In Downtown Alpena we have a full calendar of events year round. From shopping events to our Chili Chowder Cook-off to Friday Night Street Performers to Visits with Santa, we host a lot of different events each season. Explore what might be going on downtown during your visit (no matter if you're coming from down the street or across the country!) by clicking the buttons below.
Spring Events
Spring Fever ShoptacularJoin us in Downtown Alpena on Thursday, March 25th from 5:00 pm to 8:00 pm to celebrate the first official week of spring with a little shopping for the new season!! All participating shops will be open late that night offering specials, sales, giveaways, and more!
Check out the Facebook event for the list of participating shops! 
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Chalk It Up!Chalk It Up is a free-flowing, fun event for all ages where we invite the community to come downtown and add some color to our sidewalks with chalk!
In 2020, we started this event as way for people to come together in a socially distanced way outdoors to create a little art. In 2021 we are working on expanding the event and hosting it in the spring, rather than the fall. Stay tuned for an official announcement about when we'll be hosting Chalk It Up in Spring 2021! |
Summer Events
Sidewalk SalesEach summer we work with our Downtown Merchants to collaborate and coordinate Sidewalk Sales. Sidewalk Sales are usually held the second weekend of the Brown Trout Festival.
Official dates for 2021 will be announced in the Spring.
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Friday Night Street Performers On Friday nights throughout the summer, street performers are scattered all over Downtown Alpena offering live music from blues to jazz to country.
Specifics for the 2021 season will be announced in the Spring. Learn more about how to get involved.
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Coffee and CarsCoffee and Cars is a casual event for those who own classic cars and want to get out and enjoy Downtown Alpena on Saturday mornings with others that share their interests. To participate as a car collector, you just have to drive your classic or collectible car downtown and park anywhere within the district. Then grab a coffee from Cabin Creek or Biggby and hang out downtown, walk around to find the other cars, duck into a few stores to do some shopping, or just enjoy your coffee on a picnic table in Culligan Plaza or along Second Ave.
Official dates for Coffee and Cars will be announced later this spring. 
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Alpena Blues FestivalAs part of a new collaboration between the Alpena Blues Coalition, The Fresh Palate and the Alpena DDA, the Alpena Blues Festival has moved to Downtown Alpena! In addition to live blues performances, the Fresh Palate hosts a Michigan Craft Spirits Tent, and the Alpena DDA hosts a Family Zone where kids and families can just have fun.
The Alpena Blues Coalition is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization established in 2003, committed to pursuing, preserving, and presenting music, The Blues in particular, in support of educational and charitable purposes. The coalition is a 100% volunteer organization. 100% of the support received through sponsorship and the festival are used to produce the festival and support our causes.
Above Photos by Irving Entertainment
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Fresh Waves: The Downtown Mural Project
In 2019, the DDA launched a new arts initiative to bring more murals and public art downtown. The first year, Aaron Golbeck and Chad Bolsinger painted a mural at Family Enterprise, located at 211 S. Second Avenue. Each year the location of the mural will change and be selected by the DDA's Marketing & Promotion Committee.
In 2020, two murals were painted at Salon 125 located at 125 E. Chisholm St by artist Mark Piotrowski of MARKedARTs and Thunder Bay Theatre's warehouse located at 131 E. Fletcher St by artist Britt Flood.
Usually a celebratory event follows the painting of the murals where the community can meet the artists, grab a drink or food and listen to some music.
Stay tuned for an announcement about Fresh Waves 2021 soon. You can read more about Fresh Waves: The Downtown Alpena Mural Project below.
In 2020, two murals were painted at Salon 125 located at 125 E. Chisholm St by artist Mark Piotrowski of MARKedARTs and Thunder Bay Theatre's warehouse located at 131 E. Fletcher St by artist Britt Flood.
Usually a celebratory event follows the painting of the murals where the community can meet the artists, grab a drink or food and listen to some music.
Stay tuned for an announcement about Fresh Waves 2021 soon. You can read more about Fresh Waves: The Downtown Alpena Mural Project below.
Fall Events
Chili Chowder Cook-offEvery fall, the DDA hosts its annual Chili Chowder cook off! An average of a dozen contestants from around the region compete in several categories from Best Chili or Chowder to Most Spirit Booth. The Chili Chowder Cook-Off is proudly a zero waste event with the help of our volunteers.
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Bard at the Bar - A Shakespeare Themed Bar CrawlBard at the Bar is a Shakespearean-Themed Bar Crawl hosted by the Alpena DDA and Thunder Bay Theatre (TBT). Professional actors and actresses from TBT's core company perform various scenes from Shakespeare's works at downtown bars and restaurants.
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Flannel Fun Night
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Flannel Fun Night is a cozy fall night of shopping with our wonderful Downtown Merchants. These shopping events are usually held on a Thursday evening from 5:00pm to 8:00pm. The participating businesses will be open late and running different promotions, sales, giveaways, and more.
Dates and participating merchants will be announced in Fall 2021. |
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Winter Events
Bolenz Holiday Parade + Tree LightingThe holiday season kicks off each year with the annual Holiday Parade through Downtown Alpena after which begins the tree lighting ceremony in Culligan Plaza . The annual Holiday Parade is always in the evening on the Friday after Thanksgiving and is sponsored by Bolenz Jewelry.
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Visit With Santa DowntownEach year, Santa spends a bit of time in his cottage in Downtown Alpena. He usually visits a few Saturdays between Thanksgiving and Christmas and is aided by his elves, who occasionally bring cookies and hot cocoa to share with the families that visit.
When we have official dates from Santa and his Head Elf for his 2021 visit, we will post them here in the Fall. 
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Holiday Virtual Shopping NightDuring Virtual Shopping Nights, each participating merchant will go live on their own Facebook Page for fifteen minutes. During their fifteen minutes, merchants may showcase and sell their products and services, give a tour of their store, share a little bit of their story, give demonstrations of a product, or anything else they would like to share.
Dates for 2021 coming soon! |
Small Business SaturdaySmall Business Saturday is a national shopping holiday that is celebrated the Saturday after Thanksgiving. Small Business Saturday was created to encourage people to shop local and support small, family owned businesses over corporations when they do their holiday shopping. This holiday season we would like to encourage you to take advantage of Small Business Saturday and support our downtown businesses when you're shopping for gifts.
Small Business Saturday is November 27th, 2021. |
Jingle Bell Crawl
The Jingle Bell Crawl is a multi-merchant shopping event held around the holidays in early to mid December. We coordinate and collaborate with our wonderful Downtown Merchants to host this holiday shopping event where each business will have a fun and festive sale, promotion or giveaway.
