Transit Guide: Thanksgiving Day Parade
There will be some disruptions in service starting on Thanksgiving Eve so we put them all on one page. Hopefully this makes getting around a little easier on Thanksgiving Eve and on Thanksgiving Day. *All info obtained from transit websites & social media pages. Please contact me with any discrepancies.
QLINE Detroit
Starting on Wednesday morning, the QLINE will be closed for parade setup. There will be no service running on Thanksgiving Day. Regular service will return on Friday Morning.
People Mover
The Detroit People Mover will be running 36 hours straight, starting Wednesday morning. You can even watch parts of the parade from the People Mover. No spectating from the David Whitney station though.
DDOT Bus
On Wednesday, #4-Woodward will be rerouted onto Cass south of W. Grand Blvd. Stops will be available at Rosa Parks Transit Center & Woodward @ Larned (Coleman A Young Municipal Center).
On Thanksgiving Day DDOT customers can expect delays beginning at 6 a.m. Thursday, Nov. 23. Eastside bus routes will layover at the Detroit People Mover’s Bricktown Station on Beaubien north of Larned. Bus passengers are encouraged to ride the DPM at no charge on Thanksgiving Day to continue their travels. Eastside bus routes will resume regular service to the Rosa Parks Transit Center after 6 p.m.
The following bus routes will be affected because of the Thanksgiving Day Parade:
Routes impacted during this time:
3- Grand River
4- Woodward
5- Van Dyke
6- Gratiot
8- Warren
9- Jefferson
16- Dexter
18- Fenkell (Northbound only)
31- Mack
42- Mid-City Loop Clockwise
52- Chene
67- Cadillac-Harper
The following routes will be affected because of the Turkey Trot, which takes place from 7 a.m. — 8:30 a.m. These routes will come in and out of town by Michigan via Trumbull:
Routes impacted during the Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving Day:
19- Fort
23- Hamilton/John R (Northbound only)
27- Joy
29- Linwood
Bus passengers that need to get to the eastside routes from the Rosa Parks Transit Center may ride the People Mover to the Bricktown Station.
DDOT will operate on a Sunday schedule on Thanksgiving Day for all regular routes at regular fares. For more information, please call DDOT’s Customer Service Office at (313) 933–1300 or go to www.RideDetroitTransit.com.
SMART Bus
SMART is operating Sunday service on all routes, except FAST, for Thursday, November 22, Thanksgiving Day. Please be sure to note the information below so you can know before you go and prepare for your Thanksgiving events:
- Customer Service — Closed
- Downtown and Royal Oak Transit Centers — Closed
Connector
The following services will not operate:
- Connector
- Somerset & Oakland Mall Shuttle
- Groesbeck Flex Route Service
- Farmington/Farmington Hills Dial-A-Ride
Customer Service will be closed
- Be sure to book your Connector and/or ADA trip by 4:00 p.m. on Wednesday, November 22nd for trips on Friday, November 23rd
Prearranged ADA trips will operate as scheduled on Thursday, November 22nd
FAST by SMART
SMART is providing a cost-effective and safe transit to get you and your family downtown during the high traffic times. With the game, parade and Turkey Trot all happening in close proximity to each other, parking is going to be difficult and expensive. SMART is making it easy to get the whole family downtown and has even worked to align many of the stops with DDOT stops for easy coordination so everyone can take part in these Detroit traditions.
To make sure this convenience is available to people who want to park and ride, SMART has partnered with local businesses to provide temporary parking areas on Thanksgiving Day only.
Temporary Park & Ride lots available:
FAST Gratiot
- North River Road: Park & Ride
- 15 Mile at Lowe’s: Parking is available anywhere between Revolution Laser Tag and the lot across from the Lumber Loading area
FAST Woodward
- Troy Civic Center: Town Center Drive
- Royal Oak Fire Department: Located at 13Mile and Woodward, behind the Fire station
FAST Michigan
- Westborn Kroger: Both lots on the South and North side of Michigan are available at Michigan & Outer Drive.
