Aurora Events

Aurora’s calendar is a small town’s, with the shopping year and the seasons behind it.

Holiday shopping season — November and December

The outlet centre’s Black Friday and Christmas trading is the town’s busiest period by a wide margin, with extended hours, a tree lighting and seasonal events. For a community of sixteen thousand people whose visitor economy is built on retail, this is the equivalent of a festival season: traffic on the approach roads is heavy, the hotels fill, and the restaurants run at capacity. It is worth knowing about in both directions — it is the liveliest Aurora gets, and it is the hardest time to find a quiet room.

Aurora Home Days and summer events — June and July

The town holds the ordinary calendar of an American small town: a summer festival with rides and a parade, concerts in the park, a fireworks display around Independence Day and a farmers’ market through the warm months.

Spring migration — April and May

The Audubon sanctuary and the wetland preserves draw birdwatchers during the warbler passage, and guided walks are run locally.

Blossom Music Center season — June to September

The Cleveland Orchestra’s summer home is about twenty minutes west in the Cuyahoga Valley, with lawn tickets that cost very little, and it is the main evening attraction within easy reach through the warm months.

Autumn colour — October

The beech-maple woods and the park district trails are the reason to come in the second half of the month.