Events & Festivals
November 2026 Events for Families in Oakland County
A month-at-a-glance guide to November 2026 for families in Birmingham, Royal Oak, Troy, Rochester Hills, and downtown Rochester, from Veterans Day to the holiday kickoffs.
November 2026 brings a steady calendar of family events across Birmingham, Royal Oak, Troy, Rochester Hills, and downtown Rochester, from Veterans Day ceremonies on the 11th to Thanksgiving morning runs and the start of the holiday season at the end of the month. The biggest programs have dedicated guides on this blog, so this is the month at a glance, with links to the full coverage.
Veterans Day on Wednesday, November 11 opens the month with meaning. Royal Oak holds its annual ceremony at 11 a.m. at the War Memorial in Centennial Commons Park, and Troy holds its annual ceremony at the same hour at the Veterans Plaza in front of City Hall, with the details in the Veterans Day guide at https://areyouclosing.com/blog/veterans-day-ceremonies-oakland-county-2026/.
The weeknights pick up from there. The Rochester Hills Museum at Van Hoosen Farm holds its Outdoor Adventure Day Camp on Monday, November 2 for the fall school break, and its Get On Board model train exhibit runs on select Saturdays and Sundays starting in November. Troy Recreation hosts Friday Family Fun Nights at the Troy Community Center on Friday, November 13, from 4 to 9 p.m., a low-cost indoor program that works right as the weather turns.
The weekend of November 20 is when the holiday season officially starts. The Village of Rochester Hills lights up with Light the Village on Friday, November 20, from 6 to 9 p.m., with Santa, fireworks, and food trucks. Downtown Royal Oak holds Lighting of the Park the same Friday at Centennial Commons, and downtown Rochester opens the Festival of Trees from November 20 through 22, with the Big, Bright Light Show display following later in the month. The Detroit Zoo in Royal Oak turns on Wild Lights on select evenings from November 21 through January 3.
Thanksgiving week brings the Mighty Gobbler to Troy on Thursday, November 26, with a 1-mile family fun run at 8:30 a.m. and a 5K at 9 a.m., covered in its own guide at https://areyouclosing.com/blog/troy-mighty-gobbler-thanksgiving-2026/. Thanksgiving weekend closes the month with the Birmingham Santa Walk and Small Business Saturday on November 28, the Elf Shelf Arts and Crafts Show at Troy High School the same day, and the first weekend of December holiday markets, which have their own guides on this blog.
Nearly every event here is free or pay-as-you-go, and all of it comes from the cities' or organizers' official pages, which is also where final times and any last-minute changes live. For families deciding where to settle in Oakland County, a November like this is a snapshot of how each community keeps its public spaces busy even in the shortest, coldest month.
Sources: City of Royal Oak, City of Troy, City of Rochester Hills, Rochester Downtown Development Authority, Birmingham Shopping District, Detroit Zoological Society, and each event's official listing. Information verified October 22, 2026.