Grand Rapids’ World of Winter: Tips and Travelogue

One of my intentions for 2026 is to do one trip a month – whether it’s a week abroad or a quick weekend closer to home. For January, I wanted to get out and embrace Michigan’s winter with some sort of festival. After an extensive search one afternoon, I decided on Grand Rapids’ World of Winter. This year, the festival runs from January 9th – March 1st 2026, so you still have plenty of time to make an adventure out of it!

Keep reading for tips, followed by my travelogue for the weekend.

Tips for Grand Rapids’ World of Winter

Where to stay: I stayed at CityFlatsHotel. It’s right downtown and about a five-minute walk to Rosa Parks Circle, the center of the festival. It’s also about a three-minute walk to Madcap Coffee, which I view as a major win.
Bring layers and wear comfortable shoes. The festival has activities and art installations throughout the city that you don’t want to miss out on because of weather or sore feet.
Plan the best time to view the art installations. This year, many of the pieces were light-based and recommended to be viewed at night when it’s dark.
Arrive to the skating rink early for performances. Rosa Parks Circle fills up fast. For better vantage points of the rink, arrive at least 15 minutes early, especially if you have kids.
My favorite spots: Get a coffee at Morning Ritual for artsy vibes and good energy. Order a sandwich at Terra Bagels for breakfast. Try the anko stuffed waffle from the Neko Taiyaki food truck.

Travelogue

With my bag packed and my travel mug full, I headed to Grand Rapids from metro-Detroit intent on spending the weekend outside seeing the city, no matter the weather. I hadn’t been to Grand Rapids in years, so it was nice to explore it again. I stayed at CityFlatsHotel- 10/10 recommend for location and aesthetics. The cute, boutique hotel is in a historical building right downtown and is connected to a parking garage. So sorry that I did not take photos. You’ll have to take my word for it – this hotel was fantastic.

When I drove in midday, cold temperatures and snow were already setting the scene for a Hallmark-movie weekend in Michigan’s winter wonderland. Determined not to let the weather get in the way of my enjoying the city, I dug down deep to find the strength of my Michigander ancestors and enjoy the snow globe I found myself in. Life is all about perspective. Once I looked up and took in the flurries with the city in the background, I remembered there’s beauty in winter, too.

As pretty as the streets and buildings were with the snow and as fun as it was to remember existential life lessons, my fingertips were losing feeling fast and I needed a matcha latte. I stumbled upon Morning Ritual Coffee after I realized a different cafe I was heading to was closed.

I’m SO happy I found Morning Ritual. This is a coffee shop I would drive two hours to go to again. I ordered my usual, an oat milk matcha latte with cinnamon and found a spot to journal and warm-up at. The vibes were immaculate. Alternative music. Awesome art. Cool people. A food pantry. You simply MUST check out Morning Ritual the next time you’re in Grand Rapids.

Later that evening, I headed to Rosa Parks Circle to check out the World of Winter festivities. Arranged next to the skating rink were ice sculptures and games (we’re talking ice bowling, ice table hockey, ice cornhole – SO COOL). It was time for food so I tried Neko Taiyaki, a food truck serving Japanese stuffed waffles. My favorite flavor was anko (red bean paste) and they were ADORABLE. The feature event of the evening was the Fire & Ice show. I would definitely recommend getting to the skating rink at least 15 minutes before the start of the show so that you are close enough to see the performers. My vantage point was not ideal for photos or videos, but that allowed me to enjoy the moment so I’m not mad at it.

After a day in the cold, I was exhausted and left the Fire & Ice show for the comfort of my hotel. Unfortunately for me, I forgot that one of the main draws of the World of Winter is the art installations throughout the city … the LIGHT-BASED art installations throughout the city that are best appreciated when it’s dark out.

Even though I didn’t get to fully appreciate the lighting aspects of the displays throughout the city, I did still have fun seeing a few the next morning. My favorite was The DOOR(S) by Big Art – I think because I’m nosy and it was fun to open all of them. Inside were videos and visuals that I know would have been awesome at night. The cutest installation I saw definitely goes to Anooki: Les Timides by Inook. The amount of emotion that comes through from these inanimate objects was impressive.

Polymery by Taylor Dean Harrison transported me to a dystopian, coming of age novel. Seriously. Look at these structures. Are they lanterns? Robots? Metallic dinosaurs? I stared at the changing colors way longer than I intended.

Closing out my art installation exploration were It’s A Breeze by ImpactPlan and Downtown Grand Rapids Inc., and Slow Motion by Valerie Wahna and Downtown Grand Rapids Inc. It’s A Breeze was a sensory experience for the eyes and ears. When the streamers blow in the wind they look like waves and sound like instruments you’d find at a meditation retreat. The snails in Slow Motion brought fun, joyful pops of color to the grey concrete of the Blue Bridge that they call home.

*Slow Motion* by Valerie Wahna and Downtown Grand Rapids Inc.

Before heading home, I wanted to try Terra Bagels, a cafe I had walked by the previous day and couldn’t stop thinking about. WOW, was it worth it. I ordered a Lox bagel sandwich and when I tell you, the amount of salmon they put on this thing???? Insane. Zero notes. Perfect ending to my Grand Rapids weekend.