Santa On The Huron

Name: Santa On The Huron
Start: 2025-12-24T17:00:00-05:00
End: 2025-12-24T20:00:00-05:00
Location: Bandemer Park

Schedule

Wed Dec 24 2025 at 05:00 pm to 08:00 pm

UTC-05:00

Location

Bandemer Park | Ann Arbor, MI

Come say hi to Santa as he paddles on the Huron River on Christmas Eve... Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays one and all. It's once again time for our annual tradition on Christmas Eve. Bring the kids to see Santa and his doggie helper elves Jake and Boo paddle their fully decorated vintage 1930's Christmas canoe, complete with a lit Christmas tree as they paddle down the Huron River (Ann Arbor) just below Barton dam and ending at Argo Pond at the Ann Arbor Rowers dock. For safety reasons, this will be a weather-dependent event. If the river is extremely icy, or if it's windy we may have to alter or scratch the event. But we are hoping for good (mild) weather conditions. So find yourself a nice spot to watch, bundle the kids up, and bring a thermos full of cheer. This is Santa's last chance to play before hooking up his reindeer (dog team) to his magic flying voyageur canoe to drop presents to all the kids of the world. Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas to everyone.
WHERE TO SEE SANTA IN HIS CANOE
This event will take place in and along the banks of the Huron River in Ann Arbor. The plan is to put in his canoe below Barton dam just near the footbridge across the Huron (great viewing platform and good parking) Other great viewing spots would be the foot bridge over the Huron, on the walkway over the Argo dam, the observation dock at Argo, the bridge between the pond, or across the river where the crewers paddle. We hope to paddle the length of the river from just below Barton Dam to the dock at the Ann Arbor Rowing Club. There are many places to pull-off and view Santa from the road, trails, or overhead on one of the footbridges crossing over the river.
The festivities begin around 4pm. (Sunset is right around 5pm.) Santa will have his canoe decorated with lights as well he'll have a fully lit Christmas tree in his canoe. If the weather is good, he'll be joined by his trusty team of Christmas border collies Big Jake and Little Boo. If conditions permit we'll do our best to have some time for kids to meet and talk to Santa at the Barton Dam put in or the dock at Bandemer Park.
It should be a wonderful and warm family-friendly event. We all deserve a little holiday cheer and that's what we're hoping for on this special and sacred holiday night. And like every year, this year's Christmas tree was donated by our dear friends and crew at Flatsnoots.
Santa will be looking for some help loading, unloading, and moving his canoe - it will certainly put you on his "Nice" list should you need a little help getting back on it. If you'd like to lend a hand putting this event together we greatly appreciate any and all help making this event a success.
**** If there is any ice whatsoever along the shore we implore everyone, especially kids, to please stay off of it! If there is any ice it will likely be unstable and thin. No ice is safe ice right now. 🙂
We ask that you please be patient with us as there are quite literally a good number of moving parts to this event that will depend heavily on Mother Nature's cooperation which may translate into changes in time or where we put in if the ice is bad. If the winds are high then we may have to postpone or cancel altogether. We greatly appreciate not only your enthusiasm but your understanding so please check back to see if we've changed the details of this event as we get closer.
My email is [email protected] and my cell is 517.420.4341 if you need to reach me for anything. Thank you all for supporting this unique and fun holiday event which we hope will send out the year on a high note. We hope to see you there. Happy holidays my friends.