Santa Arrives in Red Mustang Convertible! Mayor Warren Officially Opens the Village at Ceremonies and Tree Lighting Starting at 5:30 p.m.

The first annual City of Rochester Roc Holiday Village presented by Five Star Bank opens on today at 4 p.m. at Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Park with free ice skating, shopping, visit with Santa, The Lodge pop-up restaurant and bar, and more!

Santa will arrive at the Village in a red Ford Mustang convertible courtesy of Van Bortel.
City of Rochester Mayor Lovely Warren will officially open the City of Rochester Roc Holiday Village in ceremonies starting at 5:30 p.m. immediately following the lighting of the Liberty Pole events. Liberty Pole events start at 4:30 p.m. when Santa, Rudolph, Elves, and local sports team mascots greet kids at the Liberty Pole. At 5 p.m. – celebrate the Lighting of the Liberty Pole with Mayor Lovely Warren. Then at 5:10 p.m. the public is invited to join a holiday parade as Santa makes his way to Roc Holiday Village at Dr. MLK Jr, Park.

Roc Holiday Village Opening Day Schedule
Saturday, December 1st at MLK Park
4:00 p.m.
Roc Holiday Village Opens! Free Admission!

4:00 – 8:00 p.m.
Free Ice Skating & Rentals (ice rink)

4:00 – 11 p.m.
The Lodge Bar & Restaurant Opens – Today’s featured pop-up restaurant is Avvino

5:30 p.m. – Opening Ceremonies
Santa Arrives with Mayor Warren – in a parade immediately following the Liberty Pole Lighting
Remarks from Officials – Roc Holiday Village founder, Jenna Knauf, Presenting Sponsor Five Star Bank CEO Marty Birmingham, Wegmans Community Relations Manager Linda Lovejoy
Tree Lighting – City of Rochester Mayor Lovely Warren Officially Opens Roc Holiday Village and Lights the Tree

5:30 – 8 p.m.
Free Craft-making in the Gingerbread House

6 p.m.
Santa makes his way to Santa’s Workshop for Visits with Santa and photos – Free! (photos printed, $5 includes a donation to IACKids)

6 – 8 p.m.
Live Music – PrimeTime Brass (outdoors) – Free!

8 – 11 p.m.
Live Music – Quentin & Liz Marsh (The Lodge) – Free!

Roc Holiday Village Highlights
Ice Skating – FREE!
Skate time and skate rentals sponsored by Wegmans are free during Village hours, Saturday, December 1 from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m., Fridays from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m., Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., and Sundays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. A limited number of skates are available for rent. Skaters are encouraged to bring their own if possible.

Santa’s Workshop – Visit with Santa – FREE!
Santa’s Workshop presented by IACKids and the Anthony Butera Team at Keller Williams Realty will be a magical experience taking kids and their families back in time while waiting to see Santa, Mrs. Claus and the elves.

Breakfast with Santa – All Breakfasts SOLD OUT!
Presented by MVP Health Care. Breakfasts start Dec 2 inside the Gingerbread House.
9:15 a.m. – Check-in opens.
10:00 a.m. – Story time with Santa. Immediately following story time through 11:30 a.m. – Breakfast Buffet, Crafts, & Visit with Santa. Buffet includes pancakes, eggs, sausage, fresh fruit, orange juice, apple juice, milk, chocolate milk, hot cocoa, coffee, muffins, and more!
Photo Experience – FREE!
Take a photo and share it on social media! Located outside of the Gingerbread House, capture the moments of the first of many visits to the Roc Holiday Village.

Lighting the Hanukkah Menorah – December 9 – FREE!
Hanukkah will be celebrated by lighting a 12-foot outdoor menorah, along with kosher food, music and crafts, on the evening of Sunday, December 9. The menorah will be located on Court St.

Eat and Drink

The Lodge Restaurant & Bar & Igloos

Restaurant Schedule
AVVINO, Antonetta’s, Native Eatery & Bar, and Marty’s Meats will all rotate into the Lodge, a heated tent structure at Roc Holiday Village, each on a different weekend. Each pop-up restaurant will operate with counter-style service. The lodge’s interior is designed like a cozy ski lodge with plaid textiles, leather sofas, wrought iron furnishings and wintery décor.

AVVINO – Saturday, December 1 and Sunday, December 2
Antonetta’s – Friday, December 7 to Sunday, December 9
Native Eatery & Bar – Friday, December 15 to Sunday, December 17
Marty’s Meats – Friday, December 21 to Sunday, December 23

Bar Schedule

Wine, beer and non-alcoholic beverages will be served at The Lodge bar including beers from Three Heads Brewing, wines from Living Roots Wine & Co., and mulled wine provided by Heron Hill Winery. See website for complete selection at rocholidayvillage.com/the-lodge-restaurant-bar.

