Grand Rapids World of Winter Parade to be Rescheduled

UPDATE 1/12/2024: The World of Winter Parade has been postponed. We will update this post when a new date is announced.

This winter has been a historically below-average dry season for Michigan, as December had only 1.89" of snowfall. Michigan is finally experiencing winter weather this week, which is just in time for the annual World of Winter Festival.

This Friday, January 12th from 6 pm to 9 pm, Downtown Grand Rapids will be bustling with food trucks and a lantern parade celebrating the opening ceremony throughout Ah-Nab-Awen Park. If you come to the parade, you are encouraged to bring your own lanterns to help light the parade.

The festival will feature guest DJs, a special performance by the Grand Rapids Gold basketball team drumline, a s'mores station, and will feature a sneak peek of John Ball Zoo's own Lantern Festival.

The World of Winter Festival runs for two months from January 12th to March 12th. This is the largest winter festival in the United States. The Festival has over 150 free events, activities, and outdoor art installations like the Grand Legacy Mural Immersive Experience, the Singing Tree, and Messie the Grand River Monster.

Below is a map of the art installations and events. An interactive version of the map is available here. All events and installations are free to the public and are family-friendly.