UPDATED - Winter Festival Brings a Flurry of Fun to Downtown

December 10, 2019

The 33rd annual Winter Festival – a Celebration of Lights, Music and Arts event took place this past Saturday night, dazzling a crowd of over 100,000 spectators. The Judges Panel, which was made up of community leaders, had the difficult job of judging this year’s festively fierce competition. Below is a list of their “Best of” Nighttime Holiday Parade winners in various categories.

• BEST IN PARADE: StarMetro
• BANDS: Florida A&M University's Marching 100
• CITY SERVICES: City Utilities
• CLUBS: Capital City Rowing
• CORPORATE FLOAT: Tallahassee Super Squads
• CORPORATE VEHICLE: Coca-Cola
• GOVERNMENT: Leon County
• NON-PROFIT FLOAT: Springtime Tallahassee War and Reconstruction
• NON-PROFIT VEHICLE: Elder Care Services, Inc.
• PERFORMING UNIT: Platinum Dance Center - Tallahassee
• RELIGIOUS ORGANIZATION: Seventh-Day Advent Church, District 1
• SANTA CLAUS AWARD: Scottsdale Academy

View each float in the Nighttime Holiday Parade at: https://bit.ly/2PaDt4p. Sponsored by the City of Tallahassee and coordinated by the City’s Parks, Recreation and Neighborhood Affairs Department, the 33rd annual Winter Festival continued its tradition of welcoming the winter holiday season to the Capital City.

The 33rd annual Winter Festival – a Celebration of Lights, Music and the Arts will fill downtown Tallahassee with merriment onSaturday, Dec. 7, from 3-10 p.m. Year after year, this event draws more than 100,000 people to the heart of the city.

In addition to delicious food vendors, unique arts and crafts merchants and sparkling holiday displays, this year’s Winter Festival will include the following jolly happenings:

• Candy Cane Lane in McCarty Park – Enjoy a stroll through this magical holiday scene from 3-10 p.m. on December 7 and come back to enjoy it later in the week. Candy Cane Lane will be open nightly from 6-9 p.m. from December 8-15.
• Children’s Activity Area on Kleman Plaza – Throughout the event, children will enjoy hands-on arts and crafts and fun bounce houses.
• Four stages of live entertainment – Find local actors, dancers, musicians and more taking the stage throughout the night in the following locations:
• Choral/Small Ensemble Stage on Kleman Plaza
• Ponce de Leon Park Stage
• Showmobile on Adams Street near City Hall
• College Avenue Stage
• Lighting Ceremony at 6 p.m. on the Parade Judge’s Platform, located on South Monroe Street at Bloxham Park – Mark the official 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. – This popular event draws thousands of runners who traverse a course through downtown, ending where they began at Park Avenue and Monroe Street. While online registration is closed, you can register on the day of the race from 3-6 p.m. in the Capital City Bank parking lot at the corner of S. Monroe and Tennessee streets. Day-of registration costs $20; credit cards cannot be accepted.
• Nighttime Holiday Parade at 7:15 p.m. – Grab a spot early for this centerpiece event! More than 65 parade entries will fill Monroe Street with holiday cheer. This year’s Parade Grand Marshals are the Florida A&M University Marching 100.

Due to the bustling activities of Winter Festival, traffic will be heavy downtown on December 7, and many roads will be closed. StarMetro’s Saturday routes and the Trolley route will be impacted. Patrons attending Winter Festival are encouraged to arrive early. For a complete map of road closures and information about parking, visit Talgov.com/WinterFestival.

This year, the Lighting Ceremony, start of the Jingle Bell Run and full Nighttime Holiday Parade will be broadcast live on WCOT (channel 13) and streamed live on Talgov.com and Facebook.com/CityofTLH.

The City of Tallahassee is proud to continue the tradition of welcoming the winter holiday season through the community celebration that is Winter Festival. For complete event information, visit Talgov.com/WinterFestival.

Contact Information

Alison Faris, Communications Department, 850-891-8533