# Event Details

- **Event Name**: The Festival of Trains
- **Event Start and End Date**: Fri, 02 Jan, 2026 at 10:00 am – Fri, 02 Jan, 2026 at 06:00 pm
- **Event Description**: This year’s event will be held at the Creekside Community Church Hall – 3686 W. South Airport Road – just behind Best Buy on the north side of Airport Road. The show will take place in the general-purpose area of the church and gymnasium.

Festival Hours:
Monday-Saturday 10 AM- 6 PM
Sunday 1PM- 4PM

Special Hours:
Dec. 24th, 10AM - 4PM
Closed Dec. 25th
Dec. 31st, 10AM - 4PM
Jan. 1st, 1 - 4PM
Jan. 3rd, 10AM - 4PM.

Santa will visit on the 21st from 1 pm to 3 pm.

Admission: $5 (age 4 and under free)
Festival Pass: $30 Unlimited visits for household of
2 adults & up to 3 children

The Festival of Trains History –
The Festival of Trains has been an annual holiday tradition in Traverse since 1991. Dave Walker, Rick Antosh and Bryan Crough who are considered to be the “Founding Fathers”, began the festival in the Traverse City Opera House. The FOT was a major fundraiser for the renovations at the Opera House, and it quickly became a significant attraction for the Traverse City area. When the renovations began in 2002, much to the dismay of hundreds of children (and adults) throughout Northern Michigan, the Festival of Trains shut down due to not having a suitable venue anymore.

In 2003, thanks to the help of The Northern Michigan Railroad Club, the FOT was reborn at the Historic Carnegie Library on 6th Street, now home to the Crooked Tree Art Center, and formerly known as the Traverse Area Historical Society. The Northern Michigan Railroad Club had been the primary exhibitor at the FOT since the club’s inception in 2003. Many or our members were also involved with the FOT prior to the existence of the Club at the City Opera House.

In 2021, in order to provide more space for layouts and increased parking, FOT moved to Creekside Community Church where it has been held ever since. 

With nearly 6,000+ visitors each year, the FOT is now one of the largest fundraisers for Traverse City charities and is currently partnering with The Children’s Museum and Creekside Community Church.
- **Event URL**: https://allevents.in/traverse-city/the-festival-of-trains/200029423772122
- **Event Categories**: festivals, nonprofit, charities, art, holiday
- **Interested Audience**: 
  - total_interested_count: 21

## Ticket Details

- **Ticket URL**: https://nomirrc.wordpress.com/about/festival-of-trains/?utm_source=AllEvents.in&utm_medium=event-discovery-platform&utm_campaign=traverse+city-events

## Event venue details

- **city**: Traverse City
- **state**: MI
- **country**: United States
- **location**: Creekside Community Church Traverse City
- **lat**: 44.724317682353
- **long**: -85.650429152941
- **full address**: Creekside Community Church Traverse City, 3726 S Airport Rd W, Traverse City, MI 49684-8115, United States

## Event Organizer details

- **affiliate_id**: 2
- **organizer**: Great Lakes Children's Museum (https://allevents.in/org/great-lakes-childrens-museum/26108193)

## Event gallery

- **Alt text**: banner
  - **Image URL**: https://cdn-az.allevents.in/events4/banners/502fa6c6ef3a98a0737f4a281f86815466a0048ad6da7eb744b0462a9816503b-rimg-w1200-h1697-dc7dadaf-gmir?v=1767046162
- **Alt text**: thumbnail
  - **Image URL**: https://cdn-az.allevents.in/events4/banners/f5fff07c2be26e6cc6d6896e455ce0f210edc5925f3342c34415a08369c44bba-rimg-w300-h300-dc7eadaf-gmir?v=1767046162

## FAQs

- **Q**: When is the event happening?
  - **A:** Fri, 02 Jan, 2026 at 10:00 am
- **Q**: Where is the event happening?
  - **A:** Creekside Community Church Traverse City, 3726 S Airport Rd W, Traverse City, MI 49684-8115, United States
- **Q**: Who is organizing the event?
  - **A:** Great Lakes Children's Museum
- **Q**: What type of event is this?
  - **A:** festivals, nonprofit, charities, art, holiday
- **Q**: Where can I find ticket details about The Festival of Trains ?
  - **A:** You can find ticket details about this event on AllEvents.

## Structured Data (JSON-LD)

```json
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        "@context": "https://schema.org",
        "@type": "Festival",
        "name": "The Festival of Trains",
        "image": "https://cdn-az.allevents.in/events4/banners/502fa6c6ef3a98a0737f4a281f86815466a0048ad6da7eb744b0462a9816503b-rimg-w1200-h1697-dc7dadaf-gmir?v=1767046162",
        "startDate": "2026-01-02",
        "endDate": "2026-01-02",
        "url": "https://allevents.in/traverse-city/the-festival-of-trains/200029423772122",
        "location": {
            "@type": "Place",
            "name": "Creekside Community Church Traverse City",
            "address": {
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        "eventAttendanceMode": "https://schema.org/OfflineEventAttendanceMode",
        "description": "This year’s event will be held at the Creekside Community Church Hall – 3686 W. South Airport Road – just behind Best Buy on the north side of Airport Road. The show will take place in the general-purpose area of the church and gymnasium.\n\nFestival Hours:\nMonday-Saturday 10 AM- 6 PM\nSunday 1PM- 4PM",
        "organizer": [
            {
                "@type": "Organization",
                "name": "Great Lakes Childrens Museum",
                "url": "https://allevents.in/org/great-lakes-childrens-museum/26108193"
            }
        ]
    }
]
```