DETROIT, (November 7th, 2019) – The annual Belle Isle Holiday Stroll, presented by the Belle Isle Conservancy, returns on Friday, December 13th, 2019 from 5 p.m to 8 p.m.
The Belle Isle Holiday Stroll is a free event, traditionally held on the second Friday of December, that welcomes park visitors to enjoy a family-friendly schedule of holiday activities and performances at institutions across the island. Participating island partners include the Michigan Department of Natural Resources Parks and Recreation and Law Enforcement Divisions, Detroit Zoological Society, Detroit Historical Society, and Friends of Detroit Rowing. Visitors will have the opportunity to visit institutions including the Belle Isle Aquarium, Belle Isle Nature Center, Belle Isle Boat House, Dossin Great Lakes Museum, Anna Scripps Whitcomb Conservatory, and the Belle Isle Casino.
Each institution will be open after hours for guests to tour and will host holiday attractions and activities that include the Pewabic Street Team, Santa’s Workshop, various crafts, a food truck court, and holiday photos. Several performing arts ensembles from the Detroit Public Schools Community District will provide live entertainment, as well as WellSpring Choral and “the Urban Violinist” Kym Brady. In addition, Belle Isle Conservancy will host the first-ever Belle Isle Holiday Stroll Winter Market at the Belle Isle Casino with a small selection of local vendors to participate in the pilot program.
“We are excited to use the inaugural Winter Market as an opportunity to welcome local businesses to Belle Isle and share homegrown holiday cheer with the community and surrounding neighborhoods,” says Michele Hodges, President & CEO of the Belle Isle Conservancy. “You will find that there’s a little something for everyone here in Detroit’s Backyard!”
The Michigan Department of Natural Resources Law Enforcement Division will host “Stuff-a-Truck” with the goal of filling an entire patrol truck with new toys to be donated to children in need. In addition, various locations will collect new toys as part of the Toys 4 Tots program.
In an effort to provide some parking convenience and to keep traffic flowing smoothly on the island, Belle Isle Holiday Stroll guests will be able to park and ride with shuttle service being provided to each participating location. Shuttles will run in 15-minute intervals and will include two ADA accessible shuttles.
A full event schedule is available on the Belle Isle Conservancy’s website at www.belleisleconservancy.org/holidaystroll and on the event’s Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/events/331106941088616/.
About Belle Isle Holiday Stroll
The annual Belle Isle Holiday Stroll began in 1993, then hosted by the Belle Isle Botanical Society which is now part of the Belle Isle Conservancy after merging with several other Belle Isle affinity groups. The event originally brought holiday programming to the Anna Scripps Whitcomb Conservatory with only 20 people attending the first year. It’s grown to host crowds of over 2,000 people islandwide.
About the Belle Isle Conservancy
The Belle Isle Conservancy’s mission is to protect, preserve, restore, and enhance the natural environment, historic structures, and unique character of Belle Isle as a public park for the enjoyment of all – now and forever. On February 10th, 2014, historic Belle Isle joined Michigan’s expansive and award-winning park system as Michigan’s 102nd state park. The Belle Isle Conservancy brings additional resources to the park for improvement projects and cultural programs throughout the island. For more information, visit www.belleisleconservancy.org.
