For the past three years, South Haven held its downtown holiday celebration on the Friday after Thanksgiving. This year that Friday, November 27, is the deadline. Parade applications and luminary orders for the renamed Holiday in the Haven are due that day, and the celebration itself is Saturday, December 5, 2026, from 5 to 7 p.m.
The event used to fill a Black Friday afternoon with activities in several places. Now its main program fits between 5 and 7 p.m. and runs in order from the Michigan Maritime Museum, down Phoenix Street and into Dyckman Park. Even the tree lighting now waits on the parade. If you want to be in the parade, or want a luminary glowing downtown that night, the planning happens the week before.
Three Black Fridays in a Row
The old Holiday in the Park ran on a steady schedule. In 2023, FOX 17 reported it was on Friday, November 24. The parade started at 4:30 p.m., Santa photos ran 4:45 to 6:30, the lighting ceremony was at 5:30 and people skated at the Pavilion rink.
In 2024 the date was November 29, again the Friday after Thanksgiving. The West Michigan Tourist Association listed a long, spread-out program:
- Santa photos with his reindeer, Mrs. Claus and the elves from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m.
- The City Hall community tree lighting at 5:30 p.m., hosted by Paul Layendecker of 103.7 COSY FM
- Ornament crafts at the South Haven Center for the Arts
- A Holiday Scavenger Hunt with The Mitten Children's Museum
- Skating at the South Haven Ice Rink until 8 p.m.
- S'mores and treats from the Sweet Escape Coffee and Dessert Truck in Dyckman Park
- The Corewell Health Hospice Luminary Path
"We'll have a day of fun activities, offering something special for everyone to enjoy!" Jennifer Sistrunk, executive director of the South Haven Van Buren County Convention and Visitors Bureau, told the West Michigan Tourist Association that year.
She was describing a whole day of activities, and the program fit that description. You could arrive at 4:30 for Santa, skate until 8 and catch the tree lighting at a set time in between. In 2025, WSJM reported the celebration was set for November 28, again on Black Friday. The program included the Claus and Paws Holiday Parade, the tree lighting ceremony at City Hall, Santa photos at Dyckman Park, snow globe ornament making at the Center for the Arts and the Corewell Health Hospice Luminary Stroll.
An Evening Built Around One Parade
Visit South Haven announced the 2026 change in four words, and kept the tone of the old event:
New Name, New Date, Same Holiday Spirit!
The South Haven Area Chamber of Commerce calendar lists Holiday in the Haven as "Hosted by Visit South Haven," the same tourism bureau that announced the Holiday in the Park program in 2025.
Here is how the evening of December 5 runs, according to Visit South Haven's event page and the Chamber listing:
- Before 5 p.m., at the Michigan Maritime Museum. The celebration opens with Cocoa with the Captain, a holiday craft and a sing-along.
- 5 p.m., the Claus & Paws Holiday Parade. Dogs from Decadent Dogs lead the parade down Phoenix Street, and Santa and Mrs. Claus close it out.
- Right after the parade, the community tree lighting. The parade ends at Dyckman Park, and the crowd gathers across the street at City Hall to light the tree.
- 5:30 to 7 p.m., pictures with Santa at Dyckman Park.
- All evening, the Luminary Evening of Remembrance and Hope. Luminaries go out along downtown streets during the day and are lit as the sun sets, leading toward the marina.
Set the 2024 program next to this one and the changes are easy to see.
| Holiday in the Park, 2024 | Holiday in the Haven, 2026 | |
|---|---|---|
| Date | Friday, November 29 | Saturday, December 5 |
| Santa photos | 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. | 5:30 to 7 p.m. |
| Tree lighting | 5:30 p.m. at City Hall | At City Hall, immediately after the 5 p.m. parade |
| Where it begins | Activities spread across downtown, including the Center for the Arts | Michigan Maritime Museum, then the parade |
| Parade route | Downtown | Phoenix Street, ending at Dyckman Park |
The tree lighting row is the one to plan around. In 2024 the lighting had its own time, and people could show up at 5:30 whatever else was happening. This year the lighting starts when the last float reaches Dyckman Park. Watch the parade on Phoenix Street and walk with it to the park, and you will be at City Hall when the lights come on. Santa photos now start after the lighting instead of an hour before it, so families can see the parade and still make it to Santa.
The Chamber listing also mentions that downtown shops, restaurants and decorated storefronts are part of the evening, "giving families plenty to explore before and after the festivities." With the formal program done by 7, a Saturday night gives you time for dinner downtown before or after.
Where the Parade Lines Up
Visit South Haven says the parade is open to local businesses, school groups, nonprofits, community organizations, families and friends, whether they are returning participants or joining for the first time. Entries can be a decorated float, a lit-up vehicle or a group on foot.
Here is what the posted participant details mean on the day:
- Vehicles line up at 4:15 p.m. on Kalamazoo Street by Hello Books.
- Walkers and dogs line up from 4:30 to 4:45 p.m. in the Huron Street parking lot.
- The parade steps off at 5 p.m., travels Phoenix Street and ends at Dyckman Park.
- The best entry wins $500.
The name Claus & Paws and the Decadent Dogs pack at the front of the line explain the separate walking lineup. Dogs are part of the parade, and they gather in the Huron Street lot with everyone else on foot. If your group is decorating a vehicle, plan to be on Kalamazoo Street at 4:15, about 45 minutes before the start.
What Has to Happen by November 27
On publish day there are eight days until both deadlines, and they fall on Black Friday.
Parade entries. Applications are due Friday, November 27, 2026, through the Holiday in the Haven parade application. That covers floats, vehicles, walking groups and dogs.
Luminaries. Each luminary costs $10 and honors or remembers someone special. Order through the Corewell Health Hospice luminary page by 5 p.m. on Friday, November 27. The luminaries support Corewell Health Hospice and Palliative Care South Haven. They go out along the downtown streets during the day on December 5 and are lit for the evening, a path that leads toward the marina.
Under the old schedule, Black Friday was the event itself. This year, a luminary ordered on Thanksgiving weekend will be glowing on a downtown sidewalk eight days later, and a float started that weekend has a week of building time before it rolls down Phoenix Street.
Get your luminary and parade entry in by November 27, and plan to be on Phoenix Street by 5 p.m. on Saturday, December 5. If you own a home within walking distance of that route and wonder what that's worth in today's market, Amy O'Sullivan can tell you. Get your home valuation, and we can talk it over before the lights come on.
