Celebrate the Season at Winter Festival on Dec. 3

Jingle Bell Run Registration Closes Dec. 1

November 30, 2022

The 36th annual Winter Festival – a Celebration of Lights, Music and the Arts will fill downtown Tallahassee with merriment on Saturday, Dec. 3, from 3-10 p.m.

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 3 and come back to enjoy it later in the week. Candy Cane Lane will be open nightly from 6-9 p.m. from December 4-11.
• Children’s Activity Area on Kleman Plaza – From 3-6 p.m., musical entertainment can be found in the Children’s Activity Area. Families can enjoy grab-and-go crafts and family-friendly holiday movies from 6-10 p.m., including Shrek the Halls and The Year Without a Santa Claus.
• 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 announcers’ 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. – Registration closes December 1. This popular event draws festive runners who traverse a roughly 1.5-mile course through downtown, ending where they began at Park Avenue and Monroe Street.
• Nighttime Holiday Parade at 7:15 p.m. – Grab a spot early for this centerpiece event! More than 70 parade entries will fill Monroe Street with holiday cheer.

Due to the bustling activities of Winter Festival, traffic will be heavy downtown on December 3, and many roads will be closed. StarMetro’s Saturday routes will be impacted. Patrons attending Winter Festival are encouraged to arrive early. Road closures along Adams Street and the Chain of Parks will begin at 7 a.m. on Dec. 3. Event staging will take place on Monroe Street from Brevard to Tennessee streets with intersections closed in the area from 4-11 p.m. The Holiday Parade and Jingle Bell Run routes will be closed from 5-11 p.m. Detour roads will include Brevard, Bronough, Gadsden and Gaines streets. Get more information about road closures, parking and other traffic-related impacts closer to the event at Talgov.com/WinterFestival.

Expanding accessibility to the event, this year’s 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, Facebook.com/CityofTLH, Twitter.com/CityofTLH and YouTube.com/CityofTLH. The event will re-broadcast on WCOT on Sunday, Dec. 4, at 6 p.m.

Winter Festival is coordinated by the City of Tallahassee’s Parks, Recreation and Neighborhood Affairs Department (PRNA). For more information about the 2022 Winter Festival, please visit Talgov.com or call PRNA at 850-891-3866.