Downtown Detroit is celebrating the holidays differently this year.
The city’s Campus Martius celebrations will take on a calmer tone in coming weeks as sensory-friendly Santas kick off the season for the city’s 2023 Decked Out Detroit.
Spearheaded by real estate firm Bedrock and Rocket’s philanthropy arm, Rocket Community Fund, the free holiday event series runs on various dates from November through January.
Organizers reimagined more inclusive festivities to accommodate people whose disabilities or sensory needs don’t align with a traditional holiday rush, said Becky McVey, director of programming for the University of Michigan Adaptive and Inclusive Sports Experience.
Many people, including wheelchair users, autistic children and their families, are sidelined from community celebrations because of typical loud music and crowds, McVey said.
But this year, organizers are hoping to leave no one behind, she said.
Santa Clauses and elves will greet children and families in a 1001 Winter Wonders room, complete with snow, a gingerbread house and model penguins. The room will be open from Nov. 16 through Dec. 24 with various times listed on the event’s website.
Instead of sitting on Santa’s lap, kids can opt to sit beside him and guide the conversation at a quieter volume. Families can also pre-register to meet with Santa in the space to facilitate smaller crowds and quieter environments.
“I’m looking forward to working with some of the special needs children,” said Santa Claus performer Daniel Suttkus, who attended a media preview on Thursday. “It’s so heartwarming to work with a family, especially a family that hasn’t had the experience of someone that is familiar with the special needs that they have.”
Suttkus, 58, has trained with the Michigan Association of Professional Santas and Charles W. Howard Santa Claus School to work with special needs children, he said.
It’s a gratifying experience that’s more of a calling than a pastime, said Suttkus, who has been a Santa for 18 years. Having 18 grandchildren, three of whom are autistic, has also shaped his approach to sharing joy with others, he said.
“As long as there’s breath in my body, I will be Santa. This is the best event you could do on earth,” he said. “I shine this time of year.”
Decked Out Detroit also features 17 local small business vendors through Downtown Detroit Markets at Cadillac Square, which will open at a varying hours from Nov. 9 through Jan. 7.
It’s an incredible opportunity to grow relationships within the community, said Charlita Knox, a vendor who co-operates Crummy’s Cake Supply and Studio with her husband, Mark.
The couple had applied for the vendor spot for several years before their big break in 2023, Mark Knox said. In that time, they’ve opened a brick-and-mortar shop in the Bagley district and better established their business.
Now, the native Detroiters are looking forward to joining in on the holiday fun, Mark Knox said.
“I love it. I’ve been going to everything since I was a little kid,” he said. “Any time they had something around the city for Christmas, my mother would take me, so it’s great to be an adult and on the other side of it now.”
The season’s celebrations extend far past city limits, as well. Detroiters will get to virtually meet people in other countries through a Detroit in Dialogue Portal in the Monroe Street Midway fair area.
Monroe Street Midway will be open from Thursday through Jan. 7 at varying hours.
By walking into a portal shipping container, people can connect with others and celebrate the holidays together across continents, said Brandon Ferderer, head of programming at portal organizer Shared Studios.
Monroe Street Midway also offers discussion spaces to talk about Black culture across diasporas, music, climate change and other important topics that Detroit shares in common with the different worldwide cities participating in the experience, he said.
It’s all part of an effort to seize the moment and bring the city together, Ferderer said.
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