Tallahassee’s annual Winter Festival sprinkles merriment downtown this Saturday

    By
    Gina Jordan
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    507
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    Tallahassee’s 36th annual Winter Festival – a Celebration of Lights, Music and the Arts – will happen Saturday, Dec. 3, from 3-10 p.m. Entertainers and joggers will fill downtown Tallahassee, along with food vendors, arts and crafts merchants, and sparkling holiday displays.

    Here’s a list of festival events from the City of Tallahassee:

    • Candy Cane Lane in McCarty Park – Enjoy a stroll through this magical holiday scene from 3-10 p.m. on Dec. 3 and from 6-9 p.m. Dec. 4-11.
    • Children’s Activity Area on Kleman Plaza – From 3-6 p.m., musical entertainment can be found in the Children’s Activity Area. Families can enjoy grab-and-go crafts and family-friendly holiday movies from 6-10 p.m., including Shrek the Halls and The Year Without a Santa Claus.
    • Four stages of live entertainment – Find local actors, dancers, musicians, and more taking the stage throughout the night in 4 locations (see below)
    • Lighting Ceremony at 6 p.m. on the parade announcers’ platform, located on South Monroe St. at Bloxham Park – Mark the start to the season with remarks from local dignitaries and see the official flip of the switch as the Chain of Parks illuminates.
    • Capital Health Plan Jingle Bell Run at 6:15 p.m. – Registration closes Dec. 1. This popular event draws festive runners who traverse a roughly 1.5-mile course through downtown, ending where they began at Park Ave. and Monroe St.
    • Nighttime Holiday Parade at 7:15 p.m. – Grab a spot early for this centerpiece event as more than 70 parade entries fill Monroe St.

    Entertainers will be featured throughout the festival at four locations:

    • Choral/Small Ensemble Stage on Kleman Plaza
    • Ponce de Leon Park Stage
    • Showmobile on Adams Street near City Hall
    • College Avenue Stage

    Traffic will be heavy downtown, and StarMetro’s Saturday routes will be impacted:

    • Road closures along Adams St. and the Chain of Parks will begin at 7 a.m. on Dec. 3.
    • Event staging will take place on Monroe St. from Brevard to Tennessee streets with intersections closed in the area from 4-11 p.m.
    • The Holiday Parade and Jingle Bell Run routes will be closed from 5-11 p.m.
    • Detour roads will include Brevard, Bronough, Gadsden and Gaines streets.

    More information can be found here.

    The Lighting Ceremony, start of the Jingle Bell Run, and Holiday Parade will be broadcast live on WCOT (channel 13) and streamed live on Talgov.com, Facebook.com/CityofTLH, Twitter.com/CityofTLH and YouTube.com/CityofTLH. The event will re-broadcast on WCOT on Sunday, Dec. 4, at 6 p.m.