6th Annual Roc Holiday Village
Roc Holiday Village is Rochester, New York’s favorite, magical winter festival! Delighting people of all ages, Roc Holiday Village 2023 celebrated its fifth anniversary this year, and presented 17 days of enchanting festivities from December 1 to December 23 drawing more than 185,000 people of all ages to the heart of downtown Rochester at Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Memorial Park. The annual downtown festival features outdoor seating and fire pits, free ice skating and skate rentals, a unique shopping village, indoor and outdoor bars with tasty food and drinks, free visits with Santa, hand-crafted goods, cozy winter igloos, free crafts for kids, holiday celebrations, live music, private events, nightlife and more. Roc Holiday Village is produced by Rochester natives Jenna Manetta Knauf, owner of Bella Events Group; Kelli Marsh, owner of Kelli Marsh photography; and Sean McCarthy, owner of McCarthy Tents & Events. Roc Holiday Village will present its sixth annual season from December 6 to 29, 2024.
21st Edition CGI Rochester International Jazz Festival
The Rochester International Jazz Festival (RIJF) is one of the world’s leading jazz festivals. Founded in 2002, the nine-day multi-dimensional festival is held annually in downtown Rochester, NY, drawing more than 211,000 people to 300 shows and 20 venues. Presenting more than 1750 legendary performers, familiar favorites and new discoveries, the Festival navigates all genres of creative improvised music from all corners of the world. RIJF is produced by RIJF, LLC, a privately held company owned by John Nugent and Marc Iacona. Nugent, Producer and Artistic Director, is a noted tenor sax player, who has traveled the world with many jazz artists, including Tony Bennett, Ella Fitzgerald, Rosemary Clooney, The Woody Herman Orchestra, and The Vanguard Jazz Orchestra. Marc Iacona, Producer and Executive Director, is a Rochester native and President of Simcona Electronics. A business and community leader, he is an avid trumpeter and supporter of the arts.
4th Annual Roc Holiday Village
Save the Dates for the 4th Annual Roc Holiday Village!
Roc Holiday Village is Rochester, New York’s favorite, magical winter festival! Delighting people of all ages, Roc Holiday Village 2021 presented 14 days of enchanting festivities on varying dates from December 3 to December 19. The downtown festival features outdoor seating and fire pits, free ice skating and skate rentals, a unique shopping village, and indoor bar with tasty food and drinks, free visits with Santa, tree lighting, hand-crafted goods, cozy winter igloos, free crafts for kids, holiday celebrations, live music, private events, nightlife and more. In its third year in 2021, Roc Holiday Village drew over 100,000 people of all ages to the heart of downtown Rochester at Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Memorial Park. 2022 will be Roc Holiday Village’s fourth year. It is produced by Rochester natives Jenna Manetta Knauf, owner of Bella Events Group; Kelli Marsh, owner of Kelli Marsh photography; and Sean McCarthy, owner of McCarthy Tents & Events. Learn more
19th Edition CGI Rochester International Jazz Festival
The CGI Rochester International Jazz Festival is back! After a two-year hiatus due to the global coronavirus pandemic, Producers John Nugent and Marc Iacona today announced the lineup for the long-awaited 2022 nine-day Festival, which will return with its 19th edition June 17 to 25 to downtown Rochester, New York. Learn more
Lifetime Assistance Airport Games "Totally Virtual Race"
Registration is now open for this year's Lifetime Assistance Airport Games. The "Totally Virtual" event will return for its 21st year from Saturday, August 22 through Friday, August 28 with a virtual 5K walk, run or Flour City CrossFit. Register online at lifetimeassistance.org/airport-games.
GiGi's Playhouse Rochester 5th Annual Gala "Red Carpet Affair"
GiGi Playhouse Rochester will hold its fifth annual fundraising Gala with the theme “Red Carpet Affair" on Saturday, March 14 at the Joseph A. Floreano Riverside Convention Center, 123 E Main St, Rochester, NY 14604. Free valet parking is available. Over 400 guests are expected to attend.
Proceeds from the Gala help support GiGi's free programming for people with Down syndrome in the Rochester region.
