Seasons & festivals
When to come, and why to come back
Here are 115 fairs, festivals, harvests, living-history days and holiday walks across the St. Joseph River valley, season by season. Most have run for decades; a few for more than a century. The season we are in comes first.
See all twelve months on the valley calendar ›
This weekend in the valley
Coming up
The year ahead
Twelve months from this one. Gold days have an event with set dates; press a day or a month to see its events. event day today
Spring 11 events
Blossoms, sap buckets and the first open days
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March · Kalamazoo, MI
Kalamazoo Living History Show
Third weekend of March (approx.)
A large juried show for reenactors and history buffs, where makers sell pre-1890 clothing, gear and crafts at the county Expo Center; open to the public, with a different reenactment group hosting each year.
Founded 1976.
A table nearby: Bell's Eccentric Café (in town) · Louie's Trophy House (in town)
Their website › · ·
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March · Kalamazoo, MI
Kalamazoo Nature Center Maple Sugar Festival
Early March, one Sunday, 9 am–4 pm
A day in the sugarbush at the Nature Center, with a pancake breakfast served with Michigan maple syrup and horse-drawn wagon rides around the grounds.
2027 is billed as the 61st annual festival; it began as 'a kettle on a tripod.'
A table nearby: Bell's Eccentric Café (in town) · Louie's Trophy House (in town)
Their website › · ·
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March · New Carlisle, INexpected date
Sugar Camp Days at Bendix Woods
Second or third weekend of March (the second in 2025 and 2026)
St. Joseph County Parks opens its sugar bush and sugar house for tours of sap gathering and boiling, with a Lions Club pancake breakfast, historical crafters, wagon rides and maple treats.
Bendix Woods was once part of the Studebaker proving-ground complex; its clubhouse and the CCC-planted 'Studebaker' pine-tree sign (1930s) are on the National Register.
Their website › · ·
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April · Bristol, INexpected date
Bonneyville Mill season
Mid-April to mid-November, Tuesday–Sunday
Elkhart County Parks' grist mill, billed as Indiana's oldest operating grist mill, grinds grain and sells its flour through the warm months; the park adds schoolhouse open houses, a Feature Grain Day and autumn leaf walks.
A table nearby: Das Dutchman Essenhaus (6 mi)
Their website › · ·
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April · Cassopolis, MIexpected date
Cass County Historical Society lectures and tours
Third Tuesday of the month, April to October; short meeting 5:30 pm, program 6 pm
A free monthly program that moves around the county: lectures, an antiques show-and-tell, farm and church tours, genealogy talks. Each year's lineup is posted on the Society's website in late winter.
The Society keeps the Newton House, the Red Brick Schoolhouse and the Pioneer Log Cabin.
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April · Wakarusa, IN
Wakarusa Maple Syrup Festival
Last full weekend of April, Friday–Sunday
A three-day small-town festival with a Saturday parade, carnival rides, dozens of vendor booths and plenty of maple treats.
A table nearby: Coppes Commons (7 mi)
Their website › · ·
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May · St. Joseph & Benton Harbor, MI
Blossomtime Festival
Late April to early May, ending with the Saturday Grand Floral Parade
Southwest Michigan's spring festival honoring the fruit-growing country, shared by some two dozen communities, with the Blessing of the Blossoms and a Grand Floral Parade that crosses the river from St. Joseph into Benton Harbor.
Established 1906 and described as Michigan's oldest multi-community festival; the Blessing of the Blossoms began in 1906 with Rev. W. J. Cady.
A table nearby: The Livery (1 mi) · Bit of Swiss Pastry Shoppe (5 mi)
Their website › · ·
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May · Dowagiac, MIcheck the dates
Dogwood Fine Arts Festival
About ten days in mid-May (we have found no festival since 2019: ask locally)
Dowagiac's spring arts festival brings readings by visiting authors, concerts, art shows and a downtown art walk, and has commissioned public sculpture for the city.
Began in 1995, pairing visiting sculptors with local donors who commissioned public art (City of Dowagiac).
A table nearby: Wounded Minnow Saloon (in town) · Wood Fire Trattoria (in town)
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May · Hesston (near La Porte), INexpected date
Hesston Steam Museum operating season
Weekends, May to Labor Day, then Ghost Train weekends in October and the Candy Cane Express in December
The La Porte County Historical Steam Society runs its steam and diesel railroads and antique machinery on summer weekends, opening with National Train Day and Memorial Day weekend.
First show and reunion held in 1957; the steam society was chartered as a nonprofit in 1968.
A table nearby: Heston Supper Club (in town) · Redamak's (4 mi)
Their website › · ·
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May · Shipshewana, IN
Shipshewana Flea Market season
Early May to late September, Tuesdays & Wednesdays
The Trading Place's big open-air flea market runs two days a week all summer, alongside the weekly antique and livestock auctions in the auction barn.
A table nearby: Shipshewana Auction Restaurant (in town) · Blue Gate Restaurant (in town)
Their website › · ·
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May · Decatur, MIexpected datecheck the dates
Tea Time at the Newton House
A Saturday in May (9 May in 2026); ticketed
A ticketed spring tea in the Newton House, hosted by the Cass County Historical Society.
Part of the Society's yearly lecture and event series.
