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, there are numerous events each season to enjoy. 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.
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.
The Chili Chowder was a great success this year! A big thank you to our partners, The Fresh Palate and the Thunder Bay Arts Council who helped to make the event great as a part of the Shades of Fall. And another big thank you to all of those who participated including: Keep Judge Curtis, Neighborhood Provisions, Kipfmiller's Produce & Meats, Cliff Anschuetz Chevrolet, The Mountain Bar & Grill, Terry Zuchowski, Red Brick Tap & Barrel, and Blue Moon Cafe. |
Bard at the BarBard 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.
Bard at the Bar is postponed as Thunder Bay Theatre seeks to renovate and repair their building following the 2020 fire at the neighboring John A. Lau. For more information about TBT, visit their website. |
Witches Night OutThe Alpena Downtown Development Authority is hosting Witches Night Out in Downtown Alpena on Friday, October 21st from 5pm-7pm! There will be cauldrons at participating businesses with deals and discounts for the community to draw and use! Join us for a bewitching night in Downtown Alpena!
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Downtown Trick-or-TreatingThe Alpena Downtown Trick-or-Treating will be happening on Friday, October 28th from 5pm-7pm!
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Winter Events
Bolenz Jewelry Holiday Parade + Downtown Tree LightingJoin us to kick off the holiday season on Friday, November 25 at 5:30 pm with the annual Bolenz Holiday Parade through Downtown Alpena! The tree lighting ceremony and arrival of Santa in Culligan Plaza follows the parade.
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Visit With Santa DowntownSanta will be at his house in Culligan Plaza in Downtown Alpena on the following dates and times:
Fridays, December 2nd, 9th, and 16th, 2022 Saturdays, December 3rd, 10th, and 17th, 2022 We are excited to see the community coming to enjoy the holiday season downtown! |
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Holiday Open HouseThis year, the Downtown Development Authority is hosting a Holiday Open House for the businesses in Downtown Alpena on Saturday, November 19th, 2022. This event will be an all-day event and the entire community is welcome to come and join in the fun! Each business will be decorated in their own way for the holiday season and some businesses may even decide to do deals or hand out yummy treats! Come join us in Downtown Alpena this November for a fun-filled day!
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Downtown Alpena Holiday OrnamentsThis year, the DDA is teaming up with the Huron Humane Society and the Brush Up Pottery & Art Studio to do a Holiday Ornament fundraiser in Downtown Alpena. The ornaments will come in a package that will include two ornaments and a paint kit and can be purchased beginning on Saturday, November 19th, 2022 at Brush Up Pottery & Art Studio. You can take them home with your family to decorate them, but they must be brought back to the studio by December 11th, 2022 to be baked! The packages will be $20 to purchase.
Once they are baked, the DDA staff and Huron Humane Society staff will be hanging the ornaments on the big Christmas tree in Culligan Plaza for the week leading up to Christmas and through the New Year celebration! We are hoping to see the tree completely decorated with ornaments from the community! |
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Small Business Saturday
Small 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 during the holiday season.
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 26th, 2022. Learn more at the Facebook event here.
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 26th, 2022. Learn more at the Facebook event here.
Alpena Ice FestivalAlpena Ice Fest is scheduled for Saturday, February 12, 2022! The event begins at Mich-e-ke-wis Park with ice sculptures on display by Ice Creations of Napolean, Ohio, a huge bonfire by Alpena Fire Department, demonstrations, food and fun, ice and snow related activities. Activities then move to downtown from 5-9 pm!
Nearly thirty ice sculptures will be on display throughout Downtown Alpena, including an ice throne in Culligan Plaza! Stores will be open late until 7 pm, and enjoy "Fire and Ice" themed cocktails and specials at downtown restaurants. |
Restaurant WeekThe Alpena DDA is excited to announce our first ever Downtown Alpena Restaurant Week from Saturday, February 19 through Saturday, February 26, 2022! Over the course of the week, downtown restaurants, cafes, and eateries will be offering lunch, dinner and drink specials. From cozy cafes to farm fresh dining, Restaurant Week is a celebration of the growing culinary scene here in Downtown Alpena.
Our first year's event is proudly sponsored by Alpena Agency and Auto-Owner's Insurance. Thank you for your support of our local restaurants and helping us make this event a success! |
Spring Events
Downtown Clean Up & Flower Planting
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This year, a group of volunteers is leading an initiative to beautify Downtown Alpena by planting flowers in the tree bases along Chisholm Street! There is a planting day where you can participate in this event on Saturday, May 28th from 9am-11am. Volunteers will be meeting on Saturday at Culligan Plaza to pick up gardening supplies if needed, but please bring your own if you have it!
If you want to sponsor a flat of flowers, you can donate $50 that will be used to purchase a flat of flowers from Kipfmiller's Produce & Nursery. Each sponsor will get a sign posted in one of the tree bases to recognize their support. You can donate online at the link below! |
Summer Events
Fishing for Downtown Dollars
Our Fishing for Downtown Dollars event will be back this year during the Brown Trout Festival! Stop in any participating business on Friday, July 15 & Saturday, July 16, 2022 to go "fishing" to win Downtown Dollars! Over $500 of Downtown Dollars will be in fishbowls throughout the downtown in participating businesses.
A special thanks to Alpena Furniture & Flooring, Bolenz Jewelry, and Bluebird Boutique for sponsoring extra fish this year! Check out the Facebook event below for a list of participating stops. |
Downtown Sidewalk SalesCome to Downtown Alpena on Friday, August 12th & Saturday, August 13th, 2022, to enjoy the Downtown Sidewalk Sales event that will be taking place. Participating businesses will be placing marked down merchandise outside of their storefronts for the public to come and purchase! There are always some great deals, and it is always a fun day spent in Downtown Alpena.
Live Mannequin Shopping EventOn June 10th, 2022, from 5pm-7pm, there will be a live mannequin shopping event in Downtown Alpena! There are six businesses that are participating in the event, and they will have live mannequin displays in their stores for the duration of it. Along with all of the fun that you will have shopping, you will also have the opportunity to win a goodie basket full of items donated by the participating businesses. You can be entered to win the goodie basket by taking a photo at one of the participating locations, posting it to social media, and tagging Downtown Alpena in it! We hope to see a lot of shoppers downtown for this event! |
Cars & Coffee
Cars & Coffee is back this year thanks to Sam Rumbles- State Farm! The event will take place three Saturday's this summer, June 25, July 23, and August 27 from 8 am- 1 pm. All classic and unique cars are welcome to join on River St. in Downtown Alpena, please enter off Second Ave. Grab a coffee and check out some cool cars! For more info, contact Sam Rumbles at 989-356-2524.
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Friday Night Street PerformersOn Friday nights throughout the summer, street performers are scattered all over Downtown Alpena offering live music from blues to jazz to country.
Downtown Street Performers kick off on Friday, May 27, 2022 and run all summer long, weather permitting. You can tune in to Live Music from local musicians and bands in Avery Park, Culligan Plaza, River St. Park and Pocket Park from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm. |
Fresh Waves: The Downtown Mural Project
In 2019, the DDA launched a new arts initiative to bring vibrant murals and public art downtown. Over three years, the project has commissioned fifteen unique, inspiring pieces of artwork! Each year the location of the mural will change and be selected by the DDA's Marketing & Promotions Committee. We will be announcing 2022 details in Early 2022.
