Celebrating the Holidays in Saugatuck

Wintry Beauty and Holiday Charm on the Shores of Lake Michigan

With autumn’s annual tapestry of fall foliage winding down and brisk, beautiful wintry days arriving, the holiday season inches ever closer, a time of year when Saugatuck takes on a festive and joyful ambiance. Saugatuck events add to the seasonal cheer, offering residents and visitors a variety of activities to celebrate the winter months. Although some businesses and eateries focus on the summer season and shut their doors during the slower winter months, plenty stay open year-round, with stores less crowded and restaurant reservations easier to snag during the quieter stretch of winter.

Special Saugatuck events fill the town calendar from Thanksgiving through New Year’s when our tight-knit community comes together to celebrate, socialize, and ring in the holidays on Lake Michigan's scenic and soon-to-be-snow-covered shoreline. When you stay at our Saugatuck bed and breakfast, you’ll be near all the festivities, full of holiday charm and good cheer.

A Community Coming Together for Christmas – Lighting the Town Tree, A Beloved Parade, Downtown Gift-Shopping, and Wearing Your Best Ugly Sweater for Charity

The holiday season officially gets underway with the annual Christmas Tree lighting the evening after Thanksgiving when a costumed Santa visits the gazebo at Wicks Park, and everyone gathers for hot chocolate, desserts, and the ceremonial switching-on of the tree’s glimmering lights. From that moment until New Year’s Eve, the holidays in Saugatuck come alive, starting the following weekend with the always-popular Christmas Parade on December 2nd, 2023. From our Michigan bed and breakfast, stroll along the Kalamazoo River towards downtown Saugatuck and Water St, where the day’s festivities kick off. Grab a delicious breakfast sandwich or scone and a winter-themed latte (try the pumpkin spice or maple sage) at Uncommon Coffee Roasters, a local favorite and convenient for picking up some freshly roasted beans as a holiday gift for your coffee-loving friends or family. Head a block down Water St to Wicks Park, where the parade starts at 11 am (note the earlier start time, as it used to begin at 1 pm), when local families and out-of-towners line the streets together and celebrate this small-town, endearing Christmas tradition of ours.

After the parade winds down, do some holiday shopping along Butler St, downtown Saugatuck's quaint and lovely central avenue. Be sure to stop in at the Christmas Shop at Tuck’s, where you’ll find the perfect gift from their assortment of ornaments, candles, jewelry, and unique nutcrackers. To shop for the art lovers in your family, check out the vibrant and inviting space at James Brandess Gallery. You’ll likely meet Brandess while you’re there, and he embodies the creative spirit of Michigan’s Art Coast and Saugatuck’s rich artistic heritage. Browse his selection of calendars, mugs, magnets, and coasters featuring Western Michigan nature themes (his Lake Michigan and Saugatuck colors of fall paintings are particularly magical), which make ideal stocking stuffers.

If you’re feeling extra celebratory, finish off the night by joining the raucous fun of the 4th annual Ugly Sweater Holiday Pub Crawl, which begins at 2 pm that same day (December 2nd, 2023). Wear your most outrageous holiday sweater and sign up at Wicks Park Bar and Grille around 2 pm, after which you’ll set off to five different nearby pubs. More than just drinking, you’ll visit with five elves at the five venues who’ll give you five tasks your group has to complete along the way, adding to the excitement. It all wraps up with raffles, prizes for the ugliest sweaters, and all-around good vibes, with all proceeds benefitting local youth groups.

Saugatuck Events: Live Holiday Music, Local Eats, Fennville Festivities, and Ringing in the New Year

The holidays wouldn’t be complete without the season's songs, and the Saugatuck Center for the Arts puts on its annual holiday music show, Our Holiday Wonderland, the next afternoon (December 3rd, 2023). Featuring the Lakeshore Community Chorus – a local non-profit singing group that performs at local senior centers, works with area high schoolers, and pillars of the Saugatuck community – take center stage to perform the premiere of “Our Winterland” alongside classics from the holiday canon. Before the 4 pm show, stroll down Culver St along the scenic banks of Lake Kalamazoo to the Butler, a local dining institution with waterfront views. The eatery is one of the oldest buildings in town – it dates back to 1892, was once a hotel, and is a living part of Saugatuck’s history – and their menu is classic, from pan-seared Walleye freshly caught from the Great Lakes to NY strip steak and nine types of burgers (with delicious preparations like horseradish peppercorn and truffle blue cheese).

It’s not just downtown Saugatuck that gets in on the holiday spirit, as the surrounding rural spread of wineries and apple orchards (Saugatuck has some of the best cider mills in Michigan) host unique events during December. Take a scenic 15-minute drive to Fenn Valley Vineyards for their free Sip and Shop Craft Market from 11 am-5 pm on December 10th, 2023, featuring over 20 local vendors and Fenn’s top-notch assortment of wines, available for tasting and 5% off on cases of their award-winning bottles. After sipping and shopping, drive two miles to Crane’s Orchard for their annual Drive-Thru Holiday Light Show, which takes place on Wed-Sun evenings from late November through late December. Although their u-pick season is all wrapped up (if you visit during the summer or fall, their cherry, peach, apple, and pumpkin-picking are all fantastic), you’ll get to see their 200-acre orchard’s wintry landscape from the warmth of your car, aglow with thousands of holiday lights.

If you visit over New Year’s, plan to join the special New Year’s Eve dinner at Pennyroyal Provisions, one of our favorite farm-to-table Saugatuck restaurants. Reserve a spot for the 5 pm or 8:30 pm seating, showcasing the best of what the Saugatuck dining scene offers, their ingredients grown at nearby farms, and complimentary champagne to mark the occasion. After your meal to remember, party into the new year at Coral Gables, located on the Douglas side of Kalamazoo Lake. Their perch overlooking the river is the perfect spot to have more drinks, enjoy live music, and watch the fireworks lighting the night sky over the water at midnight.

Stay with us over the holidays when Saugatuck events make the season extra festive, fun, and cheerful!