Their website › · ·
Summer 25 events
County fairs, band concerts and festivals
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June · Cassopolis, MIexpected date
Beach Bash
First weekend of June, Friday and Saturday
Two days on Broadway and at Stone Lake Beach: food trucks, a beer garden, a vendor market, a kids’ area and foam party, live music each night, fireworks on Friday and a drone show on Saturday.
Organized by Cassopolis Main Street, the village’s downtown organization.
A table nearby: Holden Green Tavern (in town) · Wounded Minnow Saloon (7 mi)
Their website › · ·
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June · Cassopolis, MIexpected date
Beach Blankets & Blockbusters
Friday evenings, mid-June to late August, films at 7 pm
Family movie nights on the sand at Stone Lake Beach, with popcorn from the Snack Shack and the odd double feature.
Organized by Cassopolis Main Street, the village’s downtown organization.
A table nearby: Holden Green Tavern (in town) · Wounded Minnow Saloon (7 mi)
Their website › · ·
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June · Hesston (near La Porte), INexpected date
Civil War Train Raids at Hesston
Last weekend of June
A living-history weekend at the Hesston Steam Museum, with Civil War reenactors staging train raids on the museum's railroad.
A table nearby: Heston Supper Club (in town) · Redamak's (4 mi)
Their website › · ·
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June · Elkhart, IN
Elkhart Jazz Festival
Mid-June, four days
Four days of jazz in venues all over downtown Elkhart, including the historic Lerner Theatre, outdoor stages and small listening rooms.
Founded 1988.
Their website › · ·
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June · Cassopolis, MIexpected date
Lakeside Live
Thursday evenings, June to August, 6–9 pm
A different band every Thursday night on the beach at Stone Lake, all summer long. Bring a blanket and a friend.
Organized by Cassopolis Main Street, the village’s downtown organization.
A table nearby: Holden Green Tavern (in town) · Wounded Minnow Saloon (7 mi)
Their website › · ·
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June · Elkhart County towns (Goshen, Nappanee, Middlebury, Elkhart and others), INexpected date
Quilt Gardens along the Heritage Trail
Late May through early fall
Seventeen giant flower gardens planted in traditional quilt patterns across Elkhart County, free to tour along the Heritage Trail through the summer.
2026 is the program's 19th year.
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June · Three Oaks, MIexpected date
Three Oaks Flag Day Celebration
A weekend in early-to-mid June
Billed as the world's largest Flag Day parade, Three Oaks turns out for a weekend of patriotic celebration honoring veterans and the flag.
First parade June 14, 1953, organized by Herb Flick under American Legion Post 204; it grew to a three-day celebration in the late 1970s.
A table nearby: Journeyman Distillery & Staymaker (in town) · Heston Supper Club (4 mi)
Their website › · ·
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June · Three Rivers, MIexpected date
Three Rivers Water Festival
Third weekend of June, Thursday–Saturday
Three days downtown and at Scidmore Park: an opening parade, arts and crafts, a soap box derby, car show, duck race and fireworks over the rivers.
The 2019 festival was the 63rd annual (City of Three Rivers).
Their website › · ·
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June · Vicksburg, MIexpected date
Vicksburg Old Car Festival
Second weekend of June (approx.), Friday–Saturday
More than a thousand old cars, from Model Ts to hot rods, fill the village on Saturday, while the Vicksburg Historic Village opens its buildings and an antique tractor and gas-engine show runs on the grounds.
No website: ask locally · ·
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July · South Haven area, MIexpected date
Blueberry u-pick season
July through August (some varieties into mid-September)
South Haven sits at the heart of Michigan's blueberry country, and through July and August farms and u-pick fields around town open for picking.
The area claims the world's largest concentration of blueberry growers, nearly 300 farmers within 50 miles.
A table nearby: Clementine's (in town)
Their website › · ·
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July · Goshen, IN
Elkhart County 4-H Fair
Late July, nine days
One of Indiana's largest ticketed events, drawing about 200,000 people for nine days of 4-H livestock and exhibits, grandstand shows, a famous food row and the Heritage Park stage.
A table nearby: Goshen Brewing Company (in town) · South Side Soda Shop & Diner (in town)
Their website › · ·
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July · St. Joseph, MIexpected date
Krasl Art Fair on the Bluff
Second weekend of July
A juried outdoor art fair spread through Lake Bluff Park above Lake Michigan, run by the Krasl Art Center.
A table nearby: The Livery (1 mi) · Bit of Swiss Pastry Shoppe (5 mi)
Their website › · ·
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July · LaGrange, INexpected date
LaGrange County 4-H Fair
Mid-July, one week
A week of 4-H exhibits and livestock with grandstand rodeo, truck and tractor pulls, harness racing by the local Trottingbred association, and Friday fireworks.
Their website › · ·
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July · La Porte, IN
LaPorte County Fair
Mid-July, one week
Billed as Indiana's oldest county fair, with livestock and open-class shows, rodeo and grandstand events, and Pioneerland, a living-history village of early Indiana pioneer life.
Established 1845; Pioneerland added in 1995.
Their website › · ·
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July · Cassopolis, MIexpected date
Rock the Block
A Saturday in July and one in August, 7–10 pm
Downtown Cassopolis’s summer concert series: two Saturday nights of live bands, with food vendors.
