Noel night in the D is usually a good and fun night. We haven't been back since the last one we went to there was some teens shooting at each other by the DIA. We all had to evacuate and there was a ton of D cops ok the scene. It was chaotic and everyone was running to distance themselves from the crowds. It was a rather jarring and chaotic scene. Made worse in the dark and cover of night. We mostly try to stick to events during the day in the D as much as possible. read more

I'm a sucker for Christmas and holiday time. To me it truly is the most wonderful time of the year. Santa and his elves, baking cookies, churches all decked out in gorgeous displays, family, friends, HOT CHOCOLATE. Yes, my friends, the holidays can get it. So I was a fan of Noel Night before ever attending because I'm just a fan of anything seasonal in that way. But I have to say, it's a truly delightful night in downtown Detroit. It's amazing seeing so many people walking about downtown (in an area that isn't near Comerica Park or Ford Field, no less!) in the holiday spirit. The DIA all lit up, the Detroit Public Library filled with people, Woodward blocked off with throngs of people enjoying roasted almonds and hot chocolate. Oh, I love it! This year I was lucky enough to catch a puppet show, enjoyed some tasty cider and doughnuts, listened to some tunes and watched some kiddos bust a move to a DJ at the DPL, walked around the DIA and looked at all the art, caught some live music and carolers, met Santa and listened to fab music at the Scarab Club, and caught soul legends Pat Lewis and Melvin Davis at the Charles H. Wright museum. And I barely scratched the surface! And even more amazing? It was all FREE! Yes! If you're on a budget this is the perfect place to meet friends, take the fam or the significant other for a lovely night out. My only complaint? There's just not enough time! So many wonderful things going on but not enough time to get to everything. I didn't even make it to the south end of Midtown to visit all the awesome events happening down there, and there were so many other places near where I was that I wanted to visit--the Science Center, Ferry Street Inn, all the stuff at WSU and CCS, the Detroit Artist's Market, etc etc! I spoke to so many people who wish Noel Night was more of a Noel Day--starting earlier so we can all be sure to visit these amazing spaces downtown! I would also love to see more police presence directing traffic as that was the worst part, driving around and finding parking amidst all the traffic and street closures. But after 39 years they're clearly doing something right after getting so many folks out celebrating and enjoying the holidays together. I love it so much! read more

Noel Night - Local Flavor Near Me

Can I just say that I love any event in Detroit that gets suburbanites downtown Seriously, Noel Night is one of the best events for doing just that. First, who doesn't love to celebrate the holidays? Second, all of the museums are open late and they are free. But these past few years its gone beyond even that. It's a great time to check out all of the new shops opening in Midtown. It's music and street performances and carriage rides and each year is bigger and better than the previous one! Every year I check the web site and decide ahead of time the places I want to check out. This year we stopped by Motor City Brewing Works and stood by the warm fire and I tried my first Wassail...delicious. I never get to half the places I want to because each stop is even more fun than I thought it would be and ends up taking longer than I thought it would. And I can't forget the perfect ending to the evening....the Christmas carol sing along with the Salvation Army. Just beautiful. Next year I vote for a Noel Weekend! read more

Noel Night is a great way to kick off the holiday season. Held from 5-9 pm the first Saturday of December, this is a must-do event for anyone who loves Detroit or Christmas or Hanukkah or Kwanzaa or shopping or the DIA or caroling or books or anything cultural. For one wonderful, twinkling, goodwill-filled night, all of the institutions and boutiques and restaurants in Cultural Center are open and filled with cheery, if chilly, metro-Detroiters. We always start at the DIA, then make our way South and East along Woodward and John R. The Scorpion Club is open to the public on Noel Night, so we're sure to make a stop there to see the amazing, locally-produced art. The night ends with all gathering between the DIA and the library to sing carols. It's magical and a perfect way to ring in the holiday season. read more

Noel Night-2016....Was it a Fantastic evening in Midtown?! You better know it! It was great to check out the new shops, take in the music and a horse-drawn Carriage ride. My teenager and I saw the Abdominal Snowman too, on wheels! There was literally something there for all ages! My favorite institutions were the DIA, Detroit and Motown Historical Museums. His were the Historic WSU Alumni Hall {which had hidden rooms behind walls / doorways that led to other mysterious places in the house - the HIGHLIGHT of his evening} and the Michigan Science Center... We tasted some of the Best Midtown foods like; Flavored Bowls, Polish Sausage and Gus Worlds Famous Chicken....Sipped on some keep our hands warm - Mint-Hot Chocolates from Fourteen East. Very Tasty, were his exact Words! Wish I could have made it to the Mini Donuts...line was so long. Overall a Great time in the Cultural District...Along with special performances, Christmas Carolers, Smiles and Host of other fun Festivities! read more

