The days may be getting shorter, but Detroit knows how to make the most of wintery weather. From finding the perfect gift during Small Business Saturday, to strolling through breathtaking light displays with a loved one, here’s how to kick off your holiday season in metro Detroit.

Plus, indoor entertainment to keep you warm. Read on to learn more. 

Upcoming events

Wayne County Lightfest

Hines Drive

  Thursday, Nov. 20 – Wednesday, Dec. 24

  $5-50 cash, depending on vehicle 

Every Wednesday through Sunday from 6-10 p.m. Hines Drive goes full winter-wonderland with miraculous light displays! En route there’s also food trucks, hot chocolate, and plenty of opportunities to snap the perfect photo. 

Sunset: A Cyber-Lament

  Andy Arts in Detroit

  Thursday, Nov. 20 through Tuesday, Nov. 25

  $11.63–$64.15

A music-driven work inspired by medieval retellings of the Orpheus myth and our collective internet-driven madness. The production weaves technologies old and new to mythologize our relationship with technology and how it has changed and shaped our imagination. This performance runs approximately 80 minutes with no intermission.

Art for the Holidays

  Detroit Artists Market

  Friday, Nov. 14 through Saturday, Dec. 20

  Free

Detroit Artists Market’s Art for the Holidays exhibition is open Tuesday-Saturday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Peruse and purchase unique pieces from almost 100 local artists, perfect for the gift-giving season! 

Detroit Tree Lighting

Campus Martius 

  Friday, Nov. 21

  Free

The 22nd annual tree lighting will be accompanied by live entertainment, holiday shopping, food trucks, and giveaways. It’s a great time to watch professional ice skaters hit the ice and make a visit to Santa! 

Light Up Beacon Park

 City Bird and Nest

  Friday, Nov. 21

  Free

Watch as Beacon Park brings a massive White Fir to life with ornaments and listen to carolers as the park lights up with festive cheer. Beacon Park celebrates the start of the holiday season from 5-9 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 21. 

Black Friday and Small Business Saturday

City Bird and Nest

  Friday, Nov. 28 and Saturday, Nov. 29

  Free

Visit City Bird and Nest for special deals and events during extended hours from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Free gifts will be available, as well a DJ set, a locally crafted photo-op and Midtown Holiday Bingo. For those unable to attend in person, a coupon code is available from Friday to Cyber Monday. 

CatVideoFest 2025

Detroit Film Theatre

  Friday, Nov. 28 through Sunday, Nov. 30

General Admission $11.50, Senior/Student/DIA Member $9.50

Cat videos are a long-standing gem of the internet era, and the Detroit Film Theatre invites you to enjoy the cutest and goofiest of them on the big screen. There are 4 showings over the weekend of this 80 minute compilation. The DFT recommends purchasing tickets in advance. A part of the proceeds will be donated to local shelters. 

As the weather gets colder, we’ve got some cozy events to keep you warm — including intimate performances, accessible art sales and seasonal celebrations.

Plus, the Dance Theatre of Harlem returns to Detroit. Read on to learn more.

Upcoming events

Sweet Tooth exhibition

  Hatch Art Center in Hamtramck

  Ongoing through Dec. 7

  Free

An art exhibition centered around the idea that we need sweetness in our lives to counteract the bitterness around us. The exhibit features works by 18 artists in a variety of mediums, including paintings, photography, sculptures and more. Hatch Art Center is open to the public on Saturdays and Sundays from noon to 5 p.m., and on Thursdays and Fridays from 6–9 p.m.

Royal Oak Market: Art Fair Edition

  Royal Oak Farmers Market

  Thursday, Nov. 13 and Friday, Nov. 14

  Free

An indoor fine art fair featuring 60 juried artists showing a wide variety of works, including painting, jewelry, ceramics, glass, photography and more. There will also be live musical performances, food vendors and adult beverages. The fair is open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. both days.

Jalasat / جلسات: Victor Ghannam, Roger Kashou and Noon

  Adeni Tea Room in Dearborn

  Friday, Nov. 14

  Free

A new pop-up performance series from the Arab American National Museum that celebrates Arab and Arab American expression through intimate performances of poetry, music and conversation in accessible environments. The first show features musical performances by Victor Ghannam, Roger Kashou and Noon (Farah Afra and Layan Srour). Admission is free and open to the public, and the show goes from 7–9 p.m.

Winter at The Station

  Michigan Central in Detroit

  Friday, Nov. 14 through Dec. 28

  Free, $15–$88

A family-friendly celebration of the season featuring festive decor, interactive exhibits, holiday shopping, live music and more. Special programming will also take place throughout the month, including dance performances, artist workshops and more. General admission is free and open to the public, but some of the special programming is ticketed, ranging from $15 to $88. Parking is $5 per vehicle. The Station is open daily from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. unless otherwise noted.

