Wednesday, December 8 – Sunday, December 12
Rochester, NY—December 8, 2021—The third annual City of Rochester Roc Holiday Village presented by Five Star Bank returns today for its second week after wrapping up a highly successful first weekend! This week, the popular family-friendly holiday festival opens today from 4 to 11 p.m. at Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Park in downtown Rochester.
People of all ages can enjoy ten more days of free events now through December 19 including free ice skating and skate rentals, pop-up restaurants, a shopping village, private Cozy Igloos (sold out), free ice events, free live music, holiday celebrations, free crafts for kids, food trucks, visits with Santa, petting zoo events, and more.
Village dates are Wednesday, December 8; Thursday, December 9; Friday, December 10; Saturday, December 11; Sunday, December 12; Wednesday, December 15; Thursday, December 16; Friday, December 17; Saturday, December 18; wrapping up on Sunday, December 19.
Village hours are Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays 4 p.m. to 10 p.m., Saturdays 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., and Sundays 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. The restaurant and bar will be open for an extended hour until 11 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays.
New this year! Band Karaoke premieres Wednesday, December 8 from 7 to 10 p.m. with two live bands, Up2Somethin’ and Me & The Boyz.
The first of two Mini Maker Markets take place Thursday, December 9 featuring 14 local artisans and offering holiday shoppers even more holiday shopping. The next one is Thursday, December 16 from 4 to 10 p.m.
Highlights & What’s New
New this year are expanded outdoor seating, outdoor bar service for those who don’t wish to go into the Lodge, more free events, a luxury restroom trailer near Court Street, and an extra day of the week (Wednesdays) has been added to the calendar. Additional petting zoo days, band karaoke events, and expanded The Lodge bar.
The Shopping Village features 26 retail shops and food vendors and is open Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m., Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Sundays from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
The Igloo Village (sold out) presented by Rochester Regional Health has seven Cozy Igloos available for private parties and events for up to eight people each, and 2 Igloo Inns, one for up to 30 people and one for up to 40 people. Each geodesic dome-covered lounge has a view of the Village, is furnished with stylish and cozy chairs, blankets, and pillows and offers bar service. Igloos sold out in 10 minutes.
Free Events & Activities
- Ice skating and skate rentals Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays: 4 to 10 p.m, Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m, Sundays from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. presented by Wegmans. Wegmans is also generously sponsoring FREE ice skating when Roc Holiday Village is not open. See hours
- Visit with Santa – Wed Dec 8 from 4 to 9 p.m., Wed Dec 15 from 4 to 9 p.m., Sun Dec 19 from 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
- Live music inside The Lodge on the Buckingham Properties Stage Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays 7 p.m. to 11 p.m.
- Carolers inside and outside around The Village.
- Band karaoke with two live bands, Up2Somethin’ and Me & The Boyz, Wed Dec 8 and Wed Dec 15 from 7 to 10 p.m.
- Curling Demonstration and instruction Saturday, Dec 11 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., presented by Rochester Curling Club
- Amerks Scoro Competition, Moose appearance and prizes on Sunday, Dec 12 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
- Figure skating performance Sunday, Dec 12 from 3 to 3:30 p.m., presented by Thomas Creek Figure Skating Club
- Sled hockey demonstration Saturday, Dec 18 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., presented by the Rochester Sled Hawks
- Photo experience designed by artist Shawn Dunwoody and presented by RIT
- Crafts for kids inside the T-Mobile Gingerbread House
- Holiday celebrations include Kwanzaa on Dec 12, Three Kings’ Day on Dec 17 and Christmas on Dec 19
- Free Petting Zoo events on Dec 12, 18 and 19 from 1 to 3 p.m., and Dec 11 from noon to 2 p.m. Presented by Swan Tile & Marsh Construction Services, Inc.
Eating at The Village
Food Trucks on Court St. include Cookie Coma, FLX BBQ, Marty’s Meats, Morgan’s Cereal Bar, Rob’s Al Dente Mobile Pasta, Rob’s Kabobs, Rustic Taco Bar and Wraps on Wheels.
The Anthony Butera Team at Keller Williams and Triple-O
Lodge – Bar & Restaurant
The indoor heated tent will feature wines, beers, cider, hard seltzers, mulled wine, sparkling wines, soft drinks, juices and water from the bar plus a rotation of pop-up restaurants with counter service each weekend. Free live music on Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings on the Buckingham Properties Stage will feature local musicians. Restaurants will be Marty’s Meats (December 8 to 12), and The Hideaway (December 16-19).
Food Vendors
Artichoke French, The Chai Guy, Duke’s Donuts, Local2U, Tony Pepperoni and RoCoCo Rochester Coffee Co.
Health & Safety
Our patrons, volunteers, vendors and team are of the utmost importance to us. We’re taking the necessary steps and following the recommendations of health officials by expanding our outdoor spaces, recommending masks be worn in indoor and outdoor spaces, cleaning and sanitizing constantly, setting up hand sanitizer dispensers throughout the village, and installing medical-grade air-purifiers in every indoor tent. In consideration of the health and safety of others, please only visit Roc Holiday Village when you are healthy. If you have a fever or other symptoms of illness, please stay home. Please see Health & Safety on our website for the latest health and safety information before planning your visit. We appreciate your patience and help.
Parking
The Festival does not operate any parking but there are many surface lots and ramp parking garages conveniently located nearby. Metered parking will be available on area streets, plus at the Washington Square Garage, Allpro Parking Garage at the Five Star Bank Building, Court Street Garage, Midtown Garage, and Fairway Parking. Court St. between Chestnut St. and Manhattan Square Dr. will be closed to thru traffic during the hours when the Village is open. Parking for the Roc Holiday Village is also available in The Strong’s Parking Garage.
About Roc Holiday Village
The City of Rochester Roc Holiday Village presented by Five Star Bank is Rochester, New York’s premier annual holiday festival bringing magic downtown for people of all ages. Roc Holiday Village was launched in 2018 and is owned and produced by Rochester natives Jenna Manetta-Knauf, owner of Bella Events Group; Kelli Marsh, owner of Kelli Marsh Photography; and Sean McCarthy, owner of McCarthy Tents & Events. In its second year in 2019, Roc Holiday Village presented 14 days of enchanting festivities and drew more than 125,000 people of all ages to the heart of downtown Rochester at Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Memorial Park for skating, shopping, live music, visits with Santa, crafts, pop-up restaurants and bar, private igloo tents, and more. In 2020, organizers announced that the festival could not be held due to the COVID-19 pandemic and New York State’s guidelines that restricted large gatherings.
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