Winter at Valade

Saturdays & Sundays: January 10 to March 1

Presented by Friends of Robert C. Valade Park

The Detroit Riverfront Conservancy is committed to helping visitors embrace winter by extending our great riverfront programming year-round at Robert C. Valade Park with the return of Winter at Valade. Join us Saturday and Sunday from January 10 to March 1 to enjoy indoor and outdoor fun for the whole family!

Every Saturday and Sunday visitors can enjoy:

Sledding with free sleds to borrow in the Sled Shed
Oversized bonfires and marshmallow roasters (lit 12-7 p.m.)
Curling
Board Games inside the Shed
Riverfront Ambassadors with free activity pages, hand warmers, and gloves
Drinks and s'mores at the Valade Shed Bar (12-8 p.m.)
Food from Smokey G's (12-7 p.m.)

Every Sunday at 2 p.m., join Urban Solace for the Polar Power Walk which offers an upbeat, cardio driven group walk along the Riverfront with stops for stretching and group movement. Free, registration required. Check out the event page below.

Two Special Themed Events for 2026

Winter at Valade kicks off January 10 & 11 with the return of our popular Fire & Ice Festival. Join us for a weekend of medieval fun with a winter twist! Visitors can enjoy oversized fires, turkey legs and an ice carving competition. Don't miss the annual lighting of the 7-foot tall ice tower at 6 p.m. on Saturday.

We're also bringing back our Lunar New Year Celebration February 14 with the Michigan Taiwanese American Organization (MITAI). The celebration will include a festive and colorful parade, drumming, and lion, dragon and Nezha dances, crafts and activities, food vendors and more!

Click the related event links here to learn more about our Winter at Valade special events and weekend activities.

Winter at Valade

Outdoor and indoor family fun every weekend at Valade Park!

10 Saturday, January 10 - Sunday, March 1 12:00 pm - 8:00 pm

Fire & Ice Festival

Join us for this medieval themed celebration as we kick off a new season of Winter at Valade!

10 Saturday, January 10 - Sunday, January 11 12:00 pm - 8:00 pm

Polar Power Walk

Every Sunday at Valade Park, join Urban Solace for an invigorating power walk on the Detroit Riverfront

11 Sunday, January 11 - Sunday, March 1 2:00 pm - 3:00 pm

Lunar New Year Celebration

Join us for a Lunar New Year event hosted by the Michigan Taiwanese American Association

14 Saturday, February 14 12:00 pm - 8:00 pm

How to get here

Free parking for Winter at Valade is located at 2690 E. Atwater St. (at the base of Jos Campau). Free street parking is also available throughout the surrounding streets. Please follow all posted parking directional signage and do not park on Atwater Street.

You can view a map of available parking here.

Other transportation options include:

DDOT Jefferson bus #9 to Chene stop. Walk 3 blocks south towards the river and Atwater street.
MoGo, Detroit's bike share program, has stations throughout Metro Detroit. Pick up a bike from your nearest station and ride to the Atwater and Joseph Campau station. From there, walk one block west along Atwater to Valade.
The Connect shuttle runs a free loop from the Rivertown area to Michigan Central Station in Corktown along Atwater, Jefferson, Fort, and Michigan. Ride to the Atwater or Jos Campau/Wright stop from any station along the route. More at this link.