Sugar Hill Clay’s 2025 Seconds Sale

  Sugar Hill Clay in Detroit

  Saturday, Nov. 15

  Free

The third annual ceramic seconds sale from Sugar Hill Clay, where experiments, tests and imperfect pieces from the studio are available for discounted prices, starting at $5. This sale is a fundraiser to help the studio purchase new shared tools and create new programming for their members to improve their community experiences. The sale goes from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Ferndale Underground Holiday Market

  Underneath the doT Parking Garage in Ferndale

  Saturday, Nov. 15 and Sunday, Nov. 16

  Free

An underground holiday market featuring unique gifts from over 90 local artists, makers, authors and bakers. Admission is free but canned food donations are welcome. The market is open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturday and from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday.

Dance Theatre of Harlem

  Detroit Opera House

  Saturday, Nov. 15 and Sunday, Nov. 16

  $70–$150

A highly-anticipated Detroit performance by the Dance Theatre of Harlem, with a program featuring iconic works by Robert Garland, Jodie Gates and more. Performances take place at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday and at 2:30 p.m. on Sunday. Limited tickets remain for the Sunday show.

This week, we’re highlighting ways to celebrate Native American Heritage Month, experiences that celebrate Detroit excellence and local markets to kick off your holiday shopping.

Plus, an opportunity to support arts education on the dance floor. Read on to learn more.

Upcoming events

Hockeytown Centennial FanFest

  MotorCity Casino Hotel in Detroit

  Thursday, Nov. 6 through Sunday, Nov. 9

  $17.60 and up

A four-day celebration honoring a century of Red Wings hockey featuring alumni appearances, interactive exhibits, exclusive merchandise and more. General admission day passes start at $17.60, and 4-day passes and VIP tickets are also available starting at $125. The festival is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily.

Guest Artist Demonstration: Kelly Church

  DIA Art-Making Studio in Detroit

  Friday, Nov. 7

  Free with museum admission (free for residents of Wayne, Oakland and Macomb counties)

A drop-in workshop led by Pottawatomi/Ottawa/Ojibwe artist and educator Kelly Church as part of the Detroit Institute of Arts’ celebration of Native American Heritage Month. Participants will help create a collaborative woven black ash basket while learning about Church’s process and the history of the materials. The workshop goes from 1–5 p.m.

Carmina Burana featuring Detroit’s Audivi Choir

  DSO Orchestra Hall in Detroit

  Friday, Nov. 7 through Sunday, Nov. 9

  $20.95 and up

A performance of Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana by the Detroit Symphony Orchestra and Detroit’s Audivi Choir. The cantata, composed in the mid-1930s, is based on a famous medieval collection of poems about worldly pleasures and the ups and downs of fortune. Performances take place at 8 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, and at 3 p.m. on Sunday.

We’re Still Here: Fighting Indigenous Erasure in the Media

  Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation in Dearborn

  Saturday, Nov. 8

  Free with registration

A discussion about how to combat anti-Indigenous racism featuring award-winning journalist and citizen of the Cherokee Nation, Rebecca Nagle. She’ll break down the lack of accurate representation of Native Americans in pop culture, how that impacts Indigenous rights and how ordinary people can push back. The talk takes place at The Henry Ford’s Anderson Theater and doors open at 12:30 p.m.

Underground Music Academy Fundraiser

  Spot Lite in Detroit

  Saturday, Nov. 8

  $23–$29

A fundraiser to support ongoing construction at Underground Music Academy’s headquarters in Detroit’s North End, featuring DJ sets by Kindle, Disc Jockey George and WDET’s own Waajeed (host of The Boulevard). The party goes from 9 p.m. to 2 a.m. and is 21+.

All Things Detroit Holiday Shopping Experience & Food Truck Rally 2025

  Eastern Market Sheds 3, 4 and 5 in Detroit

  Sunday, Nov. 9

  $7–$15

A holiday shopping market featuring over 200 small businesses, including local artists, handmade gifts, craft goods and one-of-a-kind pieces. There will also be food trucks on site, Detroit DJs in every shed and photo ops with Santa. VIP ticket holders also get two hours of private shopping, an All Things Detroit tote bag and a surprise holiday gift while supplies last. VIP access starts at 10 a.m. and is $15 online. General admission starts at noon and is $7 at the door.

Downtown Detroit Markets & The Cadillac Lodge

  Cadillac Square in Detroit

  Wednesday, Nov. 12 through Jan. 4, 2026

  Free

A holiday shopping market featuring a curated collection of over a dozen Detroit vendors selling everything from apparel and accessories to snacks and skincare. The market area also includes the Cadillac Lodge, a heated tent that offers warm food and seating. Both the market and the lodge are open Wednesdays through Sundays starting at 11 a.m.