Noel Night - Historic WSU Alumni Hall..... - Local Flavor Near Me

Fantastic evening in Midtown Detroit! My first Noel Night, and I had such a great time. Even though it was pretty brisk out, evidenced by my pink ears and cold cheeks, I was just in so much awe over the lights and the activity going on. Having never seen so many people congregate in a specific area in Detroit, I was elated to see the turnout, and moreover, the different organizations that were participating in it. DIA and Sister Pie were my favorites, and it was cool walking up to the third floor bar in The Whitney. There was red lighting projected onto the building giving it that holiday look, and swarms of people were dining and enjoying themselves. Detroit Artists' Market was hopping, and the collection and space was awesome. For a creative person like me, it's just so inspiring to see what improvements the city is striving to accomplish, and slowly, they are getting there. Future goals of Noel Night is to extend further into Downtown, and that should be a great addition. Noel Night is great for everybody. If you want to see carolers, you'll find it here. Yummy hot cocoa and delectable delights? No problem. Inspiring light shows and Science Center experiments? Check. Bring your family and holiday spirit! I'll be back next year. :) read more

Noel Night completely takes the decaying urban ruin-porn image certain media outlets like to blast across the world and turns the concept on its head. I challenge any one of those reporters or photojournalists to stand in front of the DIA or on the decorated lawn of CSS, and tell me this city is wasting away. This seasonal festival and shopping extravaganza celebrates the coming of Christmas in a wide swathe through Midtown anchored on Wayne State University. Someone brilliantly coupled the idea of outdoor Christmas concerts with the largest student art sale in the region, then decided to add a stream of sidewalk sales, restaurant sampling, and Christmas light displays for salt. The heavyweights in the cultural district open their doors for free on this night, bringing in residents far and wide to explore and experience just what makes the Motor City great. People from all walks of life and background descend upon Woodward, and stretch out down the side streets. The two years I attended have seen considerable expansion towards downtown, a welcome advance considering how many great venues could stand to get in on the action, especially if we could see more shuttles to and from Campus Martius. But Noel Night shuts down the main thoroughfare through town for people to wander between the art exhibits, serenaded by rock bands, Christmas carollers, indie duos, and fiddlers or balalaika players, whatever you can imagine. This year I saw a group playing inside a mobile egg towed from place to place. The full line-up of participating shops, landmarks, and musicians is enormous. Everyone from the DSO to mom-and-pop joints get involve. Entire buildings open up to host cultural events like puppet theatre or an African Christmas feast on their roof, in their basement, in the lobby. What a great way to promote communities and open real estate! Hopefully it encourages businesses to occupy some of the vacant, rehabilitated building in the area. The beau and I missed out last year on getting an open air carriage ride provided for a spin around the block. This year we showed up early, put our names on the list, and bought ourselves some apple cider and baked cookies that disappeared far too fast. Taking a one horse open carriage in the company of several 20-somethings, one little girl, and Grandma was stellar. The route is far too short for my liking, but naturally demand dictates how far you can go out. For $7, it really isn't long enough, but seeing the sidestreets in a carriage is definitely worth it. Whip through the Michigan Science Centre and any one of the museums, library or art gallery to really see the endowments and love for culture that Michigan supports. Getting down to the DSO or the Opera can be a lovely experience with everyone dressed up to the nines and ready to take in the sights. I am always amazed at the depth and awesome exhibits in the Science Centre, and its reopening was widely publicized. This year had an incredibly well-done ballet performance the kids just gobbled up. CONS: Eating in advance is a smart idea to avoid fatigue or long lineups at the full restaurants. Food trucks, especially behind the Scarab Club, vastly improved wait times over last year. I love the taco trucks, but sometimes you need more. Parking here is a pain in the butt. Public transit options desperately need to be improved. Park far out, expect to walk, and dress accordingly. read more

AWESOME!! Loved the Christmas Spirit. I loved the Old Main I think they called, they had tons of local artists, retailers, selling earrings and necklaces, cute magnets, they run about $10 each, I bought for everyone. The local marching bands were off the hook. There was a man putting fire in his mouth. Bells were ringing. Detroit Historical Museum gave away free prints on card paper, it was GREAT! Reminded me of Greenfield Village - you can walk in everywhere and there was something going on... Better than Greenfield Village since it was FREE and not as crowded, and things were CHEAP, and AUTHENTIC. GO DETROIT!! Coming back next year for sure!! It is a Detroit must. read more

