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Michigan Travel · Dearborn

Dearborn Wanderlights 2026: Christmas tree lighting Nov. 19 at PEACE Park West, then Jingle Bell Bash Dec. 12

The Mitten Daily · October 31, 2026, 9:35 p.m. ET · Dearborn

Out-of-focus white holiday lights glow on a decorated tree at night.
Holiday lights in President’s Park in Washington on Nov. 30, 2020, in a file photo. It does not show Dearborn or PEACE Park West. Photo: The White House / Wikimedia Commons, public domain, cropped.

DEARBORN, Mich. — Dearborn will light its Christmas tree and open this year’s Dearborn Wanderlights displays on Thursday, Nov. 19, from 6 to 8 p.m. at PEACE Park West, 22271 W. Village Drive, the city announced.

The kickoff is free and family-friendly. The city lists live performances by Dearborn Combined Voices and other community groups, free treats while they last, glitter tattoos and Santa’s first appearance of the season, with family photos. (The city’s news release calls the singers Dearborn Voices.)

The centerpiece is the city’s 32-foot Christmas tree, decorated with thousands of LED lights and topped with a lighted star. After the ceremony, the tree will run a light show every hour on the hour, according to the release, which lists the window as 6 a.m. to 10 p.m.

The night also opens Wanderlights’ two-month run of interactive light exhibits in the park, which the city says will stay up through Sunday, Jan. 3, 2027. The city has not posted nightly viewing hours for the displays.

“PEACE Park West will serve as our Christmas destination where families can gather and make lasting memories,” Mayor Abdullah H. Hammoud said in the release. He said the energy-efficient lights “will turn the heart of our community into a magical wonderland all season long.”

Wanderlights is Dearborn’s newest holiday tradition, and this year the city is stretching it into a series of winter events in partnership with the city’s downtown development authorities, pitching it as a way to bring shoppers to local businesses. The next one is the Downtown Dearborn Jingle Bell Bash on Saturday, Dec. 12, from noon to 5 p.m., with live entertainment, activity stations, holiday characters and free warm drinks. The city asks families to register for it on the Wanderlights page.

Ford Community Relations is listed as a 2026 sponsor, and the city is still seeking sponsors. More details are at Dearborn.gov/Wanderlights or by calling 311.

Sources:
City of Dearborn, “Dearborn Wanderlights, Christmas tree lighting welcomes the holiday season at PEACE Park West” (Oct. 29, 2026), https://dearborn.gov/dearborn-wanderlights-christmas-tree-lighting-welcomes-holiday-season-peace-park-west
City of Dearborn, Dearborn Wanderlights & Christmas Tree Lighting event page (schedule, Jingle Bell Bash, sponsors), https://dearborn.gov/index.php/Explore/Events/wanderlights
Photo: 2020 Christmas Tree Lighting, The White House, Wikimedia Commons (public domain), https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:2020_Christmas_Tree_Lighting_(50679416086).jpg

Dearborn

Tags: Dearborn · Dearborn Wanderlights · Christmas tree lighting · PEACE Park West · Jingle Bell Bash · Holiday events

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