Downtown Birmingham's 2026 holiday season starts Saturday, Nov. 28, and ends Thursday, Dec. 24. Almost all of it happens in one place, Shain Park at Henrietta and Martin streets, and Santa House sets the schedule. On most days the horse-drawn carriages run while Santa is in. The free morning treats at Maple and Old Woodward fall on the Saturdays of those same weekends. The Winter Markt fills the one weekend in the middle.
Planning the month starts with Santa House hours for a given day. On some days the morning runs on appointments and the afternoon is walk-up, and two Saturdays stay open into the evening.
The Season on One Page
The table below combines the Birmingham Shopping District's separate listings for Santa House, the horse-drawn carriage rides, and the weekend extras. Santa House and the carriage rides are both free, and the carriages leave from and return to Shain Park.
| Date | Santa House | Carriage rides | Also on the schedule |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sat., Nov. 28 | Noon to 4 p.m. | 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. | Santa Walk, Hazel's hot chocolate, free all-day garage parking |
| Sun., Nov. 29 | 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., appointments 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. | 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. | |
| Fri., Dec. 4 | 6:45 to 8 p.m. | Winter Markt opens 4 p.m., tree lighting 6 p.m. | |
| Sat., Dec. 5 | 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. | 3 to 7 p.m. | Winter Markt, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. |
| Sun., Dec. 6 | 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. | 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. | Winter Markt, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. |
| Sat., Dec. 12 | 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., appointments 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. | 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. | Free cinnamon-roasted almonds, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. |
| Sun., Dec. 13 | 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., appointments 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. | 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. | |
| Sat., Dec. 19 | 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., appointments 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. | 3 to 7 p.m. | Free churros and hot chocolate, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. |
| Sun., Dec. 20 | 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., appointments 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. | 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. | |
| Thu., Dec. 24 | 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. | 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. |
There are ten Santa House days. Five of them need a reservation in the morning. Seven run the carriages from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., and on Dec. 5 and Dec. 19 the rides move to 3 to 7 p.m., the only two days that go past dark.
The dates also moved this year. The Oakland Press holiday guide from November 2025 listed last year's Santa Walk on Nov. 29 and the Winter Markt on Dec. 5 to 7. Both run one calendar day earlier in 2026, so a date remembered from last year is off by one.
Mornings Run on a Sign-Up Sheet
Santa House is first-come, first-served except during the listed appointment times. Appointment registration opened Nov. 1 at 8 a.m. through the sign-up link on the Shopping District's Santa House page.
Each appointment day follows the same pattern:
- 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Appointments only. This applies on Sunday, Nov. 29, and on both days of the Dec. 12 to 13 and Dec. 19 to 20 weekends.
- 1 p.m. to close. Walk-up visits resume until 4 p.m., or until 7 p.m. on Dec. 19.
- Carriage rides start at 11 a.m. on four of the five appointment days, so a family with a 10:30 appointment can walk to the carriage stop in the same park. On Dec. 19 the rides run 3 to 7 p.m. instead.
The walk-up days are spread through the season: Saturday, Nov. 28 from noon, all of Markt weekend, and Christmas Eve. On Dec. 24, Santa House is open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. with no appointment block, and the carriages run 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. It is the only weekday on the schedule besides the Markt's opening Friday.
Nov. 28 Is the One Saturday With Free All-Day Parking
Downtown parking rules set up Small Business Saturday. The Shopping District's parking page says the first two hours are free in the municipal structures Monday through Saturday, and parking is free all day Sunday in the structures and at meters. That means the Sunday dates on the calendar already come with free parking.
Nov. 28 extends that to a Saturday. For Small Business Saturday, parking is free all day in all five municipal garages. The day also includes complimentary Hazel's hot chocolate at Maple and Old Woodward from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., carriage rides from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., and Santa from noon to 4 p.m.
The day begins earlier with the free Birmingham Santa Walk from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. The route goes through downtown and ends at Santa House in Shain Park, and registration is required. On Nov. 28 you could walk with Santa in the morning, get hot chocolate at the corner, and stay for the carriages without the usual two-hour garage limit. No other day this season combines those four things.
Dec. 4 to 6: Winter Markt Weekend
The Birmingham Winter Markt takes up the first full weekend of December in and around Shain Park. The Shopping District lists booths from local artists and vendors, European food, thousands of holiday lights, ice sculptures, live entertainment, marshmallow roasting, the free carriage rides, a Kinderhaus children's activity area, and warming stations. The event runs rain, snow or shine.
Opening night is Friday, Dec. 4. The Markt opens at 4 p.m., and the Birmingham Holiday Tree Lighting is at 6 p.m. with Santa and live caroling. The tree is 41 feet tall and lit with more than 40,000 LEDs. Santa House opens right after the ceremony, from 6:45 to 8 p.m.
The rest of the weekend has a long day and a short one:
- Saturday, Dec. 5: Markt 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., Santa House 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., carriage rides 3 to 7 p.m.
- Sunday, Dec. 6: Markt 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Santa House 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., carriage rides 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Santa House takes no appointments this weekend, so every visit is walk-up. On Sunday, the free all-day parking in the structures and at meters applies to the whole Markt day.
Dec. 19 Runs Into the Evening
The schedule has a second long Saturday two weeks after the Markt, and it is easy to overlook. On Dec. 19, Santa House stays open until 7 p.m. and the carriages switch to their evening hours, 3 to 7 p.m. Apart from Dec. 5, it is the only day the rides run after dark.
The morning starts with free churros and hot chocolate at Maple and North Old Woodward from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The Saturday before, Dec. 12, the same corner has free cinnamon-roasted almonds during the same hours. With Hazel's hot chocolate on Nov. 28, the Maple and Old Woodward corner has a free treat on three Saturdays, always 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Unlike Markt Saturday, Dec. 19 has an appointment block from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. The afternoon and evening are walk-up, ending at 7. That gives you a lit park, Santa and a carriage ride after dark without the Markt booths.
Two New Storefronts on the Holiday Route
Two downtown retail spaces were taken by new tenants this fall. Crain's Detroit Business reported on Nov. 2 that several national and specialty retailers had recently opened or were getting ready to open in downtown Birmingham this fall. Its headline named J.Jill and Greyson Clothiers.
Greyson Clothiers, 205 N. Old Woodward Ave. Downtown Publications reported that the performance golf, lifestyle and activewear brand planned an October opening in the former longtime home of Cristions Fine Linens & Downs. The Birmingham store is Greyson's 12th location and its fourth in Michigan, after Harbor Springs, Grand Rapids and the Detroit flagship on Woodward Avenue in the Wright & Kay building. Charlie Schaefer, a Bloomfield native, founded the brand in 2015 after 13 years designing at Ralph Lauren.
J.Jill, 284 W. Maple Road. The women's apparel retailer is listed by the Birmingham Shopping District at that address. Downtown Publications reported in late September that construction was underway in the former Moosejaw space with a target of this fall.
Both addresses are on the streets that meet at the free-treat corner. The J.Jill space is on West Maple, and the Greyson space is on North Old Woodward.
If the holidays have you thinking about a home within walking distance of Shain Park, or about selling one, Rob Haber knows which downtown Birmingham blocks put you a short walk from the park and how that location is valued in a sale. Let's connect.
