Roc Holiday Village returns to MLK Park 

[
      {
        "name": "500x250 Ad",
        "insertPoint": "5",
        "component": "15667920",
        "parentWrapperClass": "",
        "requiredCountToDisplay": "1"
      }
    ]

The annual Roc Holiday Village returns Dec. 3 through 19 for its third year, following last year’s pandemic-induced hiatus.

The holiday festival, hosted by the city of Rochester and sponsored by Five Star Bank, once again turns Martin Luther King Jr. Park into a veritable winter wonderland, with free ice skating (limited skate rentals available) and various ice rink activities, food trucks and pop-up restaurants, live music, and plenty of shopping featuring local vendors. CITY is also a sponsor for this event.

Roc Holiday Village opens  4 p.m. Friday, and the festivities kick into high gear on 5 p.m. Saturday with the lighting of the Liberty Pole — a Rochester holiday hallmark — and subsequent family parade to the Christmas tree lighting at the Holiday Village.

As always, there are additional family-friendly activities planned with the little ones in mind — from a nativity scene accompanied by a petting zoo with sheep, goats, and alpacas, to craft-making inside the heated Gingerbread House.

And no Christmas experience is complete without a visit with Santa Claus, who will be present on Saturday, Dec. 4; Wednesdays, Dec. 8 and 15; and Sunday, Dec. 19.

Individual holidays will be also spotlighted at Roc Holiday Village on the following days:

Sunday, Dec. 5 — Hanukkah
Sunday, Dec. 12 — Kwanzaa
Friday, Dec. 17 — Three Kings
Sunday, Dec. 19 — Christmas

For more details, including dates and times for specific events, visit rocholidayvillage.com.

Daniel J. Kushner is CITY’s arts editor. He can be reached at [email protected].