Celebrities, championship belts and the Christkindl Markt: What to do in West Michigan this weekend

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — Born too soon to see flying cars, born too late to see the dinosaurs, born just in time to enjoy all of the fun events West Michigan has to offer this weekend.

Here is a look at what you can do the weekend of Nov. 15:

Grand Rapids Christkindl Markt

It’s back for another year! The Grand Rapids Downtown Market will transform back into a European Christkindl Markt.

The outdoor Christmas village will have more than 60 vendors in attendance, food and drinks as well as appearances by Santa Claus and other seasonal entertainment.

Click here to learn more.

Grand Rapids Comic Con

The annual Grand Rapids Comic Con returns to DeVos Place this weekend with tons of events and special guests.

Some of the guests include Danny Trejo, Chris Sarandon and Phil Lamar. There will also be plenty to check out like cosplays, gaming and more.

Get tickets to the convention by clicking here.

The Leftover Run

Help yourself and your community out this Saturday in Ada with Jon and John’s Tris4Health Grand Rapids Virgil and Louise Phelps Memorial Celebrity Leftovers Awareness Pro-Am Fun Run Race to End Hunger. Also known as the Leftover Run.

The event will benefit North Kent Connect and runners are encouraged to donate non-perishable food items to help reduce their times.

For more information, click here.

Santa Parade at Woodland Mall

Kick off the holiday season this Saturday at Woodland Mall as it welcomes Santa to town.

The Santa parade will begin at the food court at 10:30 a.m. and the fun will continue from there as you can get your face painted, picture with Santa and meet some other holiday characters like Anna and Elsa from “Frozen.”

Click here for details.

IPW presents: Excellence

Independence Pro Wrestling will bring the high-flying action to Patterson Ice Center this weekend for a brand new show.

Excellence will be held on Sunday starting at 6 p.m. and will feature two full hours of wrestling for all ages.

Get your tickets by clicking here.

Lowell Arts 2024 Artist Market

You can find, enjoy and even buy some artworks by local creators at Lowell Art this weekend.

The artist market is up and running now and includes items like pottery, paintings, photography, jewelry, glasswork and more.

Get your holiday shopping done early by clicking here.

Charity hot dog eating contest in Portage

Michiganders Windycity Dawghouse is the place to be to see some fierce competition, eat some tasty hot dogs and raise money for a good cause.

The Portage establishment is hosting a hot dog eating contest with proceeds benefitting Gryphon Place to raise awareness for suicide prevention. There will also be a raffle going on if you don’t think you can stomach that many dogs.

For more information, click here.

Air Zoo 45th anniversary celebration

Air Zoo is celebrating 45 years this weekend and wants the community to celebrate too.

The museum will be hosting a slew of events for families and there will also be a paper plan competition and cake to eat. It all kicks off Saturday at 9 a.m.

Click here to see the full itinerary.