-ups cover a lot of the rest of the season. All the visits happen at the same small house in Shain Park, at Henrietta and Martin streets.
Nov. 28 packs the season into one Saturday
The Santa Walk starts at 9:30 a.m. on Nov. 28 because that's also when Small Business Saturday begins. The Shopping District has put its whole opening program into a few blocks around Shain Park on that one day. Here's the order, using the official listings:
- 9:30 a.m. Small Business Saturday begins, and the Santa Walk heads out for an hour through downtown shops toward Shain Park.
- 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Free horse-drawn carriage rides leave from Shain Park, loop through the park and the lit downtown streets, and return to where they started.
- Noon Santa House opens. The Santa House page lists noon to 4 p.m. for Nov. 28, and the Small Business Saturday listing says noon to 3 p.m. Plan for the shorter window, or check the Santa House page before you go.
- All day Parking is free in all five municipal parking structures, and participating retailers offer shopping incentives.
The parking matters more than it might seem. Free parking in every municipal structure means you can arrive for the 9:30 walk, stay through a carriage ride and lunch, and shop into the afternoon without watching the clock. The Santa Walk page also says parking is free in municipal garages all day.
Small Business Saturday also ties into the county's shop-local effort. The Shopping District's listing includes Oakland County's Local Gems Sweepstakes, with prizes up to $1,000. How to enter is spelled out in the county's official rules.
Where the shopping hour can go this year
The Nov. 28 shopping covers more storefronts than it did a year ago. Several national names have opened along Maple and Old Woodward in 2026, close enough to Shain Park to fit between a carriage ride and lunch.
- Rag & Bone, 106 S. Old Woodward. Birmingham by Design reported in March that the brand's first Michigan store had opened downtown.
- Portland Leather, 157 W. Maple. The shop took over the former Revive space, as Birmingham by Design covered in late August. Leather goods make easy gifts if you're still checking off names.
- Design Within Reach, 214 W. Maple. The Birmingham studio lists regular store hours plus design services by appointment. It's a good stop if a holiday gathering has you rethinking the dining room before guests come.
- Vuori, 100 S. Old Woodward. The activewear brand's Birmingham store is open at the corner of Old Woodward and Maple.
Two more stores are still on the way. Cherry Republic is coming to 243 W. Maple, the former Detroit Guitar space, and the company's own page still says "Opening fall of 2026." J. Jill is coming to 284 W. Maple. Downtown newsmagazine reported on Sept. 30 that interior construction was underway and the store planned to open this fall. Whether either one opens before Nov. 28 will decide how much of West Maple is lit up and open on Small Business Saturday.
The Winter Markt weekend, six days later
The Birmingham Winter Markt runs Dec. 4 through 6 in and around Shain Park. The official event page lists displays from local artists and vendors, European food, thousands of holiday lights, ice sculptures, live entertainment, a Kinderhaus children's activity area, and warming stations. It's open rain, snow or shine.
The Markt schedule is set up differently from Nov. 28. Most of its kid-focused moments fall in the evening or on Saturday afternoon:
- Friday, Dec. 4, 4 to 9 p.m. The holiday tree lighting is at 6 p.m., with Santa, live caroling, and the 41-foot tree with more than 40,000 LED lights. Santa House opens right after, from 6:45 to 8 p.m.
- Saturday, Dec. 5, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Santa House is open 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. The Snow Queen and Frozen Princess appear from 12:30 to 3:30 p.m., and carriage rides run from 3 to 7 p.m., after dark.
- Sunday, Dec. 6, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Santa House is open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and carriage rides run from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
So if you're deciding between Nov. 28 and the Markt weekend for a family visit, look at the time of day. Nov. 28 runs mostly in the morning and early afternoon. The Markt's busiest moments, the tree lighting on Friday and the carriage rides on Saturday, happen once the lights are on.
After the Markt, the same park gets quieter
Santa House and the carriage rides keep going through Christmas Eve. The two weekends after the Markt and Christmas Eve follow the same schedule as the busy days, with fewer events happening around them.
| Date | Santa House | Carriage rides |
|---|---|---|
| Saturday, Dec. 12 | 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. | 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. |
| Sunday, Dec. 13 | 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. | 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. |
| Saturday, Dec. 19 | 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. | 3 to 7 p.m. |
| Sunday, Dec. 20 | 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. | 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. |
| Thursday, Dec. 24 | 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. | 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. |
Saturday, Dec. 19 is the one evening on that list. Santa House stays open until 7 p.m., and the carriage rides run from 3 to 7 p.m., so you can ride through the lit streets after dark without the Markt crowds. Christmas Eve morning works for last-minute visits. Both Santa House and the carriage rides run until midafternoon that Thursday.
Some of these days may require Santa House appointments, so it's worth checking the Santa House page on Nov. 1 even if you're only thinking about a mid-December visit.
If you're thinking about how a Birmingham home should look and feel for the holidays this year, whether you're hosting family or getting ready to list in the new year, I'd be glad to share staging ideas that work with the season. Kathy Remski is happy to help. Let's Connect.
