At 9 a.m. on Saturday, November 28, parade entries will line up at Woodland and Michigan streets. The Downtown Petoskey Holiday Parade steps off an hour later. Last year it was December 13, on Lake and Mitchell streets. This year it falls two days after Thanksgiving, and the route has been cut in half.
The new date changes more than one Saturday. It moves the whole downtown season. In 2025, Santa lit the Pennsylvania Park tree at the Holiday Open House on December 5, and the parade came eight days later. In 2026 the parade goes first. Once it's over, every downtown holiday event on the calendar falls on a Friday, one a week, running into the week before Christmas.
Why the parade got shorter
Downtown Petoskey explained the change on its 2026 parade entry application:
"Due to valuable feedback, we are thrilled to announce our Downtown Parade is returning to the Thanksgiving Weekend. In addition, we have decided to shorten the route from 8 blocks down to 4 blocks. Based on past year's winter temperatures, we plan on beginning the parade within the Downtown District. Stay tuned for an updated route."
Thanksgiving weekend used to be the parade's home, and the December date turned out to be the experiment. The reason for the shorter route is just as practical. Four blocks in late November is an easier walk than eight blocks in mid-December, both for marchers and for families standing on the curb.
The planning committee saw another benefit. In the Downtown Petoskey Marketing and Promotions Committee's October 14, 2026 meeting notes, included in the Downtown Management Board's October 20 packet, members wrote that a shorter route "could have more walking entries." A short loop is easier for a scout troop, a church group or a group of coworkers on foot than a long one is.
What fills the four blocks
This year's theme is "Ring in the Holiday Season." The committee's notes put that theme into specifics:
- Complimentary bells handed to walking entries
- A request to the Presbyterian Church to ring its bells at the start of the parade
- A Clydesdale wagon booked from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., at a cost of $1,800, in the parade and then giving rides from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
- No other activities in the park after the parade besides the wagon rides
That last point sets the morning's shape. The parade runs 10 to 11 a.m. at Pennsylvania Park, according to the official event page, and the wagon rides are the only thing planned in the park once it ends. From there, the day moves into downtown's shops and restaurants on the Saturday after Thanksgiving.
Several local businesses are paying for the morning. Meyer Ace Hardware is the Silver Bell sponsor. Fletch's and Fry Integrative Orthodontics are Sleigh Bell sponsors, and Grandpa Shorter's sponsors Santa. In 2025 the parade's sponsors were Perry Hotel, Bearcub Outfitters and Grain Train. The tradition hasn't changed in one way. The Visitors Bureau's listing for last year featured the Petoskey High School Marching Band, Santa, local nonprofits, floats and walking groups, and the 2026 page still features the band.
To put a group in the parade, use the 2026 entry application linked from the parade page. Questions go to the Downtown Office at 409A E. Lake Street, 231.387.7337.
The Friday that comes first
Ladies Opening Night, a week from Friday, is one week ahead of the parade. On November 20 from 4 to 8 p.m., participating downtown shops will offer promotions, games and prizes, food, and a Downtown Dollars contest. The committee's advertising plan for it covers print, social media, online, email newsletters, billboard and radio.
Thanksgiving week is busy outside the official calendar too. Fresh Cut Design has listed a "Boogie Down Old Town: Small Business Weekend" at 103 E. Sheridan Street, running from 9 a.m. Friday, November 27, to 7 p.m. Saturday, November 28. It isn't a Downtown Petoskey event. But on the calendar it sits right next to the parade.
Four Fridays and one Saturday
| Date | Event | Time | What anchors it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fri., Nov. 20 | Ladies Opening Night | 4 to 8 p.m. | Shop promotions, Downtown Dollars contest |
| Sat., Nov. 28 | Downtown Petoskey Holiday Parade | 10 to 11 a.m. | Marching band, Santa, Clydesdale wagon rides until 1 p.m. |
| Fri., Dec. 4 | Holiday Open House | 6 to 9 p.m. | Tree lighting, Steel Drum Band, Laura Crowe |
| Fri., Dec. 11 | Date Night | Starts at 3 p.m. | Shopping and dining downtown |
| Fri., Dec. 18 | Home for the Holidays | Evening | Family shop night |
The committee also decided to print a single poster listing every "Holiday Happening" from the parade through December, rather than separate posters for each event. The parade sits at the top of that poster, which is where the new date puts it.
The Open House keeps its job
The Holiday Open House on Friday, December 4, from 6 to 9 p.m., is the event the earlier parade changes most. It no longer opens the season, but it still has the tree. According to the City of Petoskey, Santa arrives at 6 p.m. to light the tree in Pennsylvania Park. Streets close to traffic, merchants stay open, and the Petoskey High School Steel Drum Band performs. The 2026 event page names Laura Crowe as a returning performer, and the steel drum band is making its annual appearance. The committee notes say Crowe brings her own equipment, and members discussed putting her on the stage or in the gazebo.
This will be the second lighting for the tree in Pennsylvania Park. The Petoskey News-Review reported that the city put in a new evergreen last year after the previous one was in ill health and had to be removed. Santa led its first lighting at the snowy 2025 Open House on December 5. Last year Santa lit the tree and paraded a week later. This year he'll have paraded first and come back to light the tree six days later.
The December Fridays after that
Date Night on December 11 is new in its approach. The committee calls it "a grassroots business event that will begin at 3pm to encourage couples to come downtown to shop and dine." The Downtown Office will make a graphic, and any promotions businesses offer will be shared on social media. The committee looked at a progressive small-plates dinner and decided against it for now. It plans to explore a "Taste of the Town" idea later, possibly for Winter Wonderland Weekend.
Home for the Holidays on December 18 is planned as a family shop night. Ideas on the committee's list include an ugly sweater contest or fashion show, a photo competition with a professional family photo as the prize, a photo booth, and a window decorating contest decided by public vote. The window contest gives people a reason to walk the downtown blocks in the weeks before December 18. The other ideas give a family a reason to come down together on that Friday night.
The Downtown Management Board is a nine-member board that oversees downtown special events, marketing, beautification, maintenance and economic development, with administrative support from the City. Its marketing committee set its next meeting for November 11. So check the parade page before November 28 for the final four-block route.
At Pat O'Brien & Associates, we'll be downtown for these Fridays and for the bells on Thanksgiving Saturday too. If your group is entering the parade, or you'd like to talk over what's happening in Petoskey this winter, contact us. We're always glad to hear from neighbors.
