The Festival of Trains

Name: The Festival of Trains
Start: 2026-01-02T10:00:00-05:00
End: 2026-01-02T18:00:00-05:00
Location: Creekside Community Church Traverse City

Schedule

Fri Jan 02 2026 at 10:00 am to 06:00 pm

UTC-05:00

Location

Creekside Community Church Traverse City | Traverse City, MI

This year’s event will be held at the Creekside Community Church Hall – 3686 W. South Airport Road – just behind Best Buy on the north side of Airport Road. The show will take place in the general-purpose area of the church and gymnasium.
Festival Hours:
Monday-Saturday 10 AM- 6 PM
Sunday 1PM- 4PM
Special Hours:
Dec. 24th, 10AM - 4PM
Closed Dec. 25th
Dec. 31st, 10AM - 4PM
Jan. 1st, 1 - 4PM
Jan. 3rd, 10AM - 4PM.
Santa will visit on the 21st from 1 pm to 3 pm.
Admission: $5 (age 4 and under free)
Festival Pass: $30 Unlimited visits for household of
2 adults & up to 3 children
The Festival of Trains History –
The Festival of Trains has been an annual holiday tradition in Traverse since 1991. Dave Walker, Rick Antosh and Bryan Crough who are considered to be the “Founding Fathers”, began the festival in the Traverse City Opera House. The FOT was a major fundraiser for the renovations at the Opera House, and it quickly became a significant attraction for the Traverse City area. When the renovations began in 2002, much to the dismay of hundreds of children (and adults) throughout Northern Michigan, the Festival of Trains shut down due to not having a suitable venue anymore.
In 2003, thanks to the help of The Northern Michigan Railroad Club, the FOT was reborn at the Historic Carnegie Library on 6th Street, now home to the Crooked Tree Art Center, and formerly known as the Traverse Area Historical Society. The Northern Michigan Railroad Club had been the primary exhibitor at the FOT since the club’s inception in 2003. Many or our members were also involved with the FOT prior to the existence of the Club at the City Opera House.
In 2021, in order to provide more space for layouts and increased parking, FOT moved to Creekside Community Church where it has been held ever since.
With nearly 6,000+ visitors each year, the FOT is now one of the largest fundraisers for Traverse City charities and is currently partnering with The Children’s Museum and Creekside Community Church.