The least expensive ticket on Farmington Hills' fall calendar is the hardest one to get. Heritage Park's Full Moon Night Hike costs $3 a person. By mid-October it had already moved to a waitlist on the city's registration system. Three weeks later, the youth theatre production of Elf the Musical JR. at The Hawk costs $15 and runs six times over four days.
Heritage Park's Halloween events cost a few dollars, have limited spots, and all happen between Friday, October 23, and Friday, October 30. After that, almost everything on the city's calendar moves indoors to The Hawk, where most shows repeat. If you want the Heritage Park evenings, you need to book them this week. The Hawk gives you a little more room.
Friday, October 23, puts three city events on one evening
Friday night is the busiest night on the city's fall calendar. Three events overlap:
- Hay Ride Central at Heritage Park, with rides leaving every half hour starting at 5:30 p.m. The last ride leaves at 7. Rides cost $5, kids under 2 ride free, and a cider and s'mores kit with a roasting stick is another $1.
- Full Moon Night Hike at Heritage Park, 8 to 9 p.m., a guided after-dark sensory hike for ages 5 and up at $3 a person, whether or not you live in the city.
- Farmington Hills Youth Theatre's Disney's The Aristocats KIDS at The Hawk, 7 p.m., general admission $10.
The two Heritage Park events fit together well. A 7 p.m. hayride with cider and s'mores still leaves time before the hike starts at 8, and both are at the same park at 24915 Farmington Road. The hike is waitlisted, though, so for most families Friday really means picking between the hayride and the 7 p.m. curtain at The Hawk.
Both of those run twice. Aristocats KIDS plays again Saturday, October 24, at 2 p.m. Hay Ride Central comes back Friday, October 30, on the same schedule. That still adds up to only four departures a night and eight for the whole season. The city encourages registering ahead because space is limited. On the city's WebTrac registration page, some departure times were nearly full while others still had room.
Boo Bash takes the most planning of the week
Sunday, October 25, is Boo Bash at Heritage Park, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. The city's listing invites kids to come in costume and promises s'mores, crafts, bouncers, a creepy crawly creature display and a trick-or-treat trail.
It's also the outdoor event with the most details to get right before you go:
- Both the adult and the child have to register. The listing prints youth fees only: $15 for residents and $20 for nonresidents with a hayride, or $12 and $17 without one.
- Bring cash. Kids need socks for the bouncers, and the socks and s'mores kits are sold for cash only.
- Pick your time early. The city's Boo Bash listing says the event "fills up fast," and some time slots were already marked full or almost full in the registration system.
At $12 to $20 per child, Boo Bash is the most expensive thing Heritage Park offers this fall.
After October 30, the calendar moves into a former high school
When the second Hay Ride Central night ends, the city's fall programming moves to The Hawk at 29995 W. 12 Mile Road. The building used to be Harrison High School. The city now runs it as a 245,000-square-foot community center on a 42-acre park, and it has operated that way since opening in 2021.
The difference from Heritage Park is how often things run. Two of the November events at The Hawk play more than once, and none of them depend on the weather:
| Date | Event | Times | Admission |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thu., Nov. 5 | A Celebration of Native American Culture | 7 p.m. | Not listed |
| Fri., Nov. 6 | Chamber Music with University of Michigan | 7 p.m. | Not listed |
| Sun., Nov. 8 | Detroit Metropolitan Youth Symphony | 2 p.m. and 3:45 p.m. | Not listed |
| Thu., Nov. 12 | Chamber Soloists of Detroit: Ehnes Quartet | 7:30 p.m. | Not listed |
| Nov. 12 to 15 | Farmington Hills Youth Theatre: Elf the Musical JR. | 7 p.m. Nov. 12 and 13; 1 and 5 p.m. Nov. 14 and 15 | $15 general admission |
The busiest stretch is Thursday, November 12. Elf the Musical JR. opens at 7 p.m. that night, and the Ehnes Quartet plays at 7:30. Elf has five more performances that weekend, so a family hoping to see both could hear the quartet Thursday and catch Elf on Saturday or Sunday afternoon. Tickets for the youth theatre shows and the quartet are sold through The Hawk's ticketing page. The city's concerts and events page lists the University of Michigan chamber program and the youth symphony.
Elf's six performances across four days, indoors and with no weather risk, give you room to choose a day. That's why Elf can wait a week while the Heritage Park evenings can't.
A booking order for the next five weeks
Put the two venues side by side and the booking order follows from how many chances each event gets:
- Hay Ride Central, October 30. It's the last Heritage Park evening of the season, with four departures.
- Boo Bash, October 25. It runs one day, both adult and child register, and some slots have already filled.
- Full Moon Night Hike, October 23. Join the waitlist on WebTrac if you want a spot.
- Elf the Musical JR., November 12 to 15. Six performances leave more room, but pick a show before the weekend gets close.
- The November concerts at The Hawk. These are mostly single performances, so check the city's events page for admission details.
Thanksgiving weekend brings it back outdoors
Heritage Park's Thanksgiving HIKE and SEEK is Friday, November 27, the day after Thanksgiving, with sessions from 1 to 2 p.m. and 2 to 3 p.m. It costs $3 whether or not you live in the city and is free for Hawk Pass holders. Like the October hike, it's a $3 Heritage Park program with only two sessions, so the October pattern of filling early may well repeat.
Cookies with Santa is already listed for December. It's at Longacre House on Monday, December 7, and Tuesday, December 8, with one-hour sessions at 4, 5:30 and 7 p.m. each night. Registration through the city is $15 for residents and $20 for nonresidents, and free for Hawk Pass holders. By mid-October, the Monday 4 p.m. session was already showing as unavailable and the 5:30 slot had a waitlist, which matches the pattern from October.
Where you live in Farmington Hills shapes your fall, from how close you are to Heritage Park's trails to how quickly you can get to a show at The Hawk. If you're thinking about a move within the city or nearby and want to talk through how a home fits the routines you already have, I'm glad to help you weigh it. Reach out to Sold Buy Eddie LLC. Let's Connect.
