Southern Gateway
Grand Haven
A Lake Michigan beach city on the Grand River: a state park beach, a pier walk to two red lights, a riverfront boardwalk and free Musical Fountain shows.
Festival · Family · Sports · Outdoors · Grand Haven
Grand Haven Winterfest
A late-January weekend festival in Grand Haven with cardboard sled racing, snow volleyball, a kids' day, a bonfire and fireworks.
Winterfest fills a long weekend at the end of January in Grand Haven. The program mixes silly and competitive events: homemade cardboard sleds race downhill, snow volleyball teams play outdoors, and card players settle in for a euchre tournament.
Saturday is the busiest day, with activities for children, a snow angel contest, a bonfire and fireworks to close the evening. The event schedule changes a little from year to year, so check the festival site for the current lineup before you go.
What to expect
The most recent program ran Thursday through Sunday, with a glow bowl, a cardboard sled build and race, a slopestyle competition, dog sled demonstrations, a Kids' Day, a snow angel contest, a euchre tournament, snow volleyball, a bonfire and a fireworks finale, ending with a Sunday pancake breakfast. A free shuttle looped between downtown, Mulligan's Hollow and the YMCA on Saturday.
Location
Where Grand Haven Winterfest happens
4 places on an OpenStreetMap map
The pin marks the town; check the organizer for exact venues.
About Grand Haven
Nearby attractions
Straight-line distances, not driving distances.
State park
Grand Haven State Park
A 48-acre sand beach park where the Grand River meets Lake Michigan, with a swim beach, a modern campground and views of the pier lighthouses.
About 1 miles away (straight line)
Beach
Grand Haven City Beach
Grand Haven's city-run Lake Michigan beach on South Harbor Drive, just south of the state park, with its own free lot and a simpler setup.
About 1 miles away (straight line)
Lighthouse
Grand Haven South Pierhead Lights
Two red range lights on Grand Haven's south pier, joined by an elevated catwalk, marking the harbor entrance where the Grand River meets Lake Michigan.
About 1 miles away (straight line)
Places to stay nearby
Hotel · Budget
Best Western Beacon Inn
On South Beacon Boulevard (US-31) in Grand Haven
A Best Western on Beacon Boulevard in Grand Haven, about a mile and a half from downtown and the Lake Michigan shore.
Bed and breakfast
Boyden House Inn
On South Fifth Street near downtown Grand Haven
A bed and breakfast in a restored 1870s house around the corner from downtown Grand Haven, once the home of lumberman Charles Boyden.
Bed and breakfast · Mid-range
Harbor House Inn
On Harbor Drive across from the Grand Haven boardwalk
A Victorian-style inn on Harbor Drive in downtown Grand Haven, across the street from the boardwalk, with 19 guest rooms.
Bed and breakfast
Washington Street Inn
On Washington Avenue in Grand Haven
A Grand Haven bed and breakfast in a 1902 American Foursquare house built by H.J. Dornbos, run by the same innkeepers since 1987.
More events in and around Grand Haven
- Grand Haven Art FestivalA three-day June art festival that fills downtown Washington Avenue with artists' booths, with free admission and a Saturday family day.
- Grand Haven Coast Guard FestivalA summer festival in Grand Haven honoring the U.S. Coast Guard, with waterfront mainstage events at the Lynne Sherwood Waterfront Stadium.
- Grand Haven Jingle Bell ParadeGrand Haven's early December holiday parade, now run by the Coast Guard Festival team, with community groups, marching units and decorated vehicles.