Organized by Cassopolis Main Street, the village’s downtown organization.
A table nearby: Holden Green Tavern (in town) · Wounded Minnow Saloon (7 mi)
Their website › · ·
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July · South Bend, INexpected date
St. Joseph County 4-H Fair
Early July, nine days
The county's 4-H fair at the Ironwood Road fairgrounds, with livestock and open-class exhibits, a queen pageant, youth talent contest, parades and rides.
A table nearby: Sunny Italy Cafe (in town) · Rocco's (in town)
Their website › · ·
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July · Hartford, MIexpected date
Van Buren Youth Fair
Third week of July
Van Buren County's youth and 4-H fair at the Hartford fairgrounds, with livestock shows, exhibits and grandstand events.
A table nearby: Blackbird Waterhouse (7 mi)
Their website › · ·
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August · Colon, MI
Abbott's Magic Get-Together
Early-to-mid August, four days
Magicians from around the world gather in the little village of Colon, home of Abbott's Magic Company, for four days of lectures, competitions and public evening shows.
Since 1934, founded by Percy Abbott and Recil Bordner.
Their website › · ·
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August · Berrien Springs, MIexpected date
Berrien County Youth Fair
Third week of August
Berrien County's youth fair, with livestock and youth exhibits, fair royalty, a large-animal auction, tractor pulls, bull riding and a demolition derby.
A table nearby: Old Tavern Inn (7 mi)
Their website › · ·
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August · Cassopolis, MI
Cass County Fair
First full week of August
Cass County's agricultural fair, with livestock shows, still exhibits and a youth auction, a carnival, and grandstand rodeos, tractor pulls and demolition derbies.
Held since 1851; 2026 marked 175 years.
A table nearby: Holden Green Tavern (in town) · Wounded Minnow Saloon (7 mi)
Their website › · ·
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August · Coloma, MIexpected date
Coloma Glad-Peach Festival
Late July / first days of August
Coloma's summer festival celebrates the area's peaches and gladiolus with a parade, carnival, walk/run and evening events downtown.
A table nearby: Blackbird Waterhouse (1 mi) · Jollay Orchards (3 mi)
Their website › · ·
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August · Niles, MI
Fort St. Joseph Archaeology Open House
First weekend of August
Each August the archaeologists excavating the site of the 18th-century French colonial fort on the St. Joseph River open their dig to the public, with artifact displays, 'ask an archaeologist' tables, guided tours and a living history village of costumed reenactors.
Western Michigan University's Fort St. Joseph Archaeological Project has more than 25 years of research at the site.
A table nearby: Thistledown & Row (5 mi) · Old Tavern Inn (6 mi)
Their website › · ·
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August · Kalamazoo, MIexpected date
Kalamazoo County Fair
Early August, Tuesday–Saturday
Five days of 4-H livestock and animal shows, a petting farm, stage shows and a Saturday-night rodeo at the county Expo Center grounds on Lake Street.
A table nearby: Bell's Eccentric Café (in town) · Louie's Trophy House (in town)
Their website › · ·
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August · South Haven, MIexpected date
National Blueberry Festival
Second weekend of August (approx.), four days
South Haven's long-running harvest festival honors the area's blueberry growers with four days of summer celebration by the lake.
Described as one of the longest-running fruit festivals in the nation; 2026 was billed as the 64th annual (https://www.southhaven.org/events/the-64th-annual-national-blueberry-festival/).
A table nearby: Clementine's (in town)
Their website › · ·
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August · Cassopolis, MIexpected datecheck the dates
Summer Sunday open houses: Newton House, Red Brick School and Pioneer Log Cabin
Selected summer Sundays, 1–4:30 pm (the cabin from noon); first Sundays of August and September in 2026
All three of the Cass County Historical Society's sites open the same afternoon: the Pioneer Log Cabin Museum of 1923 on South Broadway in Cassopolis, the Red Brick Schoolhouse on Brick Church Road, and the Newton House near Decatur.
Dates are announced each summer; check before you go.
A table nearby: Holden Green Tavern (in town) · Wounded Minnow Saloon (7 mi)
Their website › · ·
Fall 48 events
Harvest, cider, colour and living history
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September · Three Oaks, MI
Apple Cider Century
Last Sunday of September
A one-day bicycle tour from Three Oaks through orchard and wine country, with routes from 15 to 100 miles and cider and fruit along the way.
Started 1974; organized by the Three Oaks Spokes Bicycle Club.
A table nearby: Journeyman Distillery & Staymaker (in town) · Heston Supper Club (4 mi)
Their website › · ·
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September · Coloma, Berrien Springs, Galien, Three Oaks and other towns, MIexpected date
Apple-picking season in the Fruit Belt
Mid-August through October
Berrien County's orchards open for u-pick apples from mid-August into October, many with farm markets, cider and wagon rides.
Jollay Orchards in Coloma dates its farm to 1857.
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September · Hesston (near La Porte), INexpected date
Hesston Labor Day Weekend Steam & Power Show
Labor Day weekend, four days
The steam museum's biggest weekend: steam engines, antique machinery and trains in action, with a steam-powered threshing machine working the harvest.
The first show and reunion was held in 1957.
