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Detroit Thanksgiving Parade: Road closures, parking, downtown transportation

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Published  November 27, 2024 5:30am EST
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FOX 2 Detroit

The Brief

    • Thanksgiving in Detroit means much of the city closes for both the parade and the turkey trot - as well as the traditional Lions football game
    • Road closures will extend all around downtown, starting with Griswold on Tuesday
    • There are also parking options and bus routes that visitors can use - but are encouraged to plan ahead

DETROIT (FOX 2) - With the arrival of Thanksgiving festivities in Detroit comes just as many road closures.

Three major events - America’s Thanksgiving Parade, the Turkey Trot, and the Detroit Lions game - will take the city by storm as tens of thousands of people are expected to flock downtown.

Starting with street closures, here’s the full schedule of when and what is expected to close:

Tuesday: 

Griswold closes between Farmer and Woodward

Wednesday: 

Woodward closes from W. Grand Blvd to Warren at 9 a.m., then from Warren to Congress at noon. Atwater closes between Civic Center Drive and 3rd at 3 p.m., and Griswold closes between Fort and Congress at 6 p.m.

Thursday: Parade closure + Turkey Trot

The parade kicks off at Kirby and Woodward at 8:45 a.m. Woodward from W. Grand Blvd. to Larned closes completely from 5 a.m. to 4 p.m. 

These streets will also close at 5 a.m. and reopen after the Turkey Trot around 10 a.m.:  

  • W. Jefferson from the Lodge Freeway to Cabacier 
  • Michigan at Cass 
  • Fort Street from Trumbull to Woodward 
  • Congress from Shelby to Randolph 
  • Larned from Shelby to Randolph 
  • Shelby from Congress to Michigan 
  • Michigan from Cass to Woodward 
  • Monroe from Woodward to Randolph 
  • Lafayette Blvd. from Trumbull to Griswold 
  • Washington Blvd. from Adams to Congress 

Also closing at 7 a.m. for the Turkey Trot are the southbound Lodge exits at W. Jefferson/Cobo and Larned Street (Exits 1A & 1B) and the northbound Lodge exit at W. Jefferson (Exit 1A). The Larned exit will reopen after the Turkey Trot finishes around 10 a.m.

Parking and transit to downtown Detroit

People Mover

The Detroit People Mover will offer free and continuous service for 36 hours starting 6:30 a.m. Wednesday through 7 p.m. Thursday. 

All 13 stations are open -- the two closest to parade viewing on Woodward are Broadway and Grand Circus Park, and closest to the grandstands near Campus Martius is the Cadillac Center station.

Parking

Parking will be tricky, but the Detroit Municipal Parking Department recommends the Ford Underground Garage (30 E. Jefferson Avenue) or Eastern Market Garage (2727 Riopelle Street ). 

Click here for information about when you can park there and for how much.

There will be free metered street parking across the city on Thursday and Friday -- parking enforcement is suspended and will resume Saturday. You still can’t block driveways, crosswalks, fire hydrants or other critical access points, or illegal park. You’ll be ticketed and possibly towed.

DDOT bus options

DDOT riders should expect delays starting at 6 a.m. Thursday - all buses will go to the Rosa Parks Transit Center. These are the bus routes that will be affected by the parade on Thursday from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.: 

  • 3 Grand River 
  • 4 Woodward 
  • 5 Van Dyke/Lafayette 
  • 6 Gratiot 
  • 8 Warren 
  • 9 Jefferson 
  • 16 Dexter 
  • 23 Hamilton 
  • 31 Mack 
  • 42 Mid-City Loop 
  • 52 Chene 
  • 67 Cadillac/Harper 

These routes will be impacted by the Turkey Trot starting at 7 a.m. Thursday. Detours will end when the race finishes around 10 a.m.: 

  • 1 Vernor 
  • 3 Grand River 
  • 19 Fort 
  • 27 Joy 
  • 29 Linwood 

The Grand River detour will continue until about 5 p.m.  

DDOT will operate on a Sunday schedule on  Thanksgiving Day for all regular routes at regular fares. If you need more information, you can call DDOT’s Customer Service Office at (313) 933-1300 or go to RideDetroitTransit.com.