On the first Saturday in October, people who live in the apartments above Auburn Road's restaurants came down to the sidewalk and handed out candy. Connect Macomb CEO Stacy Ziarko told WXYZ that this is her favorite small tradition at Nightmare on Auburn Road. She also said downtown businesses call the day "their best day of the year." The event was in its fourth year. Auburn Road closed at 8 a.m., and the program ran from noon with costume contests, live music, a craft beer tent and trick-or-treating at participating businesses.
Downtown's next big night is Saturday, Dec. 12, when the Christmas tree lighting and fireworks come back. The weeks in between get the season ready in a set order. Some steps have to wait for others, and several finish on the night the tree goes up. If you live a few minutes from Auburn Road, you can watch it come together and pick which stage you want to see.
The Sequence, as Currently Scheduled
- First. The city's Department of Public Works hangs wreaths on the downtown light poles. The holiday lights can't go up until the wreaths are on.
- Mid-November, at the earliest. Mini LED lights go onto 77 poles along Auburn Road, Cass Avenue and Van Dyke Avenue.
- Saturday, Nov. 28. Last night of Chef Ryan Mateling's Aiko Japanese Street Food residency at Host Utica.
- Tuesday, Dec. 1. Chef Domenic Joseph's Modern American residency starts in the same kitchen.
- Saturday, Dec. 12. Tree lighting and fireworks.
- After Jan. 2. The pole lights start coming down.
Wreaths Come First, and the City Owns the Lights
The order starts at the poles. C&G Newspapers reported that at its Oct. 13 meeting, the Utica City Council voted unanimously to bring back Landscape Services Inc. to install this year's lights. Installation probably won't start until mid-November, because the DPW has to hang the wreaths first.
This year the job costs $5,180, up from $4,190 last year. The base price for installation, removal and storage is $4,550. The estimate also includes $630 to replace white, red and green strands, at $210 per color. Mayor Gus Calandrino spoke about the increase at the meeting, as C&G reported:
"The (base) price increased again, 8.6% this year. Seems like every year the price continues to go up."
The lights belong to the city. The contractor installs them, takes them down and stores them, so switching vendors would mean getting the strands back first. The council may take bids for the 2027 season next summer. Whatever happens with the bids, the lights on Cass and Van Dyke this season are city property, and this year some of the strands are being replaced. Removal will likely start after Jan. 2.
Last Halloween Launched a Coffeehouse That Turns One Around Nov. 21
The weeks after Nightmare on Auburn Road have given downtown at least one new business. Main's Treat Coffeehouse at 7765 Auburn Road listed a planned opening date of Nov. 21, 2025. When the Halloween event ran last year, the shop wasn't open yet. Owner Jon Rose told WXYZ that just being visible that day paid off. "Right out of the gate, there were people that already knew us from that event, whether they came to us at that event or simply saw the signage in front of the store," Rose said.
That means the coffeehouse reaches its first anniversary in the middle of light installation. Its locations page lists hours of 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. That's long enough for a morning coffee before the wreaths go up or a cup after dark once the poles are lit.
This is also the first holiday season on Auburn Road for State Farm agent Alisha Alef. In the same WXYZ report, she said she spent years on Sterritt Street in a plaza behind a gas station before moving into the heart of downtown this year. "Being local in all the action has been super exciting for us," Alef said. Her office is at 7726 Auburn Road. Ziarko gave another reason the Halloween crowd matters to businesses: "Macomb County has very few organic downtowns, so this is an opportunity for us to celebrate the downtown character that's here."
Host Utica's Kitchen Changes Hands the Week After Thanksgiving
Down the block, the biggest change in this stretch happens over a single weekend. We've written before about how Host Utica rotates its resident chefs. This fall, the handoff lands right on the holiday calendar.
According to Host Utica's restaurant page, Aiko Japanese Street Food runs through Saturday, Nov. 28, the Saturday after Thanksgiving. Hours are 5 to 10 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday and 5 to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Chef Ryan Mateling named the concept after his Japanese grandmother, Aiko. He has cooked at Voyager, Besa, The Cook's House, Antietam and Amical, and he cooks alongside his 15-year-old son, Dylan. Aiko started as a pop-up series in Detroit and Traverse City and later became a food truck. Host says that after the residency, the chef plans to open a new Metro Detroit takeout spot in the new year. If you want to try Aiko in Utica, Thanksgiving weekend is your last chance.
Three days later, on Tuesday, Dec. 1, Chef Domenic Joseph's Modern American residency starts. It runs through Jan. 30, 2027. That timing puts a new menu in place for the 11 days before the tree lighting, when downtown is fully lit and people are planning holiday dinners.
Brunch doesn't change during the handoff. Executive Chef David Parker runs Host's in-house brunch program, Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. On Thanksgiving weekend you can have brunch from the house kitchen and dinner from the outgoing residency on the same day.
The Toy Drive That Wraps Up at the Tree
One more thread runs beneath the lights and menus and also finishes on tree-lighting night. Last year, C&G reported that the Utica Fire Department collected donations through its Stuff an Ambulance drive and its Battle of the Bars challenge. In Battle of the Bars, local bars and restaurants compete to collect the most toys and cash. The business with the highest combined total wins a traveling trophy, handed out at the tree lighting.
Al's Hideaway Bar & Grill at 43126 Van Dyke Ave. won in 2025. Fire department representative Mike Ryan said the cash donations pay for a shopping trip with local Boy Scout and Girl Scout troops. He also said Cub Scout Pack 252 and Girl Scout troops helped stuff and decorate the ambulance. If the 2026 drive follows that format, new, unwrapped toys dropped at a participating downtown business in late November count toward the trophy. Check the City of Utica's website for this year's details.
Dec. 12, and What Last Year's Celebration Looked Like
At its Sept. 8 meeting, the council approved the 2026 tree lighting and fireworks. The fireworks are covered under the second year of a three-year contract the council approved earlier, so they're set through at least next year's event.
The city hasn't announced this year's start time or location yet. Last year's event, on Dec. 13, 2025, started at 7 p.m. at Memorial Park, down the road from Jimmy John's Field. Santa and a bake sale were at Utica Public Library. Jack Skellington and Sally from "The Nightmare Before Christmas" came, along with Buddy the Elf. Before the lighting, singer and Utica High School graduate Vanessa Carr performed Christmas songs with members of the Dance Class Youth Troupe. The Utica High School marching band had to cancel because of the cold. The night ended with the tree lighting and fireworks.
Organizers also encouraged people to stop at downtown bars and restaurants that night. By Dec. 12 this year, those businesses will have had several weeks under the lit poles. Host's new resident chef will be 11 days in, and Main's Treat will be past its first anniversary. If the toy drive follows last year's format, the trophy gets handed out that night too.
Being close to Auburn Road shapes a lot of daily life in Utica, from these holiday weeks to Halloween on the closed-off street. If you're curious how that walkability shows up in what homes nearby are worth, The Matti Team is happy to help. Contact us for a free neighborhood consultation, or take a look at our Utica neighborhood guide before your next trip downtown.