Guests will arrive photo-ready on a red carpet with cameras flashing! A cocktail reception and silent auction will take place from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. followed by an award presentation, dinner, live auction, music, dancing, and casino tables from 7:30 til..
"The Gala is our largest and most important fundraiser of the year and celebrates GiGi's Playhouse Rochester's achievements and the way we change how people see Down syndrome. This year’s celebration is sure to top last year's and we're so excited to share the evening everyone,” said Jennifer Bustamante, GiGi's Playhouse Rochester president.
Tickets, tables and sponsorship packages are now available starting from $175 to $10,000. To buy tickets and for more information visit gigisplayhouse.org/rochester/gala or email rochester@gigisplayhouse.org.
First Ever Festival of Inclusion
Join us! for a Day of Fun, Acceptance & Respect for All! Bring the family! Bring a friend! Bring a neighbor! FREE! & Open to All! Free Parking!
The Golisano Foundation, Special Olympics, and Best Buddies will host the first ever Festival of Inclusion - an inspirational day of fun and games to kick-off this year's Spread the Word Inclusion campaign.
The event is FREE and open to all. Free parking available on campus.
Event Highlights!
Sports activities such as "East vs. West" unified basketball tournament, pickleball, cheerleading, and tennis
Music & dance fun with dance troops, singing groups, DJ and dance party
Photobooth
More than 40 community organizations set up inside the Training Center's perimeter track with interactive activity stations
A pep rally starting at 11 a.m. with special guest speakers
Food trucks located outside the Golisano Training Center entrance
Tours of local department fire trucks, police cruisers, and other emergency vehicles
Roc Holiday Village 2019
This year's Roc Holiday Village will be held every Friday, Saturday and Sunday December 6 to 29, plus Thursday, December 19 and a New Year's Eve celebration on December 31.
Village Dates – December 6, 7, 8, 13, 14, 15, 19, 20, 21, 22, 27, 28, 29
New Year's Eve Celebration – December 31
Hours, activities, events and details on the Roc Holiday Village and the New Year's Eve Celebration will be announced in the fall.
In the event's first year, more than 120,000 people of all ages visited Roc Holiday Village in the heart of downtown Rochester at Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Memorial Park for skating, shopping, live music, visits and Breakfast with Santa, crafts and more. Pop-up restaurants and the bar in The Lodge were a huge draw all 11 days last year.
3rd Annual Golf Fore Gigi's Charity Golf Tournament
GiGi's Playhouse Rochester, an achievement center that serves 300 families of all ages in the Rochester region with Down syndrome, will host its 3rd annual fundraiser golf tournament on Saturday, August 17, 2019 at Mill Creek Golf Club, 128 Cedars Ave., Churchville. This is GiGi's Playhouse Rochester's second largest public fundraiser of the year, the first being their Gala that takes place in March. Tickets are available now, registration is limited.
Rochester International Jazz Festival
18th Edition CGI Rochester International Jazz Festival presented by M&T Bank
Lifetime Assistance 20th Annual Airport Games
The Airport Games will return for its 20th year on Saturday, June 15. This is Lifetime's largest fundraising event of the year and includes the USAirports 5K Run/Walk, Flower City CrossFit 5K, Kids Fun Run, inflatable obstacle course, and more! Lifetime hopes to raise $140,000 at this year's Games. All funds benefit Lifetime's services including health and wellness programs, educational advancement opportunities, technology, essential adaptive lift and transfer equipment, Special Olympics training and more.
17th Annual AADMD One Voice Conference
This conference will bring business leaders and IDD professionals together in One Voice for Inclusive Health. During the 3-day conference, attendees will hear from top keynote speakers, meet companies paving the way for inclusive health, participate in topical discussions and breakout sessions - not to mention network with top medical professionals dedicated to inclusive healthcare.
Doc Severinsen with the “Sonic Era Jazz Orchestra” Conducted by Jeff Tyzik
Iconic trumpeter and legendary The Tonight Show bandleader, Doc Severinsen, will return to Rochester Wednesday, April 17 performing with the new, Sonic Era Jazz Orchestra, conducted by Jeff Tyzik.
