All eventsConcerts, festivals and markets, tonight and this weekend
Annual festivalsJazz, techno, cars and parades: Michigan’s year, festival by festival
Holidays & seasonsPumpkin season, Halloween, Christmas, New Year’s Eve, the Fourth
Sports: games & scoresLions, Red Wings, Pistons, Tigers: live scores and trophies
ItinerariesReady-made day plans, stop by stop
Places to exploreMuseums, parks, neighborhoods and icons
Free museum daysFlip the calendar: when museums let you in for free
Metro Detroit mapWhat Metro Detroit is, and what every town is about
The Henry FordRosa Parks’ bus, Greenfield Village and the Ford Rouge Factory
RenCen: live trackerThe Renaissance Center’s past, present and future, up to the minute
Gordie Howe BridgeThe new bridge to Canada: live waits, tolls, and yes, you can walk it
ToursBy boat, by bike or on foot, with a local guide
Escape roomsOne hour, one lock and your crew
Plan a meetingVenues, hotels and what’s on in town on your dates
Detroit A–ZFrom limos to chambers of commerce: every business and service in one place
ShoppingDetroit-made brands, markets and shopping streets
Detroit with kidsZoo, science center and rainy-day ideas
Motor City cultureFactories, museums and car events
Wellness & rechargeA riverside sauna, spas, yoga and running trails
TransitBuses, trains and ferries with live departures
Driving in MichiganLicenses, rental cars, the rules and the yellow school bus
Lanes and left exitsKeep right? Here people pass on the right and exit on the left
Road work and potholesOrange barrels, detours, 45 mph: driving Michigan’s work zones
Mile roads: mile zero and 8 MileWhere the city counts from, and which Mile you’re standing on
People MoverThe free elevated loop above downtown
QLINE streetcarThe free streetcar on Woodward Avenue
DTW airportRed or blue terminal? We’ll show you.Your license in MichiganRental carsSpeed limitsMiles, gallons, MPGThe Michigan left and the rulesSchool busesTraffic lights, a Detroit inventionPulled over by policeDrinking and drivingWinter drivingWildlife on the roadGas and parking
Metro Detroit Oakland County City
Twelve Oaks, the Michigan State Fair and a big Japanese community on Walled Lake
Nothing on our calendar here this week yet.
01 / Why it matters
Novi split off from Farmington Township in 1832, and legends still swirl around its name. The village became a city in 1969 and has been one of Michigan's fastest-growing cities ever since, sitting where I-96, I-696, I-275 and M-5 all come together.
It's a shopping capital: Twelve Oaks Mall, open since 1977, is one of Michigan's biggest malls and is often credited with kicking off 40 years of growth. The expo center on Grand River, called Vibe Credit Union Showplace since 2026, has been home to the revived Michigan State Fair since 2012.
Novi is also a hub for metro Detroit's Japanese community, with Japanese company offices, the Japanese School of Detroit's Saturday classes since 2011, and Michigan's largest Japan festival every October. In summer, Lakeshore Park on Walled Lake has a swim beach and bike trails, and next door Pavilion Shore Park sits on the site of the old Walled Lake amusement park and casino.
02 / Known for
Twelve Oaks Mall, one of Michigan's largest malls since 1977
The Michigan State Fair: held at the Novi expo center since 2012; in 2026 it ran over Labor Day weekend, September 3 to 7
Michigan's largest Japan festival every October, and the Japanese School of Detroit, which moved here from Birmingham in 2011
Little Sweden: former Red Wings coach Mike Babcock's nickname for Novi, thanks to all the Swedish players living here; a street was even named for Nicklas Lidström
03 / What’s on
Jan 7, 2027, 1:00 PMVibe Credit Union Showplace · ShowSpan's Ultimate Fishing Show runs Thursday, January 7, through Sunday, January 10, at Vibe Credit Union Showplace in Novi. The organizer bills it as Michigan's largest pure-fishing show, opening Thursday at 1 p.m.
Feb 25, 2027, 1:00 PMVibe Credit Union Showplace · ShowSpan's hunting show runs Thursday, February 25, through Sunday, February 28, 2027, at Vibe Credit Union Showplace in Novi, starting Thursday at 1 p.m. Expect hunting gear, optics and archery products, with adult admission at $12.
May 6, 2027, 10:00 AMVibe Credit Union Showplace (Expo Halls A & B; classes in the Diamond Center) · Great Lakes Scrapbook Events' scrapbook and paper-crafting convention opens Thursday, May 6, at 10 a.m. at Vibe Credit Union Showplace in Novi and runs through Saturday, May 8. Expect vendors, workshops and all-day cropping tables, with $10 walk-in admission.
04 / Places
Emagine Novi44425 West Twelve Mile Road, Novi, MI 48377
Escape Room Novi44325 W 12 Mile Rd, Suite H175, Novi, MI 48377
Five Senses Escape Rooms40440 Grand River Ave, Suite IJ, Novi, MI 48375
Image-Tek40300 Grand River Ave, Novi, MI 48375
Michigan State Fair46100 Grand River Ave, Novi, MI 48374
NoVI Craft House21111 Haggerty Rd, Novi, MI 48375
Pixel-Vue47610 Grand River Ave #1049, Novi, MI 48374
Sedona Taphouse (Novi)27466 Novi Rd, Novi, MI 48377
Sonesta Select Detroit Novi42700 W 11 Mile Rd, Novi, MI 48375
Sonesta Simply Suites Detroit Novi42600 W 11 Mile Rd, Novi, MI 48375
Toasted Oak Grill & Market27790 Novi Rd, Novi, MI 4837705 / What to do
The giant mall at 12 Mile and Novi roads, anchored by Macy's, JCPenney and Nordstrom.
Official site ↗Novi's biggest park, with a swim beach on Walled Lake and a roughly 10-mile mountain bike trail; next door is Pavilion Shore Park, opened in 2013 with a fishing pier on the site of the old amusement park and casino.
Official site ↗Metro Detroit's second-largest convention center, on Grand River Avenue (formerly the Suburban Collection Showplace), home of the Michigan State Fair and plenty of expos.
Official site ↗06 / History
Novi Township is organized from part of Farmington Township.
The Holly, Wayne & Monroe Railroad builds its Novi depot; part of it still stands.
After several failed attempts, the Village of Novi becomes a city; the charter takes effect on February 24.
Twelve Oaks Mall opens.
The Novi expo center becomes home of the revived Michigan State Fair.
Pavilion Shore Park opens on August 24 on the former site of the Walled Lake amusement park and casino.
07 / Born here
08 / People
Population and area are Census Bureau figures (Novi city).
Change since 2020, per the Census Bureau estimate: +1.6 percent.