Restaurant and bar hours are Friday 4 to 11 p.m. Saturday, noon to 11 p.m. and Sunday noon to 6 p.m. Brunch will be served each Sunday from noon to 2 p.m. No reservations required.

Winter Igloos – SOLD OUT!

These geodesic domes, warm and cozy winter Igloos, will offer a sanctuary from the outdoor elements with a transparent view of the Village. Each is outfitted with comfy chairs, blankets and pillows provided by West Elm.

No more reservations are currently being accepted. If additional capacity becomes available, information will be posted at rocholidayvillage.com/winter-igloos.

Free Music
Village-goers can enjoy free music from 8 to 11 p.m. every Friday and Saturday evening inside the Lodge.

Prime Time Brass – Saturday, December 1, 6-8 p.m. outdoors!
Liz & Quentin Marsh – Saturday, December 1
Nat King Cole Holiday Music Tribute by Sonic Era Entertainment – Friday, December 7
Dana Wendel Quartet – Saturday, December 8
John Akers – Friday, December 14
Danny Ziemann Trio performing “A Charlie Brown Christmas” – Saturday, December 15
Stephen Morris Quartet – Friday, December 21 and Saturday, December 22

Village Shopping
Food Vendors

Food vendors in the Village include Dukes Donuts, Hallelujah Royal Heritage Tea, the Meatball Truck, CinnaRoast (roasted chestnuts), Taste of Supreme Bakery, and Wake Coffee. Hot chocolate will be served by Dukes Donuts, Tony Pepperoni, and Wake Coffee. Haddad’s street vending will be set up adjacent to the ice skating rink, and another hotdog and hamburger cart will be nearby the Village shopping. Water and soda will also be available.

Retail Vendors

Retail vendors in the Village include Bentley Bros (tools & toys), BurningBus (artwork), Eastside Dog Services (dog items), Graphic Rats (tie-dye), Jazzy Jems Expo (jewelry), Jewelry Queen Accessories (jewelry), Karan Bonomo Studios (artwork), KB White Farm (soaps), Laughing Goat Fiber (wearables), Paparazzi Accessories (jewelry), Stacy K Floral (wearables & housewares), The Strong Naional Museum of Play (toys), Urban Wildflower (clothing), and Warehouse 127 (housewares).

Mini Maker Markets – December 8 and December 15

Local crafters, DIYers, confectioners, and entrepreneurs will set up shop for two days, on Saturday, December 8 and Saturday, December 15 from 2 to 8 p.m. in the “Rochester Regional Health Gingerbread House” tent.

Makers include MansaWear, LuLaRoe, LaZanas Botique, Laughing Gull Chocolates, Cha Cha Cha Joy, Sweet & Cute Sweets, GG Bakes Inc., Wholestory Collective, Impact Earth, Love Light, Beauty by Bridget, Peacock Printing, Usborne Books, Wolf Den Quilts, and more!

Applications to be a Mini Maker are still being accepted and can be submitted online at rocholidayvillage.com/mini-maker-markets.

The Roc Holiday Village Merchandise tent will sell chocolates by Stever’s Candies, fiberoptic LED wands, glow necklaces, snowflake spin wands, hand warmers (HotHands), the official Roc Holiday Village 2018 commemorative postcard, mugs and ornaments.

Village hours are Friday from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m., Saturday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Parking

The Village does not operate any parking but there are surface lots and ramp parking garages conveniently located nearby. Metered street parking will be available as well as area parking garages. More information can be found online at rocholidayvillage.com/getting-around.

First Aid Tent by Rochester Regional Health

Members of Rochester Regional Health’s experienced nursing staff will be in the First Aid tent each day located in the Shopping Village during Village hours.

About City of Rochester Roc Holiday Village presented by Five Star Bank
Roc Holiday Village is Rochester, New York’s premier annual holiday festival bringing magic downtown for people of all ages. Roc Holiday Village is owned and produced by Rochester natives Jenna Knauf, owner of Bella Events Group; Kelli Marsh, professional photographer; and Sean McCarthy, owner of McCarthy Tents & Events.

Roc Holiday Village presents 11 days of enchanting festivities on weekends from December 1 to 23 including Breakfast with Santa, free ice skating, a shopping village, food and drink, tree lighting, Santa’s workshop, hand-crafted goods, pop-up restaurants, special events, free music, private parties, nightlife and more. This is the event’s inaugural year,

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