A table nearby: Heston Supper Club (in town) · Redamak's (4 mi)
Their website › · ·
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September · La Porte, INexpected date
La Porte Sunflower Fair
Third Saturday of September (approx.)
A downtown community fair along Michigan Avenue with craft and nonprofit vendors, a farmers market, a rib cook-off, a car show and a sunflower-growing contest.
Their website › · ·
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September · Goshen, INexpected date
Michiana Mennonite Relief Sale
Last weekend of September, Friday–Saturday
A Mennonite community tradition at the Elkhart County fairgrounds: food booths, a live quilt auction and other sales, all raising money for Mennonite Central Committee relief work.
First sale held in 1968.
A table nearby: Goshen Brewing Company (in town) · South Side Soda Shop & Diner (in town)
Their website › · ·
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September · South Haven, MIexpected date
Michigan Flywheelers Antique Engine & Tractor Show
Second weekend of September (approx.), Thursday–Sunday
The museum's biggest show fills its 80-acre grounds with hundreds of working antique engines and tractors, a sawmill and shingle mill, a 1920s-style 'Olde Town' and a small railroad.
A table nearby: Clementine's (in town)
Their website › · ·
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September · Nappanee, INexpected date
Nappanee Apple Festival
Third weekend of September, Thursday–Sunday
Opens by cutting a giant baked apple pie, then four days of parade, three stages, more than 150 exhibitors and apple fritters, dumplings and cider.
A table nearby: Coppes Commons (in town)
Their website › · ·
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September · Paw Paw, MIexpected date
Paw Paw Wine & Harvest Festival
Second weekend of September (approx.)
Paw Paw celebrates the grape harvest in the heart of Michigan wine country with family events, wine tasting, a parade and a 5K.
A table nearby: La Cantina Ristorante Italiano (in town)
Their website › · ·
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September · Centreville, MIexpected date
St. Joseph County Grange Fair
Late September, one week
Michigan's Grange fair keeps the county fair tradition late in the season, with grandstand events, a community stage and daily free events at the Centreville fairgrounds.
Their website › · ·
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September · Vicksburg, MIexpected date
Vicksburg Harvest Festival
Last Sunday of September, 11 am–4 pm
The Vicksburg Historical Society opens its Historic Village, general store, print shop and schoolhouse for a free day of crafts and fiber demonstrations, antique tractors, wagon rides and pumpkin decorating, celebrating the area's farm heritage.
The 2024 festival was the 14th annual.
Their website › · ·
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October · Bristol, IN
Community Ofrenda
Daily from 9 am, Tuesday 27 – Saturday 31 October
A free community ofrenda (Day of the Dead altar) at the Elkhart County Historical Museum, open to all visitors.
A table nearby: Das Dutchman Essenhaus (6 mi)
Their website › · ·
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October · Decatur, MIexpected date
Fall Festival at the Newton House
A Saturday in October, 11 am–4 pm (10 October in 2026)
The Cass County Historical Society's biggest day of the year, free, at the Newton House: tours of the house, hayrides through the Russ Forest, pumpkin painting for children, an apple-pie eating contest, live music, food trucks, and reenactors with cannon-firing demonstrations.
The closing event of the Society's April–October lecture series.
Their website › · ·
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October · St. Joseph, Coloma, Berrien Springs, Niles, South Haven and the Red Arrow Highway, MIexpected date
Fall colour in Southwest Michigan
Peak usually mid to late October, lingering along the lakeshore into early November
The orchard and dune country turns through October; the tourism council suggests drives along Red Arrow Highway and Blue Star Highway, vineyard roads near Baroda, and the trails at Fernwood Botanical Garden in Niles.
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October · Shipshewana, Middlebury, LaGrange and Howe, INexpected date
Giant Straw Bale Art Trail
September through late October
A free self-guided autumn trail of giant round straw bales turned into colorful characters and scenes by local artists and businesses across four towns.
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October · South Haven, MIcheck the dates
Spooky South Haven Walking Tour
Friday 30 October, 8–10 pm
An after-dark walking tour of South Haven's haunted history and local legends, researched by Paranormal Michigan; starts at Black River Tavern, 403 Phoenix St.
A table nearby: Clementine's (in town)
Their website › · ·
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October · Dowagiac, MI
Under the Harvest Moon Festival
A Saturday in mid-October, 10 am–4 pm
Dowagiac's autumn festival brings vintage tractors, an open-air antique market, fall produce, Michigan-made crafts, blacksmith demonstrations and a scarecrow contest downtown.
A table nearby: Wounded Minnow Saloon (in town) · Wood Fire Trattoria (in town)
Their website › · ·
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October · South Bend, IN
Wheels of Time: The Studebaker Story
Saturday 31 October, 11 am–12:30 pm
A guided tour through more than a century of American history as told through the Studebaker company, at the Studebaker National Museum.
A table nearby: Café Navarre (in town) · Sunny Italy Cafe (in town)
Their website › · ·
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November · South Haven, MIcheck the dates
40th Annual Mistletoe Market
Saturday 21 November – Sunday 13 December
The South Haven Center for the Arts' long-running holiday market of work by regional artists, 600 Phoenix St.
