Fall and Early Winter Family Fun at Beacon Park in Detroit

The cooler weather is rolling in, the leaves are changing color and Halloween is just around the corner. Fall is officially here and Detroit’s newest greenspace is preparing for the season (and beyond) with a slew of seasonal fun for all ages. 

It all kicked off on Sept. 28, 2019, at Beacon Park when the park brings some traditional cider mill activities to the D on the first day of the free “Cider in the City” event. 

The Downtown Detroit Partnership – the folks who put on the fun events at Beacon Park all year round – partnered with Blake’s Orchard out in Armada to bring horse-drawn hayrides, pumpkin picking, cider and doughnuts to kids in the city. 

“We wanted to make the orchard experience accessible for those that live in the city but maybe can’t get out to the rural parts of southeast Michigan that easily,” David Cowan, the director of public spaces and programming with the Downtown Detroit Partnership, says. 

In addition to all of the cider mill fun, this event, which runs 1-5 p.m. Sept. 28 to Oct. 26, 2019, also offers face painting and inflatables – plus plenty of local food trucks. 

On the last Saturday of Cider in the City, Beacon Park takes the fall fun to a higher level with the Halloween Family Fun Day – an expansion of the park’s ever-popular summer Family Fun Days. 

“This is one of the most popular events at Beacon Park,” Cowan says. “There’s a Halloween costume contest and fashion show, make-and-take activities, there’s likely going to be face-painting – there’s just so much to do.” 

There’s even trick-or-treating at seven merry-not-scary stations set up around the park and, of course, the food trucks return to offer yummy eats.  

“We’re returning Halloween to the kids of Detroit, fully embracing it and celebrating it,” Cowan adds. 

And that’s not all. On Oct. 14, the park hosts the first of four Detroit Lions Watch Parties, which feature a tailgate, lawn games and an outdoor screening of the Lion’s game against the Green Bay Packers. 

On Nov. 22, DDP kicks off the holiday season in Detroit with its Annual Tree Lighting Ceremony at Campus Martius Park, which is free and runs from 5 p.m. till midnight. That’s not all. 

“Our holiday event at Beacon Park is called “Light Up Beacon Park,” Cowan explains. “Around 50,000 people come out to that one and there’s a ton to do with kids.” 

For the first time during the 2019 holiday season, the park is illuminated with thousands of beautiful holiday lights that will stay lit until the end of the season. 

It’s a can’t-miss event that runs right down the street and the same day as the spectacular Tree Lighting event at Campus Martius Park, which offers ice skating at The Rink and visits with Santa. 

“For so long there hasn’t been much in the central business district and downtown for kids and families to do,” Cowan says. “Recently, there’s been a resurgence of families and (these events) fill a pent-up demand for family fun.”  

For more information on Beacon Park or the park’s fall family offerings, visit the Downtown Detroit Partnership Parks online at downtowndetroitparks.com.