CAMPUS MARTIUS (WXYZ) — It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas in Downtown Detroit! Campus Martius has been turned into a winter wonderland.
The ice skating rink is back and so is the main attraction, the massive Christmas tree.
Related: 2023 Detroit Tree Lighting: Everything you need to know
“You come down here and you can’t not be in the Christmas mood,” said Laurie Diddrich, a Southgate resident.
Diddrich says she and her family will be back to check out the ice rink once it officially opens to the public on Saturday.
“I used to ice skate all the time but bad knees stopped have stopped that, “ Diddrich said. “But I still love to watch them, we got some really wonderful skaters and just beginners, it’s fun no matter what.”
Even though the rink won’t be open until Saturday, you can still enjoy the holiday festivities taking place in downtown Detroit.
The 20th Annual Detroit Tree Lighting will happen on Friday. You can watch the Light Up the Season special at 7 p.m. on Channel 7!
“It’s so fulfilling… it really ushers in the start of the holiday season for me and a lot of metro Detroiters, when the rink is here, the tree is here, it’s almost Christmas,” said Laura Dean with the Downtown Detroit Partnership.
On Thursday, staff from Visit Detroit and the Downtown Detroit Partnership were the first people to test out the rink. Hundreds of thousands of people are expected to be in downtown Detroit this weekend for the holiday fun.
Laurie Diddrich says she loves there’s so much to do in downtown Detroit all year long.
If you would like to enjoy the ice rink, it will be open Sundays through Thursdays from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. On Fridays, the rink will open at 11 a.m. and close at midnight and on Saturdays, it opens at 10 a.m. and closes at midnight.
For more information on the rink’s hours, visit the Downtown Detroit Partnership’s website.
