Noel Night

Noel Night is Midtown Detroit's signature holiday event, held annually on the first Saturday in December. The free one-night celebration draws 50,000+ attendees who walk between 80+ participating venues across Midtown — the Detroit Institute of Arts, the Detroit Historical Museum, the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History, the Scarab Club, the Detroit Public Library Main Branch, MOCAD, and dozens of churches, galleries, and event spaces — all of which open their doors to the public free of charge and program holiday music, food, hot drinks, family activities, and seasonal art exhibits.

The Wayne State University Choirs, the Detroit Symphony Orchestra Civic Concerts, the Detroit Children's Choir, and dozens of community chorale and instrumental groups perform across the venues throughout the night, running from about 5 PM through 10 PM. The Detroit Symphony Orchestra hosts an open-air Civic Concert outside Orchestra Hall as one of the centerpiece events. Many participating venues feature special exhibits or guided tours that aren't usually available outside their regular hours.

Practical notes: there's no admission ticket — every venue is free during the event window. Parking is in the public structures throughout Midtown, the Wayne State University lots (free on weekends), and street parking on surrounding blocks. The QLINE streetcar runs extended hours during Noel Night, which is the easiest way to move between venues. Most attendees walk between venues; the central Midtown corridor of Cass, Woodward, and John R streets has the densest concentration of participating venues. Bring layers — temperatures are typically in the 30s and 40s.