ROYAL OAK, Mich. (WXYZ) — Winter Blast is merging into Royal Oak Holidays to bring five consecutive weekends of free holiday fun to downtown Royal Oak this holiday season.
This comes with the standalone Winter Blast festival ending after last year, which included popular programming like zip line rides, carnival attractions, and ice sculptures. Organizers say that this year's Holiday events — now in its second year — will be "substantially upgraded," with themed weekends and multiple attractions.
“We’re taking everything people loved about Winter Blast and supercharging it for one amazing holiday season,” said festival producer Jon Witz. “By merging its favorite features into ‘Royal Oak Holidays’ and extending the event over multiple weekends, we’re creating a bigger, more accessible celebration that delivers more value, more festive fun, and more time for families to enjoy it all.”
The Royal Oak Holidays kick off at 4 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 21, with the Lighting of the Park and the season opening of the Rink at Royal Oak. That celebration will include live music, food trucks, carnival rides, marshmallow roasting and skating exhibitions. Organizers have also confirmed that Santa will be in attendance, arriving on a fire truck as part of the community countdown to the lighting at the Giant Oak Tree in Centennial Commons.
New attractions include a giant game of Hungry Hippos, a winter classic Cornhole Tournament and Grinch Weekend. Some fan-favorite activities are returning, including the Great Royal Oak Elf Hunt, Cookie Crawl and a toy drive benefiting the Bottomless Toy Chest.
Below is a timeline for the events happening on the weekends from Nov. 21 to Dec. 21. More information can be found at this link.
November 21–23, 2025: Opening Weekend & Tree Lighting
o Royal Oak Holidays kickoff with The Lighting of the Park in Centennial Commons
o Season opening of the Rink at Royal Oak
o Carnival rides
o Launch of The Great Royal Oak Elf Hunt
o Live music performances
o Visits with Santa
o Marshmallow roasting stations
November 28–30, 2025: Thrill Weekend
o Zip line rides
o Life-size Hungry Hippos game
o Enchanting carriage rides
o Visits with Santa
o Marshmallow roasting stations
December 5–7, 2025: Shop & Sweets Weekend
o Holiday Markets
o Holiday Cabin with live music
o Visits with Santa
o Santa appearances and photos
o Cookie Crawl through participating downtown shops
o Enchanting carriage rides
o Marshmallow roasting stations
December 12–14, 2025: Giving & Gliding Weekend
o Free Skating Weekend at the Rink at Royal Oak
o The Bottomless Toy Chest Toy Drive
o Royal Oak Police vs. Fire Broomball
o Holiday Markets
o Visits with Santa
o Santa appearances and photos
o Enchanting carriage rides
o Marshmallow roasting stations
December 19–21, 2025: Grinch & Games Weekend
o Whimsical Grinch Weekend
o Ice sculptures
o Winter Classic Cornhole Tournament
o Enchanting carriage rides
o Marshmallow roasting stations
