Michigan Travel · Traverse City
Grand Traverse Mall holiday season in Traverse City: Festival of Trees Nov. 6-8, Santa photos from Nov. 27, and four craft shows
TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. — The Grand Traverse Mall has posted its holiday calendar, starting with a Festival of Trees the first weekend of November and ending with Santa photos on Christmas Eve.
Festival of Trees, Nov. 6-8. Decorated trees go on display in the mall the first full weekend of November, according to its events page.
Black Friday craft show, Nov. 27-29. A craft and vendor show runs Thanksgiving weekend, aimed at shoppers who would rather buy handmade than big-box.
Santa photos, Nov. 27-Dec. 24. Santa arrives Black Friday, and photo sessions continue through Christmas Eve. The mall’s page lists hours and any reservation options; weekends closest to Christmas are usually the busiest.
December craft shows. Additional craft and vendor shows are scheduled Dec. 4-6, Dec. 11-13 and Dec. 18-20.
Where. The mall is at 3200 S. Airport Road West, at the corner of South Airport Road and U.S. 31. Hours change during the holidays; check the mall’s website before going.
Sources:
Grand Traverse Mall, events (Festival of Trees Nov. 6–8; craft shows Nov. 27–29, Dec. 4–6, Dec. 11–13, Dec. 18–20; Santa photos Nov. 27–Dec. 24), https://www.grandtraversemall.com/events
Photo: Crispus MSP, “Grand Traverse Mall - Concourse 02.jpg,” Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0, cropped and color-adjusted, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Grand_Traverse_Mall_-_Concourse_02.jpg
More from Traverse City
News · October 20, 2026
Traverse City’s Cherry Capital Airport board votes Oct. 27 on a $750,000 grant aimed at nonstop flights to Los Angeles or San Francisco
The federal money would guarantee an airline’s revenue on a seasonal West Coast route. United has written a letter of support, but no deal is signed. Meanwhile, steel is rising on the $120 million Concourse B.
News · October 20, 2026
Traverse City’s Northwestern Michigan College gets $630,876 in state money for maritime training, new engines for its research vessel
The college says the money will replace the 57-year-old engines on the 56-foot R/V Northwestern and let it own multibeam sonar for seabed mapping for the first time.
Sports · October 20, 2026
Traverse City’s Iceman Cometh Challenge is Nov. 7: about 30 miles from Kalkaska to Timber Ridge, with registration full
About 5,000 riders are expected on dirt roads, two-tracks and the Vasa trail. The race crosses one paved road, Williamsburg Road, near mile 17, a popular spot for spectators.
Michigan Travel · October 20, 2026
Traverse City’s Boardman Lake Loop Trail: a guide to the 4-mile walk around the lake, where to park and what’s along the way
The loop has been complete since July 2022. It mixes pavement, boardwalk and gravel, is fully accessible, and passes the library, two parks and the NMC University Center.