Ludington & Manistee
Manistee
A Lake Michigan port city where the river meets the lake, with a historic downtown riverwalk, three city beaches and a pierhead light to climb in season.
Parade · Holiday · Heritage · Manistee
Victorian Sleighbell Parade
An evening holiday parade of horse-drawn entries on Manistee's Historic River Street, the centerpiece of the four-day Old Christmas Weekend each December.
Each December, Manistee closes Historic River Street to traffic for a day and turns its downtown over to the Victorian Sleighbell Parade. The parade leans on a Victorian theme: entries are pulled by horses, participants dress in period costume, and the signature moment is a team of draft horses hauling a tall decorated Christmas tree down the street. After the tree passes, the evening continues with luminaries, carols and the lighting of the tree.
The parade anchors Old Christmas Weekend, a four-day run of Victorian-themed events organized under the Manistee County Tourism Authority’s banner. The weekend schedule has included a Festival of Trees and holiday decor display at the Ramsdell Theatre, a craft bazaar at the Wagoner Center, choral concerts, church open houses and a Scandinavian Christmas open house at the Old Kirke Museum. Check the official schedule each year, since individual events and times change.
What to expect
The parade runs on Saturday evening along Historic River Street, with horse-drawn entries, costumed participants and a team of draft horses pulling a large decorated tree through downtown, followed by luminaries, caroling and a tree lighting. Around it, Old Christmas Weekend adds a Festival of Trees at the Ramsdell Theatre, a craft bazaar, concerts and museum open houses.
Location
Where Victorian Sleighbell Parade happens
4 places on an OpenStreetMap map
The pin marks the town; check the organizer for exact venues.
About Manistee
Nearby attractions
Straight-line distances, not driving distances.
Historic site
Ramsdell Theatre
Manistee's 1903 opera house, on the National Register of Historic Places, restored and still staging plays, concerts and live broadcasts.
Under a mile away (straight line)
Museum
Manistee County Historical Museum
Manistee's history museum in a downtown drugstore building on River Street, with period rooms, a log cabin replica and maritime exhibits.
Under a mile away (straight line)
Waterfront
Manistee Riverwalk
A boardwalk along the Manistee River behind downtown, with benches, history markers and boats going by, open year-round.
Under a mile away (straight line)
Places to stay nearby
Resort · Mid-range
Little River Casino Resort
At US-31 and M-22 in Manistee
A casino resort in Manistee run by the Little River Band of Ottawa Indians, listed as open year-round, with a hotel, RV park, spa, event center and restaurants.
Inn · Budget
The Ramsdell Inn
In the Ramsdell Building at River and Maple Streets in downtown Manistee
A small hotel on the upper floors of Manistee's 1891 Ramsdell Building, a turreted landmark at River and Maple Streets, with a pub below.
More events in and around Manistee
- Manistee National Forest FestivalManistee's Fourth of July festival, run by the Manistee Area Chamber of Commerce, with a parade, carnival, artisan fair, lumberjack show and fireworks over Lake Michigan.
- Sparkle in the ParkA holiday light display at the Hopkins Park campground in Bear Lake, with more than 100,000 lights to drive through or see by carriage ride.
- Pure Ludington New Year's Eve Ball DropA downtown Ludington street party on New Year's Eve with live music, a ball drop at midnight and fireworks.