What’s worth doing in Grand Rapids this week
Week of December 15–21
3 QUICK PICKS
- Best free thing this week: Christkindl Markt at Downtown Market
- Best kid-friendly win: Christmas Lite Show at LMCU Ballpark
- Best date night: Trisha Yearwood with the Grand Rapids Symphony
☀️ DAYTIME PICKS
Christkindl Markt (Downtown Market)
📍 Grand Rapids Downtown Market
🗓 Daily through Dec 23 • Great all week
💵 Free to enter (pay as you go for food/drink)
A European-style holiday market with 60+ artisan food and gift vendors, holiday drinks, live entertainment, and outdoor curling. Easy daytime move: grab coffee, walk the stalls, let the kids wander, and knock out some gift shopping without the chaos of the mall.
Christmas & Holiday Traditions at Frederik Meijer Gardens
📍 Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park
🗓 Ongoing through Jan 4 • Open regular daytime hours
💵 Standard Meijer Gardens admission (check site for current pricing)
Dozens of decorated trees and displays showing holiday traditions from around the world, plus winter plantings and indoor warmth. This is a “walk around slowly and actually enjoy it” kind of outing—great for a daytime trip when you want something festive but not overwhelming.
Critter Barn Live Nativity (Zeeland – Short Drive)
📍 Critter Barn, Zeeland, MI
🗓 Select dates between Dec 4–27 (check schedule for this week)
💵 Typically low-cost / donation-based (see site)
If you’re up for a short drive, Critter Barn’s Live Nativity is a legit wholesome outing: real animals, a simple nativity setup, and an easy way to give the kids a “this is what we’re doing tonight” answer. Good daytime or early-evening option.
🌙 EVENING / DATE-NIGHT
ENLIGHTEN at Frederik Meijer Gardens
📍 Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park
🗓 Dec 15, 17–21 • 5:30–10:30pm
💵 Special event ticketing (see Meijer Gardens site)
A mile-long nighttime art and light experience: illuminated sculptures, laser beams, fire pits, warming tents, food, and drinks as you walk the gardens. It’s one of the most “this feels like a big-city thing” experiences GR has right now—works as a date night or a bundled-up family adventure.
Trisha Yearwood with the Grand Rapids Symphony
📍 DeVos Performance Hall
🗓 Wed, Dec 17 • 7:00pm
💵 Ticketed (price varies by seat)
Country legend + full symphony + holiday set list = an actually special night out. If you’ve been saying “we should do something Christmas-y but not cheesy,” this is that. Dress up a bit, grab dinner beforehand, call it your December date night.
Majestic Brass Christmas – Cathedral of Saint Andrew
📍 Cathedral of Saint Andrew, Downtown GR
🗓 Mon, Dec 15 • 7:00–9:00pm
💵 Ticketed (price usually modest; see event listing)
Brass, carols, and a full-on cathedral setting. This one leans more “classic Christmas” than hype, but in a good way. Great if you want something peaceful and beautiful without driving far.
👨👩👧👦 FAMILY-FRIENDLY WINS
Christmas Lite Show – Drive-Thru Lights at LMCU Ballpark
📍 LMCU Ballpark, Comstock Park
🗓 Nightly through Jan 3
🕒 Sun–Thu 5:30–9:00pm • Fri–Sat 5:30–10:00pm
💵 Ticketed per vehicle (check site for current pricing)
Load the kids in pajamas, hand out snacks, and drive through West Michigan’s biggest animated light show. Zero walking, zero stress parking. Just lights, music, and kids losing their minds in the back seat.
Christkindl Markt (Again, Because It’s That Good)
Easy, stroller-friendly, and full of snacks. You can do a lap, grab hot chocolate, and call it a night—or stay longer and let the kids people-watch while you shop.
Christmas & Holiday Traditions at Meijer Gardens
Indoor, warm, and packed with visual stuff for kids to look at—trees, trains, lights, and displays from around the world. Good option when the weather is trash but you still want to “do something.”
Critter Barn Live Nativity
Real animals + simple nativity scene = kids dialed in. Check the schedule for which days this week it’s running, then build a little Zeeland trip around it.
That’s the best of GR for the week of December 15–21. Pick one thing, get out of the house, and make winter a little less “we’re stuck inside again.”
If this roundup helps, forward it to a friend who’s always asking “what should we do this week?”
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