With holiday markets, events, and celebrations kicking off throughout Downtown, DGRI is excited to provide a free Shop Local Holiday Shuttle to make shopping and celebrating easier for Downtown residents, workers, and visitors.

This year, the free shuttle will run from 11 AM to 10 PM on three consecutive Saturdays: November 21, November 28, and December 5.

The route connects Monroe Center to the Downtown Market and tons of shops, restaurants and galleries in between. There are about 8 publicly accessible parking lots and ramps within 1 block of the shuttle route, so visitors driving Downtown can park once and let the shuttle do the rest of the work.

On the evening of Saturday, November 21, the route is adjusted to accommodate the Santa Parade (see the maps below).

The round trip takes between 20 and 30 minutes primarily on Ionia and Division avenues. Over 30 retail shops and over 40 restaurants are available along the shuttle route, providing tons of options to support local businesses and get a head start on holiday shopping.

“We’re very excited to provide this service for anyone that wants to come Downtown and celebrate the holidays,” said Lauren Suidgeest, DGRI’s Operations Coordinator and project lead for the shuttle. “We try to make it as easy and welcoming as possible for people to support our great local businesses and enjoy the beautiful holiday events and atmosphere Downtown.”

In addition to the three Saturdays with free shuttle service, there is a host of holiday events Downtown beginning in November and carrying on into the new year:

For additional information on the free Shop Local Holiday Shuttle, please visit the official event page on facebook or check out the Holiday Shuttle linktree.