A table nearby: Clementine's (in town)
Their website › · ·
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November · La Porte, IN
Belle Gunness: The Mystery Continues
Saturday 7 November, 10 am–noon and 1:30–3:30 pm
County Historian Bruce Johnson screens The Gunness Mystery, then retired Judge William Boklund weighs the hard evidence in La Porte's most notorious murder case. Tickets $5; space limited.
Their website › · ·
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November · Benton Harbor, MIcheck the dates
Benton Harbor Preservation Awards
Saturday 14 November, 7–9 pm
An evening honouring historic-preservation work in Benton Harbor, held at the 1849 Morton House Museum.
A table nearby: The Livery (in town) · Bit of Swiss Pastry Shoppe (6 mi)
Their website › · ·
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November · New Carlisle, IN
Christmas in New Carlisle
Sunday 29 November; lighted parade 6 pm
New Carlisle's downtown holiday celebration, ending with a lighted parade.
Their website › · ·
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November · Shipshewana, IN
Christmas, Vintage & Craft Bazaar
Friday 6 November, 8 am–4 pm
A holiday bazaar of Christmas, vintage and handmade goods at the Michiana Event Center, 455 E. Farver St.
A table nearby: Shipshewana Auction Restaurant (in town) · Blue Gate Restaurant (in town)
Their website › · ·
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November · Kalamazoo, MI
Day of the Dead Celebration
Sunday 1 November, 12–3 pm
A Día de los Muertos afternoon at the Kalamazoo Valley Museum downtown.
A table nearby: Bell's Eccentric Café (in town) · Louie's Trophy House (in town)
Their website › · ·
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November · South Bend, IN
Día de los Muertos Celebration Concert
Sunday 8 November
A Day of the Dead celebration concert at the Morris Performing Arts Center.
A table nearby: Café Navarre (in town) · Barnaby's (in town)
Their website › · ·
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November · Berrien Springs, MI
Flags of Valor
Daily, Sunday 1 – Saturday 14 November
A field of American flags fills historic Courthouse Square to honour veterans, organised by American Legion Post 85 with the Berrien County Historical Association; flags can be dedicated to a veteran.
A table nearby: Old Tavern Inn (7 mi)
Their website › · ·
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November · Elkhart, IN
Free Family Sunday at the Havilah Beardsley House
Sunday 1 November, 1–4 pm
Free admission to the 1848 home of Elkhart's founder, part of the Ruthmere Museums campus.
Their website › · ·
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November · South Haven, MI
Free First Sundays at the Michigan Maritime Museum (November)
Sunday 1 November 2026
Free admission to the Michigan Maritime Museum on the first Sunday of the month; 1 November also brings a Humane Education Day with the Al-Van Humane Society.
A table nearby: Clementine's (in town)
Their website › · ·
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November · Elkhart, IN
Gallery Talk: Mrs. B – Cara Jean Baldwin and Elkhart County
Thursday 5 November, 11 am
A free gallery talk at Ruthmere's Beardsley Discovery Center on Cara Jean Baldwin and her place in Elkhart County history.
Their website › · ·
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November · South Bend, IN
Gaslights and Granite Boulders
Sunday 15 November, 4–6 pm
A behind-the-scenes tour of the 38-room Oliver Mansion (Copshaholm), its lower levels and carriage house, on how light, heat and water reached the house around 1900. $30 ($25 members).
A table nearby: Café Navarre (in town) · Barnaby's (1 mi)
Their website › · ·
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November · Shipshewana, IN
Gingerbread Village at E&S Sales
Daily, Friday 6 November – Saturday 5 December (store hours)
A seasonal gingerbread village on display at the E&S bulk food store, 1265 IN-5.
A table nearby: Shipshewana Auction Restaurant (in town) · Blue Gate Restaurant (in town)
Their website › · ·
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November · Goshen, IN
Goshen Light Parade (First Friday)
Friday 6 November, 5–9 pm
November's First Friday brings lighted parade floats down Main Street in downtown Goshen.
A table nearby: Goshen Brewing Company (in town) · South Side Soda Shop & Diner (in town)
Their website › · ·
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November · South Bend, IN
Hodak Motor Sales: The Story of a Local Studebaker Legacy
Wednesday 18 November, 1:30–2:30 pm
Brothers Doug and Mark Hodak present the illustrated story of an immigrant family and their Studebaker dealership. $2; members free.
A table nearby: Café Navarre (in town) · Sunny Italy Cafe (in town)
Their website › · ·
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November · Mishawaka, IN
Holiday Craft Fair
Saturday 14 November, 9 am–1 pm
A family-friendly fair of handcrafted gifts, jewellery and décor at the Battell Community Center.
A table nearby: Barnaby's (4 mi) · Rocco's (4 mi)
Their website › · ·
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November · South Bend, IN
Holiday Lights on the Diamond
Select evenings from Friday 13 November through December
A holiday light display at Four Winds Field, home of the South Bend Cubs.
A table nearby: Café Navarre (in town) · Barnaby's (in town)
Their website › · ·
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November · Notre Dame, IN
Holladay Christkindle Fest
Friday 27 November, 4–9 pm
A German-style Christmas market evening at the Inn at Saint Mary's.
A table nearby: Sunny Italy Cafe (2 mi) · Rocco's (2 mi)
Their website › · ·
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November · Michigan City, IN
Hometown Trivia Night
Friday 20 November, doors 5:30 pm, trivia 7 pm
Local-history trivia benefiting the Michigan City Historical Society and Zoological Society, at the Michigan City Senior Center; $10, ages 21+.
