Popular Metro Detroit Winter Festival Ends After 20 Years

ROYAL OAK, MI — The Royal Oak Winter Blast festival is sort of ending.

Organizers said the festival's popular attractions, such as zip line rides, carnival attractions and ice sculptures, will now be merged into a larger holiday celebration.

The new event will now be part of Royal Oak Holidays, which will run from Nov. 21 through Dec. 21 over five consecutive weekends in the downtown area.

The event is free and will include live music, food trucks, carnival rides, marshmallow roasting and skating exhibitions. There will also be one weekend (Dec. 12-14) of free skating at the Rink at Royal Oak.

Other popular attractions include:

Opening Weekend and Tree Lighting - Nov. 21-23

• Tree-lighting ceremony at Centennial Commons
• Season opening of the Rink at Royal Oak
• Carnival rides
• Launch of the Great Royal Oak Elf Hunt
• Live music
• Visits with Santa
• Marshmallow roasting.

Thrill Weekend - Nov. 28-30

• Zip line rides
• Life-size Hungry Hippos game
• Carriage rides
• Visits with Santa
• Marshmallow roasting.

Shop and Sweets Weekend - Dec. 5-7

• Holiday markets
• Live music at the Holiday Cabin
• Cookie crawl through downtown shops
• Santa photos
• Carriage rides
• Marshmallow roasting.

Grinch & Games Weekend - Dec. 19-21

• Grinch visits
• Grinch-themed activities
• Ice sculptures
• Winter Classic Cornhole Tournament
• Carriage rides
• Marshmallow roasting

"We’re taking everything people loved about Winter Blast and supercharging it for one amazing holiday season," said festival producer Jon Witz. "By merging its favorites features into ‘Royal Oak Holidays’ and extending the event over multiple weekends, we’re creating a bigger, more accessible celebration that delivers more value, more festive fun and more time for families to enjoy it all."