The concert, produced by Sonic Era and Jazz90.1 WGMC-FM will be held at 7:30 p.m. at the Greece Central Performing Arts Center. It is presented by Simcona Electronics Corporation.
Tickets
Tickets are $24.25, $34.25, $44.25, $54.25 and $64.25 plus service charges and go on sale Thursday, February 28 at 10 a.m.
Buy online at SonicEra.com
Call (866) 967-8167
Proceeds of the concert benefit Jazz90.1 – a non-profit public jazz radio station in Rochester.
The 1483-seat Greece Central Performing Arts Center is located at 800 Long Pond Road at Greece Athena Middle and High School. Parking is free. Doors will open at 6:30 p.m. Will Call is located at the Art Center’s Box Office. The concert is two hours with a 20-minute intermission.
Doc Severinsen last performed in Rochester with Jeff Tyzik in 2016. Now in his 91st year, Severinsen remains one of the greatest trumpeters and musicians of his time, respected in the worlds of classical music, jazz, big band, and now even world music.
The concert will celebrate the long-standing collaboration of Severinsen and Tyzik, one of America's most innovative and sought after pops conductors, who has orchestrated many of the great band leader’s symphony orchestra programs and produced the GRAMMY Award-winning album "The Tonight Show Band with Doc Severinsen, Vol. 1." Tyzik's subsequent recordings with Severinsen garnered three more GRAMMY nominations.
“I'm extremely excited to present Doc Severinsen in conjunction with Jazz 90.1 WGMC,” said Stabnau, producer and founder of Sonic Era. “Having grown up hearing his music it's been a dream of mine to bring him to Rochester to perform with the big band sound, for which he is known. He is a jazz legend and an incredible entertainer.”
“Jazz90.1 is honored to be a part of such an amazing concert, and we are grateful to be able to present Doc Severinsen and this wonderful orchestra to Rochester music fans,” said Jazz90.1 Station Manager Rob Linton. “As Jazz90.1 celebrates our 45th anniversary this year, we remain committed to presenting amazing live jazz to our listeners and members. To have a legend like Mr. Severinsen perform is truly a dream come true for us.”
Golisano Health Leadership Award Celebration
The Golisano Health Leadership Awards recognize health champions - leaders and organizations - that are making a significant contribution to equal access to health, fitness and/or wellness for people with intellectual disabilities. The awards also promote awareness for the progress and extraordinary efforts toward fulfilling the goals, values, and mission of Special Olympics health program. This is the highest Special Olympics honor for health partners.
ROC Holiday Village
This all-new annual downtown holiday event – City of Rochester Holiday Village presented by Five Star Bank – will showcase family friendly activities including Santa's Workshop, ice skating, breakfast with Santa, food, shopping and more for 11 days in December!
8th Annual Reshaping Rochester Awards
The CDC Rochester Reshaping Rochester Awards recognize exemplary regional initiatives and projects that positively impact people, neighborhoods, and the community. They will be presented at a luncheon. This year's Urban Observations keynote speaker will be the renowned sculptor, Albert Paley. Tickets go on sale in September. Last year's awards luncheon sold out.
The Defamation Experience
The Workforce Diversity Network (WDN), the Rochester region's leading resource on diversity and inclusion in the workplace, will present the Defamation Experience – an interactive and engaging workshop that has been hailed as one of the most relevant and compelling diversity and inclusion programs ever presented.
Special Olympics NY Walk for Inclusion
Special Olympics is celebrating 50 years of empowering people of all abilities to reach their goals through sport, health and wellness. To celebrate this milestone, Special Olympics New York is hosting the inaugural Walk for Inclusion at the future site of the new Golisano Training Center at Nazareth College.
Lifetime Assistance 40th Anniversary Celebration
Lifetime Assistance, Inc., the region’s largest and most comprehensive agency serving people with developmental disabilities, will celebrate its 40th anniversary this year. A big 40th Anniversary Celebration for close to 1000 staff members and people in the community will take place to mark the milestone!