A table nearby: Leeds Public House (in town)
Their website › · ·
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November · Kalamazoo, MI
Kalamazoo Holiday Parade
Saturday 21 November, 11 am (parade to about 12:30 pm)
Downtown Kalamazoo's long-running holiday parade, followed by holiday activities hosted by local businesses.
A table nearby: Bell's Eccentric Café (in town) · Louie's Trophy House (in town)
Their website › · ·
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November · Kalamazoo, MI
Kalamazoo Tree Lighting Ceremony
Friday 27 November
The City of Kalamazoo's annual lighting of the holiday tree in Bronson Park.
A table nearby: Bell's Eccentric Café (in town) · Louie's Trophy House (in town)
Their website › · ·
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November · Niles, MI
LIGHTS at Fernwood
Evenings from Friday 27 November (timed tickets 6, 7 and 8 pm; closed Mondays, 24–25 and 31 Dec); season runs to 2 January
Fernwood Botanical Garden's walk-through holiday light show along the gardens and trails. Tickets required.
A table nearby: Thistledown & Row (3 mi) · Old Tavern Inn (7 mi)
Their website › · ·
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November · South Haven, MI
Lecture: USCGC Mackinaw – A Tale of Two Ships
Thursday 12 November, 6:30–7:30 pm
Michigan Maritime Museum lecture on the Great Lakes icebreakers that have carried the name Mackinaw.
A table nearby: Clementine's (in town)
Their website › · ·
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November · Shipshewana, IN
Lighting of Shipshewana Festival
Friday 6 – Saturday 7 November
Two days opening the Christmas season downtown: food trucks and a showing of Elf on Friday; Christmas music, makers' market, family activities and the Lighting of Shipshewana light parade on Saturday.
A table nearby: Shipshewana Auction Restaurant (in town) · Blue Gate Restaurant (in town)
Their website › · ·
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November · North Liberty, IN
Lights of Liberty Holiday Light Walk
Friday–Saturday 20–21 and 27–28 November
A small-town holiday light walk in North Liberty over two weekends.
Their website › · ·
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November · St. Joseph, MI
Luminary Night
Friday 20 November, 5–8 pm (free holiday trolley 4:30–8:30 pm)
Downtown St. Joseph glows with luminaries for an evening of holiday strolling and shopping.
A table nearby: The Livery (2 mi) · Bit of Swiss Pastry Shoppe (5 mi)
Their website › · ·
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November · Kalamazoo, MI
Maple Hill Holiday Parade
A Saturday in late November, 11 am
Kalamazoo's downtown holiday parade of marching bands, giant balloons and floats, with shops on the Kalamazoo Mall opening the holiday season.
Founded in 1962 by the Gilmore Brothers department store.
A table nearby: Bell's Eccentric Café (in town) · Louie's Trophy House (in town)
Their website › · ·
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November · Niles (Howard Twp.), MI
Paint Day of the Dead Cascarones
Monday 2 November, 3–4:30 pm
A hands-on Día de los Muertos craft program painting cascarones (confetti eggs) at the Cass District Library's Howard Branch.
A table nearby: Old Tavern Inn (4 mi)
Their website › · ·
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November · Elkhart, IN
Ruthmere Holiday Tours: Kaleidoscope Christmas
Saturday 28 November – Wednesday 30 December, regular tour hours (closed 6 and 13 Dec and 24–26 Dec)
The 1910 Ruthmere mansion and campus dressed for Christmas, each room in its own colour palette. Reservations encouraged: (574) 264-0330.
Their website › · ·
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November · Elkhart, IN
Veterans Day at Ruthmere
Wednesday 11 November
Veterans are admitted free to the Ruthmere Museums campus on Veterans Day.
Their website › · ·
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November · Elkhart, INcheck the dates
Winter Wonderland Holiday Lights
Evenings from Friday 27 November; runs to 2 January
Wellfield Botanic Gardens' holiday light display.
Their website › · ·
Winter 31 events
Lights, Christmas walks and warm rooms
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December · Dowagiac, MI
Candlelight Christmas Parade
First Friday of December (approx.), evening
Dowagiac's evening holiday parade brings well over a hundred lighted units down Front Street, with a tree lighting at Beckwith Park, as part of the town's 'Celebrate the Holidays' season.
The 2019 parade was described as the 38th annual.
A table nearby: Wounded Minnow Saloon (in town) · Wood Fire Trattoria (in town)
Their website › · ·
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December · South Bend, INexpected date
Christmas at Copshaholm
December, holiday self-guided tours
The History Museum decorates the Oliver family's 38-room Copshaholm mansion with Christmas trees on all three floors and themed table settings, and opens it for self-guided holiday tours.
A table nearby: Sunny Italy Cafe (in town) · Rocco's (in town)
Their website › · ·
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December · Decatur, MI
Christmas at the Newton House
First Saturday of December, 1–4 pm
The Cass County Historical Society opens the Newton House, its Italianate farmhouse museum on the Marcellus Highway, in Victorian Christmas dress: house tours, live holiday music, a visit from Santa with a gift for each child, cookies and punch, and a family gingerbread-house contest. No tickets; donations are welcome at the door.
