ISSUE 001 · MON · OCT 26 · 2026
THE GRAND RAPIDS BRIEF
Your city, twice a week.
Good morning, Grand Rapids.
Welcome to the very first Brief: two mornings a week, five minutes, and everything worth knowing about the city. Happy Halloween week, too. Your plan for the week is right below, then the city’s big riverfront ask, more buses for show nights and the hours for Saturday’s trick-or-treating.
— The Brief · 5-minute read
THE 30-SECOND VERSION
01 NEWS
City seeks River North partner
02 TRANSIT
$6M for event-night buses
03 HALLOWEEN
Trick-or-treat Sat, 6–8 p.m.
04 EAT
Restaurant Week menus Wed
05 HEADS-UP
Winter parking from Sun, Nov. 1
MON TO SUN
PLAN YOUR WEEK
OCT. 26 – NOV. 1 · ALL TIMES ET
MON · OCT. 26
Between Worlds: Where Memory Lives
8 a.m.–5 p.m. daily, through Nov. 21 · DeVos Place · free
A juried Día de los Muertos art show with two community ofrendas.
Experience Grand Rapids · Details →
TUE · OCT. 27
Outlander in Concert
7:30 p.m. · DeVos Performance Hall
The show’s score, played live.
DeVos Performance Hall · Details →
WED · OCT. 28
Fulton Street Farmers Market: final week
8 a.m.–2 p.m. · 1145 Fulton St. E.
Open Wed, Fri and Sat through Oct. 31; the Saturday-only Second Season starts Nov. 7.
Fulton Street Market · Details →
THU · OCT. 29
Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey: The Greatest Show on Earth
7 p.m. · Van Andel Arena
First of five shows through Sunday.
Van Andel Arena · Details →
FRI · OCT. 30
Zoo Goes Boo, final weekend
10 a.m.–5 p.m. · John Ball Zoo
Thirteen treat stations, Fri through Sun; members’ hour 9–10 a.m.
John Ball Zoo · Details →
SAT · OCT. 31
The Nightmare Before Christmas in Concert
2:30 p.m. · DeVos Performance Hall
The Grand Rapids Symphony plays the score live to the film; also Fri at 7:30 p.m.
DeVos Performance Hall · Details →
SUN · NOV. 1
Día de los Muertos street party
Noon–7 p.m. · Mason St., across from Canal Park · free
Live music, face painting and a community ofrenda.
City Built Brewing · Details →
Clocks go back an hour
2 a.m. · Everywhere
Daylight saving time ends.
NIST · Details →
TOP STORY
THE BIG ONE
📍 RIVER NORTH
A NEW PLAN FOR 6.4 RIVERFRONT ACRES
The city is looking for a development partner to plan three city-owned properties at Monroe Avenue NW and Coldbrook Street, including the 1911 Coldbrook pumping station, one of the last big stretches of public riverfront near downtown.
Here's what to know:
What: a year of study and master planning, then the first chance to buy the land. The city wants homes and shops in buildings of five to seven stories, with public access to the river.
The catch: the city’s Development Center, home to about 105 staff, sits across the street, so the plan has to decide whether it stays or moves.
When: responses are due Mon, Nov. 16.
It’s a search for a partner, not a building project yet, but whoever wins it will help decide what that stretch of the river becomes.
LOCAL NEWS
THE WEEK IN GR
📍 DOWNTOWN
More buses for big nights: The Rapid won a $6 million state grant for up to six extra buses on busy event nights, linking park-and-ride lots with the amphitheater, Van Andel, DeVos and the future soccer stadium. Routes aren’t picked yet. — read the full story →
📍 CITYWIDE
Trick-or-treat is Sat, 6–8 p.m.: Those are the city’s recommended hours for Halloween night. Porch light on means you’re handing out candy; kids should only knock where the light is on. Bring a flashlight, go with an adult and cross at corners. — read the full story →
LIGHTNING ROUND
QUICK HITS
/ Flashing crosswalk beacons and other safety fixes are coming to Michigan Street in a $75,000 project due to finish in November (Read more).
/ Winter parking rules start Sun, Nov. 1 on signed streets: odd-even or same-side, snow or no snow, with $20 tickets (Read more).
FRESH PLATES
NEW EATS
FOOD NEWS MENUS WED, OCT. 28 📍 CITYWIDE
RESTAURANT WEEK GR
Mark your calendar for Fri, Nov. 6 to Sat, Nov. 14. Restaurant Week GR stretches to nine days this year, with set menus of two or more courses for $25, $35 or $45. The menus go live Wed, Oct. 28 on the event’s digital pass, which also lets you check in and vote for favorites. Visit three spots and you can claim a prize.
OPENINGS TRACKER
COMING SOON TO GR
PLACE · NEIGHBORHOOD · STATUS · LAST CHECKED · SOURCE
OPEN Raising Cane's (Grandville)
📍 Grandville (RiverTown) · Checked Oct. 24 · FOX 17
SOFT OPEN Azul Agave Mexican Cuisine & Bar
📍 Forest Hills · Checked Oct. 24 · WGRD 97.9
PERMIT Hoxie House
📍 Creston · Checked Oct. 24 · City of Grand Rapids (Committee of the Whole, Aug. 25)
Statuses: Permit, Signage, Soft open, Open. A status only changes when a public source says so; New means it changed since our last issue.
GETTING AROUND
DETOURS TO KNOW
MDOT ENDS FRI, NOV. 13
MLK Jr. St. closed from US-131 to Ionia Ave., plus the northbound US-131 ramps
Use Division Ave., Hall St. and Century Ave. Southbound ramps stay open.
Experience GR roadwork
CITY OF GR ENDS LATE OCT.
Butterworth reconstruction, west city limits to O'Brien
Detour via Wilson, Lake Michigan Dr., Covell and O'Brien.
City of Grand Rapids
THE RAPID ENDS TBA
Route 51 DASH detour for the Commerce Ave. closure
Buses run Fulton, Division and Oakes back to Commerce.
The Rapid alerts
Last checked Oct. 24. Dates are the agency’s own estimates and can slip.
YOUR VOTE
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