Even a Grinch couldn't be sad at Noel Night. It is a great night to wear comfy walking shoes and explore the wonders of Detroit. I've been 2 years straight and love the choirs, open cultural centers, and food trucks this year. It is crowded and definitely worth coming early. I am still waiting to try the horse and carriage ride. I kept my review short since other Yelpers have covered most of my sentiments. I'm looking forward to next year and the merriment that Noel Night brings! read more

OKay, if you haven't been to noel night, you have to be some kind of bah humbug type of folks. All the cultural events are open, DIA, Detroit Historical Museum, Main Branch Library and others. Everything is free. There is lots of parking up and down woodward and in the DIA parking garage on warren (east of woodward). They close woodward down between Ferry and Warren. They had fire jugglers (which my kids loved), food vendors, Ice sculpting and lots of things for the kids to do. All in all, lots of fun. We will be back next year. read more

WSU Presents: A Very Hipster Christmas! But seriously, Noel night is a blast. It was a nice opportunity to peruse all the little boutiques throughout midtown and get some Christmas shopping done. Most of them were open until 10pm, and some of them stayed open after that due to the sheer volume of people. I didn't get to see any of the musical acts this year, but I assume they were as Christmasy as usual. Of you didn't get a chance to go this year, go next year. You don't have to pay for anything except parking. Grab some friends and family and have a good time. read more

This was a really fun, family friendly event. I love how it get's a lot of people wandering around mid-town. It kind of gives you a peek at what this city could be. If nothing else, it gave us a good reason to head downtown. We just wished we didn't have another commitment later that cut our night short. read more

Noel Night is an annual arts and entertainments-type event in the heart of Detroit. Food, music, and art come together in such a way as to make the too frequently empty streets of Detroit teem with people. Really. It was almost surreal being downtown on a cold, December night and seeing hoards of people on every single street. People walked in every direction moving in heavily clothed bundles for warmth. But people! Lots of them! In Detroit! It was pretty cool. So why were they there? They were there for Noel Night, which is basically a special night when all of the Detroit art museums and galleries (and even some churches, though I'm not sure what that's about) are open extra late and host different kinds of events, such as live performances and discussions, and sometimes give free food away. My main issue was that there was so much going on that I was overwhelmed and had a hard time deciding where to go. The program of events ran 11 pages when printed out! I went to the Scarab Club with my girlfriend and her cousin and her cousin's friend to catch a performance by up-and-coming Michigan band, Breathe Owl Breathe. The fire marshal would have shit his pants had he seen how crammed the venue was, but the show was fun and the crowd respectful and incredibly diverse, at least in terms of age. Class and color, not so much unfortunately. So maybe some would see Noel Night and think gentrification. Perhaps there's something to be said for that, but I think there's more to be said for getting people into and excited about being in the city. To feel that often strangely vacant place brimming with life and energy was really remarkable, and Noel Night is a nice opportunity to get your culture fix before it gets too damn cold to leave the house. At the end of Noel Night (9 p.m.), people huddle together in the streets and sing Christmas carols. Ain't that sweet? p.s. I don't know if it's the same date every year, but in case ya'll are wanting to plan wayyyyy ahead, Noel Night happens right around December 4th. read more

Carriage rides, Santa, free museum & event admission, crafts, shops, food... what's not to love?!? Even my 14 year old had a great time! There is literally something for everyone. Do you like country, hard rock, big band, Christmas music?? It was all there. You could see dance performances, concerts, plays, see art, learn history & astronomy, see the inside of mansions & churches, shop, ice sculpting, robots, make crafts, eat, etc. Some of the museums and events even had free snacks available. It was definitely a wonderful event that showcases mid-town area. People were super friendly, cheerful, and helpful. read more

In all honesty, I've heard good things about this, but I myself managed to spend only 10 minutes there after meeting people who then decided to find a hopefully-not-busy place to get a bite to eat ....aaand so we left. Mildly anticlimactic. No reflection on you, Noel Night, just poor planning and timing. We'll try again next year. read more

I love Noel Night. The city becomes a live a truly shows off the wonderful culture all around us. The only complaint was on my end... I went with a big group of people so it was hard to wrangle everyone up. I would rather go with 1 or 2 people and see if I can hit more things. LOVE THIS EVENT read more

Amazing and calming event which brings together and elevates Detroit's small businesses.