Run by the Cass County Historical Society; 2026 brings the second annual gingerbread contest.
Their website › · ·
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December · Cassopolis, MI
Christmas in Cassopolis
First Saturday of December, late afternoon into the evening
Santa and crafts at the Marketplace on Broadway, cookies and cocoa at the VFW, an elf scavenger hunt that starts at the 1899 courthouse, caroling down Broadway at 6, and the tree lit under the arches at Stone Lake Beach just after. Broadway is closed to traffic from York to Water Street.
Organized by Cassopolis Main Street, the village’s downtown organization.
A table nearby: Holden Green Tavern (in town) · Wounded Minnow Saloon (7 mi)
Their website › · ·
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December · South Bend, INcheck the dates
DTSB Holiday Light Parade
Friday 11 December, 7–7:45 pm
Downtown South Bend's lighted holiday parade along Jefferson Boulevard.
A table nearby: Café Navarre (in town) · Barnaby's (in town)
Their website › · ·
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December · Kalamazoo, MI
December to Remember
Thursday 10 December
A free evening in Bronson Park with hot cocoa and holiday activities.
A table nearby: Bell's Eccentric Café (in town) · Louie's Trophy House (in town)
Their website › · ·
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December · Michigan City, IN
Festival of Lights Celebration
Parade Saturday 5 December, 5 pm; light displays through 10 January
A holiday parade along Franklin Street through the Uptown Arts District, then thousands of light displays, Santa and music at Washington Park. Free.
A table nearby: Leeds Public House (in town)
Their website › · ·
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December · South Haven, MI
Free First Sundays at the Michigan Maritime Museum (December)
Sunday 6 December 2026
Free admission to the Michigan Maritime Museum on the first Sunday of the month; 1 November also brings a Humane Education Day with the Al-Van Humane Society.
A table nearby: Clementine's (in town)
Their website › · ·
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December · La Porte, IN
Holiday Artisan Fair
Saturday 5 December, 10 am–3 pm
A holiday artisan fair at the La Porte County Historical Society Museum.
Their website › · ·
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December · St. Joseph, MI
Holiday Artisan Market
Sunday 6 December, 11 am–4 pm
A holiday market of local makers at Union+Social, closing St. Joseph's Merry & Bright Weekend.
A table nearby: The Livery (2 mi) · Bit of Swiss Pastry Shoppe (5 mi)
Their website › · ·
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December · South Bend, INcheck the dates
Holiday Historic Walking Tour
Sunday 13 December
A holiday walking tour of downtown South Bend's historic buildings, part of Downtown for the Holidays.
A table nearby: Café Navarre (in town) · Barnaby's (in town)
Their website › · ·
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December · Goshen, IN
Hometown Holiday (First Friday)
Friday 4 December, 5–9 pm
December's First Friday in downtown Goshen, with holiday caroling along Main Street.
A table nearby: Goshen Brewing Company (in town) · South Side Soda Shop & Diner (in town)
Their website › · ·
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December · South Bend, IN
Insights in History: Christmastime During the Revolution
Wednesday 2 December, 1:30–3 pm
A History Museum talk on how Christmas was kept during the American Revolution.
A table nearby: Café Navarre (in town) · Barnaby's (1 mi)
Their website › · ·
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December · South Haven, MI
Lecture: Prohibition in Michigan – How the Waterways Shaped History
Wednesday 9 December, 6:30–7:30 pm
Michigan Maritime Museum lecture on rum-running and Prohibition along Michigan's waters.
A table nearby: Clementine's (in town)
Their website › · ·
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December · St. Joseph, MI
Light Up the Bluff
Friday 4 December, ceremony 6 pm, tree lighting 6:30 pm
St. Joseph lights its municipal tree and the bluff-top displays at Lake Bluff Park, opening the Merry & Bright Weekend.
A table nearby: The Livery (2 mi) · Bit of Swiss Pastry Shoppe (5 mi)
Their website › · ·
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December · Benton Harbor, MIcheck the dates
Morton House Museum Holiday Open House
Saturday 5 December, 11 am–2 pm
A holiday open house at the 1849 Morton House, Benton Harbor's oldest home and museum.
A table nearby: The Livery (in town) · Bit of Swiss Pastry Shoppe (6 mi)
Their website › · ·
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December · Nappanee, IN
Nappanee Christmas Celebration
Saturday 5 December, parade 7 pm
A Christmas parade from Nappanee Elementary to downtown, then carols, the Christmas story read by the mayor, cocoa and the tree lighting at the pavilion.
A table nearby: Coppes Commons (in town)
Their website › · ·
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December · La Porte, IN
Night at the Giese Church
Saturday 19 December, 6–8 pm
The La Porte County Historical Society Museum's annual holiday evening around the Giese Church, a working 1947 mechanical church. By donation, with cocoa and cookies.
Their website › · ·
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December · St. Joseph, MI
Reindog Parade
Saturday 5 December, 3–3:30 pm
Costumed dogs parade through downtown St. Joseph, followed by Santa's House 4–7 pm.
A table nearby: The Livery (2 mi) · Bit of Swiss Pastry Shoppe (5 mi)
Their website › · ·
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December · Hesston (near La Porte), IN
Santa's Candy Cane Express at Hesston Steam Museum
Two weekends in early December
The steam museum's Christmas trains carry families through the snowy woods to visit Santa on two December weekends.