A Michigan Congresswoman is taking aim at stores she claims abruptly change prices depending on who is shopping.

U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib says big stores do more than use data to decide what coupons to send customers.

She alleges they consult security cameras and personal profiles, then adjust the cost of a given product.

Now the Detroit Democrat is introducing a bill in Congress to stop what she calls “surveillance pricing.”

U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib: (Interview edited for clarity.) These big grocery stores like Target and Walmart are using surveillance of the way we shop, our ethnic backgrounds, our income and creating personal profiles on us. So my bill would prevent and prohibit them from using these characteristics about yourself, your shopping patterns and so forth, to fix the price. Especially when they are primarily looking at whether or not you could afford a price hike. It bans electronic shelf labels in large stores where they can automatically change the price. If there’s a heat wave they might want to price gouge and increase the cost of water. Or maybe they know this is a product you have to buy, you buy it every single time, and they’re increasing the cost because they know you got a raise at work. Again, a lot of this is personal data and personal information that should not be used in deciding what the price is. Everyone should be charged the same no matter their background, the color of their skin, their income, their ethnicity, where they shop, things of that nature. And so, we’re trying to prohibit this.

QK: Companies use so much data now to have an algorithm to send offers or other things that they target to customers. In your view, how can the government enforce or ensure that they’re not using that data to charge different prices for different people?

RT: Right now there’s no enforcement arm. So the bill establishes an enforcement arm within the Federal Trade Commission to hold corporations accountable. Our neighbors are struggling. Many, many have seen up to a 28% increase in the price of groceries. These corporate grocery chains are feeding customer data into algorithms and using big tech to decide whether or not they’re going to charge us more. This bill makes that illegal. And it pushes the Federal Trade Commission to prevent price hikes based on what I believe are discriminatory practices and violating people’s privacy. Companies should not be allowed to use any of this information, including electronic labeling or personal information, to charge you higher prices.

QK: Companies will argue that they’re doing this because it’s what customers want. If you’ve always bought a certain kind of bread, for example, they’re going to send you all these bread offers. Are you able to do something that would stop price gouging while still allowing them to continue sending you the offers they think you’re going to want?

RT: Do you not believe these big corporations want you in the stores? They just want to be able to squeeze more money out of you. They send you the coupons because they know these are the items you buy. But they’re going to use electronic labeling and examine what apps you are on and use facial recognition to increase costs on you. Much of it’s going to be done without your knowledge. It’s about how far they can go in charging you and knowing that you can afford it because they looked up and created a profile that says this is how much they make. Or this is an item they need, because maybe this is a personal hygiene item they’re required to use. Whatever it is, no one’s gender, color of their skin, income or the location that they’re shopping at should be used in fixing the price.

This all started when the head of Pepsi was interviewed when prices went up during the pandemic. The cost of groceries just skyrocketed. After that people thought it would stabilize and the prices would go down. But in his comments, he said, “Well, no, we’re not going to decrease prices. The people are already getting used to it.” For many of my residents and families, that’s what they want us to push out against, this increased cost when it’s not needed. They want fair prices, not based on any of this personal information and data.

QK: If it’s not some kind of an antitrust situation, can Congress or the government actually have an effect on what prices companies set?

RT: Absolutely. We saw this with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. CFPB did this with the big banks, where we watched how they built their business plans based on junk fees. We saw how Delta Airlines was charging more for family units regarding seats. All of that to say you saw CFPB, which unfortunately is under attack by the Trump administration, go after student loan servicers, go after a number of these companies. They set up their business plan to be profit-driven without protecting consumers. Laws are in place for different kinds of price fixes and increases. But there’s no prohibiting using surveillance pricing to jack-up prices. That’s where our bill comes into effect, trying to give some sort of enforcement under the Federal Trade Commission to push back against those practices.

QK: Congress has battled repeatedly this year, in particular, about budgetary items and spending or cuts demanded by the Trump administration. In this kind of a climate, are you concerned whether your proposal can make it through that partisan maze?

RT: I think that there’s so many residents across the country that see price-fixing and gouging and increases on their families, no matter if they’re Republican or Democrat. They don’t see this as a partisan issue. And I’m hoping when they understand this is an invasion of privacy, that technology is being used in this way to hurt families, I really believe they’re going to reach out to their members of Congress and ask them to support something like my bill. To push back against stores that have already been under fire for increasing costs when there’s heat waves and when there’s desperation among the community that they’re in. I think there is going to be a big, very non-partisan way of approaching this issue that’s going to be seen outside of Congress and not based on party affiliation. It’s already a struggle for many of our families to get fresh food. The basic grocery store trip should not be something where they’re going to get scammed. That’s what we’re trying to prevent here.