Your Guide to Downtown Brighton MI Fall and Holiday Events 2026

"It really allows us to create a more magical experience, from the activities we can offer to the attendees, to the services we can also provide, like shuttles and ramps to our Holiday Glow stage, and all the fun things a festival needs." That is how Jennifer Bond, director of events and sponsorship at the Greater Brighton Area Chamber of Commerce, described the role of sponsors to WHMI News on October 6. Flyers are going out to Brighton area businesses this month, and the Chamber is still looking for sponsors to join presenting sponsor Cooper & Binkley Jewelers.

That one quote shows how downtown Brighton runs its late season. Between now and early December, the Saturday crowd at the Chamber's farmers market lot on First Street moves to Main Street and the AMP. The Holiday Glow at the end of that stretch is put together partly from small sponsorships paid by the businesses that benefit from it. Here is how the next eight weeks are laid out.

Four Saturdays Left on First Street

The Brighton Farmers' Market runs every Saturday from May through October, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., in the City of Brighton Municipal Parking Lot at 200 N. First Street. The Chamber organizes it with annual sponsors Bank of Ann Arbor and Cooper & Binkley Jewelers. The posted schedule says "Rain or Shine the Market is Open!"

Counting from today, that leaves four market Saturdays, and the Chamber has given two of them a theme:

1. October 10. A regular market morning with no theme listed on the Chamber's calendar.
2. October 17, Pumpkin Palooza & Harvest Market. Sponsored by Laugh & Learn, with a pumpkin decorating station run with Selcra, a free mini pumpkin for the first 50 shoppers, a "Guess the Weight" pumpkin contest and a fall flower and dried bouquet vendor. Kids can decorate mini pumpkins with paint, stickers and accessories, and no carving is needed.
3. October 24, Trick or Treating for Kids. It's on the market calendar at the regular hours and location. The Chamber hasn't posted any details beyond the name.
4. October 31. Since the season runs "May through October," Halloween is the last Saturday that fits. The Chamber page doesn't name a closing date, though, and it lists no winter or indoor market after October.

So the Halloween-themed market morning comes a week before Halloween. On October 24, families can trick-or-treat at the market in the morning, and Halloween night itself is still open. If you want to confirm the last day before planning around October 31, the market posts weekly updates on its Facebook page.

The Parades Fill the Weeks Between the Market and the Holiday Glow

While the market is still running, downtown has its first evening event of the fall. The 2026 downtown calendar published by MLive in June lists the BHS Homecoming Parade on Friday, October 16, from 6 to 7 p.m. That's the evening before Pumpkin Palooza, so downtown has events on back-to-back days that weekend.

The Veterans Day Parade follows on Saturday, November 7, from 11 a.m. to noon, by the same listing. It's the first Saturday after the market season ends, and the only scheduled downtown event in the three-week gap before the Holiday Glow. MLive's June calendar doesn't name organizers for either parade, so check the details closer to the date.

The Holiday Glow Starts With Main Street's Own Businesses

The Holiday Glow & Christmas Market is on Saturday, November 21, from 1 to 7 p.m., the weekend before Thanksgiving. It's free to attend. WHMI's October 6 report lists holiday vendors, live performances, live reindeer, "choo choo train rides" and a visit from Santa and Mrs. Claus, who lead community leaders in the lighting of the city.

The Chamber's 2026 Holiday Glow listing puts the event along Main Street, with the Holiday Glow Stage in front of Ciao Amici's and performances on both that stage and at the AMP. The map pin points to the Mill Pond Trail. The page doesn't name a separate spot for the lighting ceremony.

The lights are the City's part of the event. "Partnering with the City of Brighton, and all the work they do to make it magical, lit up Amp and all the downtown trees, really bringing the holiday spirit to downtown Brighton," Bond told WHMI.

The Chamber's part is paid for with sponsorships, and the tiers are within reach of a small downtown shop:

According to Bond, that money pays for the shuttles and the ramps to the Holiday Glow Stage. For families with strollers or guests who have trouble walking, those are the pieces that decide how easily they can reach the stage. No shuttle route, pickup point or parking plan has been published yet. Businesses that want to sponsor can reach Bond at [email protected] or (810) 227-5086.

A New Stop on West Main Street

Between the Holiday Glow and Ladies Night, Main Street has a storefront that wasn't open for last year's season. The Livingston Daily reported in August that Oregano Deli and Specialty Market, a carryout sandwich shop and specialty-goods store, was coming to the former Diamond Factory at 132 W. Main St. The story said owner Brandon Shouneyia had scheduled a ribbon-cutting for 4 p.m. on September 24.

We haven't found any coverage of the ribbon-cutting itself. The deli's online ordering page is taking pickup orders now and lists hours of 11 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. on Sunday. With a 1 p.m. start, the Holiday Glow begins after lunch, and since Oregano serves carryout, you can pick up sandwiches before you look for a spot near the stage.

Ladies Night Closes Out the Calendar

The last listed event of the downtown season is Ladies Night on Thursday, December 3. Believe in Brighton, whose board organizes it, lists hours of 5 to 9 p.m. on its event page. MLive's June calendar gave a 10 p.m. end time, so go by the organizer's hours.

Ladies Night lands twelve days after the Holiday Glow. MLive described the 2026 lineup as "more than a dozen community events," starting with the farmers market's opening on May 2, and this is the last of them. It's also the only one on a weeknight evening.

Here at Skylar Harris, we keep track of the dates that shape a Brighton weekend, from the last pumpkins on First Street to the lighting on Main Street. If you'd like this calendar sent to a friend or family member visiting for the holidays, or want to talk about life near the Mill Pond, we're glad to help.