A table nearby: Heston Supper Club (in town) · Redamak's (4 mi)
Their website › · ·
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December · Benton Harbor, MIcheck the dates
Sarett Winter Open House
Sunday 13 December, 1–4 pm (Santa 2–4 pm)
A winter open house at Sarett Nature Center along the Paw Paw River.
A table nearby: The Livery (3 mi) · Jollay Orchards (5 mi)
Their website › · ·
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December · Shipshewana, IN
Shipshewana Lights of Joy
Mid-November through December 31, nightly
A drive-through light show at the Shipshewana Trading Place: nearly two miles of lighted scenes with Christmas music on the car radio.
A table nearby: Shipshewana Auction Restaurant (in town) · Blue Gate Restaurant (in town)
Their website › · ·
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December · Sturgis, MIexpected date
Sturgis Tree Lighting & Parade of Lights
First Thursday (tree lighting) and Friday (parade) of December
Sturgis lights its community tree with a children's reading of a Christmas poem, and the next evening more than fifty lighted floats from local businesses and clubs roll downtown.
Their website › · ·
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December · South Bend, INcheck the dates
Tree Lighting & Santa's Arrival
Friday 4 December, 5–9 pm (tree lit shortly after 6 pm)
Downtown South Bend's First Friday tree lighting on the Gridiron, with Santa's arrival and Santa's House.
A table nearby: Café Navarre (in town) · Barnaby's (in town)
Their website › · ·
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December · Elkhart, IN
Winterfest Parade and Tree Lighting
Saturday 5 December
Downtown Elkhart's day of breakfast with Santa, shopping and kids' activities, ending with a lighted parade and tree lighting.
Their website › · ·
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January · Goshen, IN
Goshen First Fridays: Fire & Ice
First Friday of January, 5–9 pm
Downtown Goshen opens the year with live ice carving, fire performers, an ice throne and sleigh for photos, and outdoor fires with free marshmallows. The Goshen Historical Museum stays open into the evening.
Downtown Goshen has held monthly First Fridays festivals since 2007.
A table nearby: Goshen Brewing Company (in town) · South Side Soda Shop & Diner (in town)
Their website › · ·
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January · Shipshewana, IN
Shipshewana Ice Festival & Chili Cook-Off
Mid-January, Friday–Saturday
Professional carvers fill the town with ice sculptures, with live carving and a carving competition, plus a wing contest on Friday evening and a chili contest on Saturday.
A table nearby: Shipshewana Auction Restaurant (in town) · Blue Gate Restaurant (in town)
Their website › · ·
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January · St. Joseph, MI
St. Joseph Ice Fest
A weekend in late January / early February
Downtown St. Joseph fills with ice carvers working through the weekend, a lit 'Fire & Ice' tower, frozen games for families and a scavenger hunt along State and Pleasant streets.
A table nearby: The Livery (1 mi) · Bit of Swiss Pastry Shoppe (5 mi)
Their website › · ·
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January · Cassopolis, MIexpected date
Stone Lake Ice Fishing Bowl
A Saturday in January, when the ice is at least six inches thick; lines in at 6 am, fish measured by 11 am
A hook-and-line contest for the longest bluegill, crappie and perch through the ice of Stone Lake, with check-in at the beach Snack Shack near 203 S. Disbrow and awards afterward on Broadway. Entry is $30 cash; the 2026 bowl was postponed for thin ice, so watch for the new date.
Organized by Cassopolis Main Street, the village’s downtown organization.
A table nearby: Holden Green Tavern (in town) · Wounded Minnow Saloon (7 mi)
Their website › · ·
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February · Dowagiac, MI
Dowagiac Ice Time Festival
First Saturday of February (approx.), 10 am–4 pm
A one-day winter festival downtown with ice sculptures, a chili crawl through local restaurants, children's crafts, open shops and a fire-department s'mores tent.
The 2023 festival was the 26th annual, organized by the Greater Dowagiac Chamber of Commerce.
A table nearby: Wounded Minnow Saloon (in town) · Wood Fire Trattoria (in town)
Their website › · ·
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February · South Haven, MI
South Haven Ice Breaker Festival
First weekend of February (approx.)
More than forty ice sculptures line downtown South Haven, alongside cardboard sled races, horse-drawn wagon rides, outdoor skating and a chili cook-off.
2027 is billed as the 33rd annual Ice Breaker.
A table nearby: Clementine's (in town)
Their website › · ·
Keep the calendar
All 108 events with set dates, in one calendar file. Subscribe in your calendar Download the file Get the valley letter, once a month
Subscribing keeps the dates up to date as we add the next year’s; your calendar app checks the file about once a week. It holds only the event dates, nothing about you.
Before you go
- Check the dates. Most events keep the same weekend each year, but the exact days are set by the organisers. Their own website has the latest.
- Make a weekend of it. Pair an event with the museums nearby and somewhere to eat and stay.
- Know of one we missed? Tell us, with its website.
Every event here was checked against its own website, or a city, county or tourism page, in October 2026. Events marked “check the dates” had not yet posted their next dates. “Add to my calendar” makes a calendar file on your device; nothing is sent anywhere.