Where does Chesterfield Township's holiday season actually happen this year? The township's Fall 2026 guide puts the Christmas Tree Lighting, the Winter Village Walk, the family holiday photo sessions and the coloring contest at two addresses on Sugarbush Road: the Municipal Offices and the Community Center.
It also lasts longer than one evening. The tree lighting is on Friday, Dec. 4. The Historical Village opens its winter walk that same day on the same grounds and keeps it open through Jan. 31, 2027. The busiest night of the season is also the start of a stretch that runs nearly two months.
Two addresses carry most of the calendar
The Municipal Offices are at 47275 Sugarbush Road. The township's parks map treats that property as one site: the Municipal Office Grounds, the Senior Center and the Historical Village, all listed together. So the tree lighting and the Winter Village Walk share a site.
The Chesterfield Community Center is the other address, at 48400 Sugarbush. Most of the November activity happens there: photo sessions, coloring contest entries, and the indoor family events the parks department schedules as the weather turns.
The Chesterfield Township Library, at 50560 Patricia Ave., is the main stop off Sugarbush. It hosts two of the December events below.
November is for signing up and booking
The weeks before the tree lighting are mostly about getting on lists. Two things opened on Nov. 2 and are already available.
The Holiday Coloring Contest pages can be printed from the township's parks site or picked up at the Community Center. Entries go back to the Community Center by Friday, Dec. 11, at 4:30 p.m. Each age group gets its own page, the contest covers ages 0 through 17, and there's no fee. The township will call winners in each category.
Booking also opened Nov. 2 at 9:30 a.m. for the library's free teen and tween holiday movie night, which is covered with the December events below.
Family Holiday Photos fill several November weekends at the Community Center. Studio D Photography & Design runs the sessions, which the township guide schedules on these dates:
| Date | Day | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Nov. 14 | Saturday | 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. |
| Nov. 15 | Sunday | 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. |
| Nov. 21 | Saturday | 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. |
| Nov. 22 | Sunday | 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. |
| Nov. 25 | Wednesday | 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. |
These are photo appointments for individual families. They aren't a public open house. Wednesday, Nov. 25, the day before Thanksgiving, is the only session that runs into the evening, so it's the one date that works after a regular workday. The township's general registration rule for parks and recreation activities is that every activity requires registration, so the parks office at (586) 949-0400, option 4, is the place to ask about open slots and pricing.
The Community Center will look the same this winter as it did last winter. In the Aug. 4, 2026 primary, voters turned down a 10-year, 1-mill Parks and Recreation and Senior Services millage. According to the Macomb County Clerk's official results, the vote was 4,444 yes to 7,516 no. The Macomb Daily's election-night coverage said the proposal included a gymnasium and indoor walking track at the Community Center, along with updates at Brandenburg and Pollard parks and a new facility at Connie Bowles Park. Three days later, the Macomb Daily reported that Supervisor Bradley Kersten said the township had no plans to bring back a reduced version and would shelve the plans. This season's events will use the rooms and grounds the township already has.
Dec. 4 puts two events on the same grounds
The annual Christmas Tree Lighting is Friday, Dec. 4, at the Municipal Offices. The township guide says Santa arrives at 7:00 p.m., with Mrs. Claus, hot cocoa and horse-drawn carriage rides.
The Chesterfield Historical Society opens its Winter Village Walk the same day. The guide describes the Chesterfield Township Historical Village as open for visitors to stroll through a winter-holiday-themed village. Because the village sits on the Municipal Office grounds, both events share one site.
A few practical points for the evening:
- Santa's 7:00 p.m. arrival is the only time the guide lists for the night. No start time for the cocoa or carriage rides is printed.
- The Winter Village Walk's daily hours and admission aren't in the fall guide. The township's main line, (586) 949-0400, is the number printed in that guide.
- Historical Society events are listed as subject to change, so check the village schedule closer to the date.
- The coloring contest deadline comes a week later, on Dec. 11 at 4:30 p.m. Families finishing pages over the tree lighting weekend have until the following Friday to turn them in at the Community Center.
The guide also says sponsorships are available for the Winter Village Walk, which may interest local businesses.
The library takes the middle of December
After the tree lighting, the calendar moves to the library on Patricia Avenue. Both programs below are in the John Hebert Meeting Room, both are free, and each has its own registration date.
The first is A Jane Austen Christmas Tea, an adult program on Wednesday, Dec. 9, from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m. Barb Gulley of Barb's Tea Service presents it. Registration doesn't open until Tuesday, Dec. 1, at 9:30 a.m.
The second is the teen and tween holiday movie and hot chocolate night on Tuesday, Dec. 22, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Booking has been open since Nov. 2. Many students will be on winter break by then, which makes it one of the last organized local events before Christmas.
Here are the December dates in order:
- Friday, Dec. 4: Christmas Tree Lighting at the Municipal Offices, with Santa at 7:00 p.m. The Winter Village Walk opens the same day on the same grounds.
- Wednesday, Dec. 9: A Jane Austen Christmas Tea at the library, 6:00 to 7:00 p.m., with registration opening Dec. 1.
- Friday, Dec. 11: Coloring contest entries due at the Community Center by 4:30 p.m.
- Tuesday, Dec. 22: Teen and tween holiday movie night at the library, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.
The Village Walk stays open into January
Every other event on this holiday calendar is finished by Dec. 22. The Winter Village Walk runs from Dec. 4, 2026, through Jan. 31, 2027, which is about eight and a half weeks. It's still open after the photo sessions, the tea and the movie night are over.
That means there's no rush to see it on tree lighting night. You can visit after the coloring contest deadline, after relatives arrive for Christmas, or on a quieter weekend in January. Everything stays on the Municipal Office grounds at 47275 Sugarbush Road. The village hosted the township's Haunted History trick-or-treat trail in October, and the Winter Village Walk is the last Historical Society event in the fall guide, closing Jan. 31.
I've spent a lot of holiday seasons in Macomb County, and a lot of conversations with clients start at events like these, often with a question about a home close to the places where they spend their time. If you're starting to think about a move, or would like a current value for your home before the new year, Jim Lawson is easy to reach between the tree lighting and the end of January. You can request a home valuation, look through more about Chesterfield Township, or send a note through the contact page. Let's Connect.
