'Tis The Season To Be Jolly: Your Guide To 2025 Holiday Kickoff Celebrations In Leelanau County

Thanksgiving is in the rearview, which means a few things – namely, snow, Christmas music everywhere, and this weekend’s holiday kickoff celebrations in Leelanau County. The Leelanau Ticker has your guide to those festivities, from Glen Arbor to Northport to Suttons Bay.

Glen Arbor

Glen Arbor tends to pull out all the stops for its holiday season kickoff celebrations, and this year is no exception. As usual, the Glen Lake Chamber of Commerce is hosting its day-after-Thanksgiving pajama party in the Glen Arbor business district. Select businesses will open their doors early – as in, 6:00 or 7:00am – to offer morning sales and specials – and shoppers are encouraged to wear their PJs during that 6-9am period. A list of participating establishments and their Black Friday hours can be found here.

Pajama party shoppers can then roll right into Glen Arbor’s annual bed parade, wherein participants “roll their festively decorated beds on wheels down Western Avenue,” from the Pine Cone down to Art’s Tavern. No registration is required for those interested in bringing their own beds to be part of the parade. The event starts at 9am.

Friday fun will culminate at the Glen Arbor Town Hall, where locals are invited to gather at 6:15pm for a tree lighting ceremony and community caroling led by Glen Lake Church. Immediately after, the Glen Arbor Holiday Artisan Market will kick off inside the Town Hall, running from 6:30-8pm. The market, which features a selection of arts, crafts, and gifts from more than 25 vendors, will also be open from 10am-3pm on Saturday.

Also on Saturday, families will have a chance to meet Santa and Mrs. Claus at the M22 Wine Patio from 11am-1pm.

Finally, Crystal River Outfitters Recreational District is bringing back its Strolling Lights Festival, the annual tradition that invites families, groups, or individuals to decorate holiday trees and support a charitable cause. The cost to sponsor a tree is $150, with proceeds going toward the Empire Area Food Pantry. Participants can start decorating their trees today, which will then remain on display through the New Year.

Northport/Omena

The Northport Tree Lighting Committee has a jam-packed day of holiday-themed programming planned for Saturday, spanning more than 20 activities. Highlights include a Santa and Mrs. Claus brunch fundraiser at Northport Public School (10am-noon), a soup cookoff at Faro (1-3pm), horse-drawn carriage rides at the Northport tree (3:30-6:30pm), and a holiday arts and crafts fair spanning three venues – the Northport Arts Association, Willowbrook Mill, and Skye House – from 11-8pm. A full list of activities (and registration details, if applicable) can be found here.

The pièce de resistance for Northport’s weekend holiday festivities is the lighting of the tree, which starts with a blessing of the season at 5:45pm, leading into Santa’s arrival 10 minutes later. After the tree lighting, activities continue into the evening hours, including all-ages rock climbing at the school and a live DJ at Fingers Crossed.

Beyond the traditional tree lighting activities, other options in Northport this weekend include a “parade of trees” exhibit at the Grand Traverse Lighthouse Museum and the annual Village Voices/Northport Community Band holiday concert at Northport Performing Arts Center, scheduled for 2pm Sunday.

Suttons Bay/Lake Leelanau

Saturday is also “Holiday in the Village,” the annual holiday kickoff hosted by the Suttons Bay Chamber of Commerce. All-day activities include discounts and sales at participating retailers, photos in front of the vintage fire truck, and a “vote for the best decorated Christmas tree” contest. Saturday is also the key day for Suttons Bay’s annual “letters to Santa” tradition, where parents and their kids can fill out premade “Dear Santa” letters, drop them off at the big red “Santa’s Mailbox” at Bahle’s, and get letters mailed back from Santa on his official stationary; more details here.

Other activities include a centerpiece-making workshop hosted by Forget-Me-Not Florist at 1pm (pre-registration is required) and a free screening of The Polar Express at The Bay Theatre at 2pm. Then, at 5pm, Santa Claus will make his traditional arrival via fire truck to light up the village Christmas tree. Santa will be available for visiting and photo ops at The Bay after the tree lighting.

While Lake Leelanau has no official townwide celebration, a few businesses are planning their own Black Friday weekend celebrations this year, including Locals Lake Leelanau, Two Fish Gallery, and Fiddleheads.

Leland

Though historically a Black Friday event, Light Up Leland – the Leland Chamber of Commerce’s holiday season kickoff event – got moved to the Wednesday before Thanksgiving this year. However, Black Friday sales are still happening at participating Leland retailers starting at 9am this morning, and will continue into Small Business Saturday tomorrow.

The Old Art Building (OAB) also kicked off its “Season of Lights” on Wednesday. This year’s light display has a “12 days of Leland” theme, where each tree was decorated by a different local business or organization. The OAB’s other holiday programming will come in the next few weeks, including a holiday market on December 5-6 and Andrew Dost’s sold-out variety show on December 13.

Cedar

Typically hosted by the Cedar Chamber of Commerce (the parent organization of the Cedar Polka Fest) and scheduled for Black Friday, the Light Up Cedar holiday kickoff will look a bit different this year. In its place, The Folded Leaf and artist Dana Fear are leading the way on an event called “Light It Up, Cedar,” slated for 4-8:30pm next Wednesday, December 3.

“Join us for a festive evening of live music and a tree lighting at The Cedar Station, food and drink at The Cedar Tavern, cozy coffee at Cedar River Coffee Co., and so much more,” event materials read. Shoppers can collect stamps from each participating business, and those who visit all Cedar businesses over the course of the evening will be entered into a raffle “to win a Cedar Area business basket.” The tree lighting will occur at 6pm in the courtyard outside The Folded Leaf.

Empire

Empire locals will have three holiday markets to choose from tomorrow (Saturday), all open from 10am-4pm. The Empire Artisan Marketplace will be at the Empire Town Hall and will include some 20 artisan vendors. A quarter-mile away, the Cottonwood Inn Artisan Holiday Marketplace will feature a Christmas boutique, a hot cocoa bar, and photos with Santa. Finally, a vintage jewelry and used book sale will be taking place at the Glen Lake Community Library.