2019 Holiday Season Kick Off in Downtown

The weekend before Thanksgiving is the unofficial kickoff to the holiday season in downtown. It’s jam packed with lots of holiday activity for the whole family to enjoy!

 

The best weekends start on Thursday, and this weekend is no exception. The November Art Loop is Jazz themed and is full of live music all over downtown. Explore places like Graphite Design + Build, Gathered Glass, 20 North Gallery and so many other spaces! You can explore the Imagination Station after hours for just $5, Handmade Toledo will have a smaller version of their Maker’s Mart and Toledo Asana Room has a $5 yoga class.

 

Promenade Park will be the center of holiday activity on Friday, November 22. Meet Santa and other characters like Elsa, Spiderman and more while being serenaded by carolers and local choir groups. Then at 7:20, see the huge tree in the center of the park get lit. The entire event, which begins at 5:00 PM, will be broadcasted live on 13abc by Lee Conklin, Diane Larson and Mayor Wade Kapszukiewicz. After the tree lighting, walk along the riverfront to One SeaSkate and enjoy downtown’s only outdoor skating rink! One SeaSkate operates Thursday-Sunday and is open until January 5.

 

Be there when downtown lights the Toledo night sky and the flip is switched for the lights and tree in Hensville on Saturday, November 23 at 4 PM. Two-hundred thousand lights strung onto the buildings on St. Clair St. beckon visitors to be amazed, while the 45-foot-tall tree with more than 10,000 lights brings out the Christmas cheer. Santa Claus will make a special visit, along with performances from Toledo School for the Arts, Nye Dance Productions and a joint performance from the Ottawa Hills, Waite and Perrysburg High School American Sign Language Clubs. Fleetwood’s Tap Room and the Holy Toledo Tavern will feature holiday specials, including a hot chocolate bar! Be sure to head from the Huntington Center after the lighting to see the Walleye take on the Kalamazoo Wings.

 

Lights not really your thing? Check out the Toledo Symphony Orchestra will be performing Dvorak's Cello Concerto on Friday and Saturday at the Toledo Museum of Art Peristyle. Both shows atart at 8:00 PM.

 

The weekend wraps up with a Screen Print Holiday Card workshop at Handmade Toledo. The workshop allows participants to create at least 3 unique gifts after learning the process of screen printing. The workshop is open to all skill levels.