Duluth Winter Village Brings Fun + Road Closures This Weekend

Downtown Duluth will be especially busy the first weekend of December as the Duluth Winter Village is back and the popular event will take place for the first time in its new location.

The Duluth Winter Village, now in its 5th year, started on the grounds of Glensheen Mansion, but with attendance growing to more than 20,000 people in 2019, organizers needed to find a location that could hold more people. Therefore, the two-day outdoor winter market will now take place on Harbor Drive behind the Duluth Entertainment Convention Center.

The 2021 Duluth Winter Village runs from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Saturday December 4 and Sunday December 5. According to organizers, there will be over 40 local vendors on hand with arts and crafts and, of course, food and drink!

Enjoy hot beverages, local drinks, and exciting menus from Hungry Hippie Tacos, DECC Catering, Yes Cheese, Love Creamery, and more. Delicious baked goods from TBSP Waffles, Duluth’s Best Bread, and Lift Bridge Bagels. Hot coffee from Duluth Coffee Company.
Craft beer will be available near the Yule Hall, plus themed cocktails at the bar made with Vikre spirits and other local favorites.

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There will also be live animals from Cook’s Country Connection, fire pits to help keep warm and indoor skating will be available both days from 2:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. in the DECC Arena.

Of course, with an outdoor event of this magnitude taking place, there will be road closures involved throughout the area.

According to the City of Duluth, Harbor Drive will be closed to traffic from Friday, December 3 through December 6 to accommodate the event, however access to the DECC’s parking lots and Marcus Theatre will not be impacted by this closure. Harbor Drive will reopen in full to vehicular traffic on Tuesday, December 7.

Some other traffic related things to keep in mind over the weekend:

To access the Great Lakes Aquarium, the public is encouraged to use West Railroad Street to Harbor Drive, or 5th Avenue West to Harbor Drive.
Friday and Saturday evenings until December 27, Fifth Avenue West will be closed to southbound traffic. Traffic will be redirected to the slip ramp by accessing Bentleyville from Railroad Street. This closure will be instated on Friday night’s from 4:30 – 10:00 p.m. and on Saturday evenings from 3:30 – 10:00 p.m.
The Railroad Street to 5th Avenue West connector will also be closed to traffic on Friday and Saturday nights to accommodate buses and shuttles transporting attendees to the event.
The City of Duluth encourages those looking to go to Canal Park to use the Lake Avenue exit off of I-35.

With Bentleyville also taking place this weekend, it's same to assume things will be very hectic downtown Duluth over the weekend, even with snow in the forecast. Visitors should dress warm and bring plenty of patience when heading into the fun!