Winter Festival (Tallahassee, Florida)

It was the fall of 1986, and the City of Tallahassee had just purchased new outdoor lights and decorations for the upcoming winter holiday season. A small group of local citizens banded together to organize a small, intimate holiday community event, to show off the new decorations. And thus, the first Winter Festival was staged, with all of one entertainment stage, the brief lighting ceremony and "Santa's Alleyway" on the north side of City Hall. Barely 6,000 hardy visitors braved bitter cold temperatures on the first Friday in December that year, but enough enthusiasm was created to turn the event into an annual celebration.

Over those first several years, the Winter Festival grew substantially, adding visitor-friendly elements including the Nighttime Holiday Parade, Santa's Enchanted Forest, a food court, more live entertainment stages, fine arts competitions and, the always-popular Jingle Bell Run. (Winter Festival Media Guide 2009)

The Winter Festival, A Celebration of Lights, Music & the Arts is honored by the Southeast Tourism Society as one of the top 20 events in the southeastern region of the United States.

The Winter Festival as a whole was not held in 2018 due to the organization's severe weather policy, anticipated lightning, and a lack of necessary shelters should it be required. However, the Jingle Bell Run still took place as planned.

• Songs of the Season - New for 2009. Choral event held on Kleman Plaza on the Friday evening before the Winter Festival. Santa Claus is also in attendance for photo opportunities.
• Lighting Ceremony - The ceremony begins the festivities and the decorative lights of Tallahassee are turned on by the mayor John Marks at 6:15pm.
• Jingle Bell Run - This is a 3K race through the downtown streets open to all. With thousands of area runners and walkers entered as well as skaters, rollerbladers, infants, toddlers in strollers, and dogs in Santa hats and jingle bells, Mayor Marks gives the count down to the start.
• Holiday Parade - A parade proceeds down Monroe Street with floats and bands.
• Festival Merchandise vendors sell a variety of foods and merchandise.
• 5 Stages of Entertainment - There are five stages for various forms of entertainment.
• Ice Skating - Skating is provided for all ages at Tallahassee's Kleman Plaza. To help celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Winter Festival in 2006, the Tallahassee Parks and Recreation Department and Friends of Our Parks Foundation purchased a portable outdoor ice skating rink. In 2007, ice skating is moving to the North Florida Fairgrounds. No ice skating in 2008, 2009 or 2018.
• Elf Night Dorothy B. Oven Park Hosts Annual Elf Night featuring over 250,000 lights, the public is invited to stroll through the house and grounds to enjoy the sights and sounds of the season. The Parks and Recreation Department begins the project in September so that it can be finished by December.

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  Lighting Live oaks in a park at dusk
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  Young girl enjoying snow flakes
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  Other young ladies enjoying the snow
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  People enjoying the festivities
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  Two young ones singing
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  Two women watch the parade
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  Mayor Marks and wife Jane in horse-drawn carriage

City of Tallahassee - Winter Festival