On Saturday, Oct. 17, Brighton has two seasons running at once. The Brighton Farmers Market is open that morning from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., as it is every Saturday through Oct. 31. At 9 a.m. the Mt. Brighton Ski Swap opens in the Main Lodge, and from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Chair 1 rides are free. Mt. Brighton calls the swap the kickoff to its 2026/27 season.
Winter starts on the hill while summer is still winding down on the other side of town. The overlap is short. After Oct. 31, the city's own event list drops to three dates before mid-December, all on Main Street. Planning the next eight weeks works best if you track the handoff from the market to the lodge, the library and a few Saturdays downtown.
Two Seasons Share One Weekend
The Ski Swap is run with the Mt. Brighton Ski Patrol, and it takes more time than one Saturday visit. According to the Ski Patrol's swap page, gear check-in runs Thursday, Oct. 15, from 3 to 8 p.m., Friday, Oct. 16, from noon to 8 p.m., and Saturday morning from 9 a.m. to noon. Sellers collect unsold gear Sunday afternoon from 2 to 5 p.m.
Sales run Saturday, Oct. 17, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday, Oct. 18, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
If you have outgrown boots or a kid's skis in the garage, the patrol lets sellers fill out a printed registration contract ahead of time. It covers contact details, item descriptions, asking prices, and whether unsold items should be donated. Patrol staff assign a consignee ID and barcode each item at check-in. The posted instructions don't list a commission rate. If the payout split matters to you, ask at check-in.
That leaves room to shop the swap Saturday morning and still reach the market before it closes at 1. You can't do that after Oct. 31.
Halloween Gets Spread Across Two Weeks
Many towns pack Halloween into one downtown night. Brighton's 2026 version is spread across several venues and more than two weeks. The checked sources didn't confirm a 2026 downtown business trick-or-treat or a Halloween event from the Chamber, the DDA or the city. The listed events are scattered across town instead:
- Thursday, Oct. 15: The Brighton District Library's Boo Bash runs 6 to 7:30 p.m. at 100 Library Drive, with trick-or-treating, a haunted hike and a Mad Scientist's Lab.
- Friday, Oct. 16: The BHS Homecoming Parade runs 6 to 7 p.m.
- Monday, Oct. 19: The library hosts Spooky Trivia and a Caramel Apple Bar for grades 7 through 12, 6 to 7:15 p.m. in Room A/B.
- Wednesday, Oct. 21: The Legacy Center Trunk or Treat runs 6 to 8 p.m. in the East Parking Lot at 9299 Goble Drive. Trunk decorating starts at 5:30, and admission is free.
- Saturday, Oct. 31: The library's Great Costume Parade for ages 0 to 5 with a caregiver runs 10:15 to 10:45 a.m. It's also the farmers market's last Saturday of 2026.
Oct. 15 to 18 is the busiest stretch, with the Boo Bash, homecoming, swap check-in and two days of swap sales in four days. Oct. 31 brings together three things that won't happen again until spring: little kids in costumes at the library, the last market morning and Halloween night.
November Comes Down to Two Main Street Saturdays
After the market closes, the city's 2026 list has three entries left.
- Veterans Day Parade: Saturday, Nov. 7, 11 a.m. to noon
- Holiday Glow & Christmas Market: Saturday, Nov. 21, 1 to 7 p.m.
- Brighton Ladies Night: Thursday, Dec. 3, 5 to 10 p.m.
Holiday Glow is the big one. WHMI reported on Oct. 6 that this year's event falls the weekend before Thanksgiving. It will have holiday vendors, live performances on the Holiday Glow stage, live reindeer, choo choo train rides, and Santa and Mrs. Claus leading community leaders in the city lighting. Cooper & Binkley Jewelers is the presenting sponsor. Jennifer Bond, the Brighton Area Chamber's director of events and sponsorship, told WHMI that added sponsors pay for services "like shuttles and ramps to our Holiday Glow stage." So Nov. 21 is planned as a full afternoon into the evening, starting at 1 and ending after the lights go on.
That leaves two quieter weeks on the official calendar on either side of Holiday Glow. In those gaps, how you spend November depends on where you eat and when the hill opens.
Where the Quiet Weeks Go
Downtown's newest dining room is upstairs. Kasi took over the top floor and rooftop of 265 W. Main St., Suite 300, and opened April 9, according to a June 2026 Livingston Daily story. The owner is Andrew Kruczynski. The menu is globally influenced fusion, with lobster bisque, kimchi fried rice, halibut and steaks. The space has a bar, indoor dining, rooftop dining and private dining, with about 230 seats.
Kasi opened in spring, so this is its first November and December on Main Street. Its listing mentions a terrace and an outdoor firepit. None of the sources we checked say whether the rooftop stays open, heated or enclosed in cold weather. If you're picturing the rooftop on a Holiday Glow evening, call ahead.
Kasi's website currently lists dinner Tuesday and Wednesday from 5 to 10 p.m., Thursday and Friday from 5 to 11 p.m., Saturday from 3 to 11 p.m. and Sunday from 3 to 9 p.m. Weekend brunch runs 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., and happy hour runs Tuesday through Friday from 3 to 5 p.m. in the bar. Livingston Daily's June report gave different start times, so check the current hours before you go.
By the Mill Pond, the other change to watch is at 709 W. Grand River. WHMI reported in June that Four Circles Brewery planned to stay open through July 18. The brewery's website now says "Under new ownership! opening soon, check back." The site's About page says the original owners won't keep using the name, so the new place may not be called Four Circles. No owner or opening date has been announced. If it reopens before winter, the Mill Pond would get a gathering spot back during the months it would otherwise be quietest.
Once the Hill Opens, the Evenings Change
The swap is the only confirmed Mt. Brighton date before the snow. The resort's homepage promotes the swap and 2026/27 passes, and we didn't find an announced opening day or any announced lift, terrain, snowmaking or lodge upgrades as of Oct. 11.
Once the lifts run, Mt. Brighton becomes Brighton's main weeknight outing. According to Mt. Brighton's night skiing page, night skiing starts at 3 p.m. and runs all season. Night tickets are picked up at Guest Services and can be refunded if unused within 72 hours after the ticket date.
The pass prices show how much the resort leans on evenings. On the Epic Pass site, the 2026/27 Mt. Brighton Pass is $636 for adults and $469 for seniors, with unlimited, unrestricted access. The College Pass is $364. Eligible students can buy the College Night Pass for $225, which covers every day after 3 p.m., including peak dates. That's $139 less than the full College Pass. College Night events are already listed for Fridays from Jan. 8 to Mar. 5, 2027, 3 to 10 p.m.
Oct. 17 is the one Saturday when the market and the swap overlap. Late October spreads Halloween across the library, the high school parade route and the Legacy Center lot. November has two Main Street Saturdays with quiet weeks around them. The hill takes over the evenings whenever the resort announces opening day.
When we help people choose a home in Brighton, we look at which side of town they'd be on for Main Street on Holiday Glow afternoon or a quick weeknight drive to Mt. Brighton after 3. If you'd like to talk through how those trips work from different parts of the area, TREO Realty and Karen Nouhan are glad to help. Start the Conversation.
