Tallahassee’s Winter Festival celebration brings thousands to downtown

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    A group of people on a stage in front of a crowd

    The City of Tallahassee held its Winterfest celebration Saturday night, Dec. 3. The event kicked off the community’s official start of the year-end holiday season.

    Tallahassee Mayor John Dailey welcomed the crowd of thousands that lined Monroe Street.

    “Ladies and gentlemen, I think this is the 36th year we have done this. I am looking at 1,300 runners getting ready to take off in less than 10 minutes,” he announced.

    But first, there was the ceremonial lighting of some 25,000 bulbs festooning the trees in the downtown parks. And then the countdown to the Jingle Bell Run began.

    The event also included lots of family fun on “Candy Cane Lane” in McCarty Park, along with kid-friendly movies at Kleman Plaza, food trucks, several live music stages and the concluding Holiday Parade on Monroe Street.