3rd Annual City of Rochester Roc Holiday Village presented by Five Star Bank Opens this Friday, December 3
Rochester, NY—December 1, 2021—The third annual City of Rochester Roc Holiday Village presented by Five Star Bank is back! The popular family-friendly holiday festival opens this Friday, December 3 from 4 to 11 p.m. at Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Park in downtown Rochester.
Thirteen days of free events run through December 19. Visitors can enjoy free ice skating and skate rentals, pop-up restaurants, a shopping village, private Cozy Igloos (sold out), free ice events, free live music, holiday celebrations, free crafts for kids, food trucks, visits with Santa, petting zoo events, and more.
Village dates are Friday, December 3, Saturday, December 4, Sunday, December 5; Wednesday, December 8; Thursday, December 9; Friday, December 10; Saturday, December 11; Sunday, December 12; Wednesday, December 15; Thursday, December 16; Friday, December 17; Saturday, December 18; wrapping up on Sunday, December 19.
Village hours are Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays 4 p.m. to 10 p.m., Saturdays 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., and Sundays 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. The restaurant and bar will be open for an extended hour until 11 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays.
On Saturday, December 4 at 4:30 p.m., the annual Liberty Pole Lighting, and Parade to Roc Holiday Village, will be held in conjunction with the City of Rochester.
The event returns for the first time since 2019, when it drew 125,000 people. It could not be held in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Highlights & What's New
New this year are expanded outdoor seating, outdoor table service for those who don't wish to go into the Lodge, more free events, a luxury restroom trailer near Court Street, and an extra day of the week (Wednesdays) has been added to the calendar. Additional petting zoo days, Ryan Callahan ice event, expanded The Lodge bar and band karaoke.
The Shopping Village features 26 retail shops and food vendors and is open Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m., Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Sundays from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Mini Maker Markets featuring local artists, crafters, designers, DIYers, and confectioneries will sell their goods on Thursday, December 9 from 2 to 10 p.m. and Thursday, December 16 from 4 to 10 p.m.
The Igloo Village (sold out) presented by Rochester Regional Health has seven Cozy Igloos available for private parties and events for up to eight people each, and 2 Igloo Inns, one for up to 30 people and one for up to 40 people. Each geodesic dome-covered lounge has a view of the Village, is furnished with stylish and cozy chairs, blankets, and pillows and offers bar service. Igloos sold out in 20 minutes.
Ice skating and skate rentals Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays: 4 to 10 p.m, Saturdays from 10.a.m. to 10 p.m, Sundays from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. presented by Wegmans. Wegmans is also generously sponsoring FREE ice skating when Roc Holiday Village is not open. See hours
Visit with Santa - Sat Dec 4 from 6 to 9 p.m., Wed Dec 8 from 4 to 9 p.m., Wed Dec 15 from 4 to 9 p.m., Sun Dec 19 from 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Live music inside The Lodge on the Buckingham Properties Stage Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays 7 p.m. to 11 p.m.
Carolers inside and outside around The Village.
Bar karaoke with two live bands, Up2Somethin' and Me & The Boyz, Wed Dec 8 and Wed Dec 15 from 7 to 10 p.m.
Ice hockey family-friendly competition hosted by the Ryan Callahan Foundation on Sunday, Dec 5 from 10 a.m. to noon. Handling skills with sticks and pucks, a passing competition into nets and the fastest skater. The rink will be closed for open skating during this time.
Character Skate Meet & Greet - Sunday, Dec 5 from 2 to 4 p.m., presented by Royal Promise Productions
Figure skating performance Sunday, Dec 12 from 3 to 3:30 p.m., presented by Thomas Creek Figure Skating Club
Curling Demonstration and instruction Saturday, Dec 11 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., presented by Rochester Curling Club
Sled hockey demonstration Saturday, Dec 18 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., presented by the Rochester Sled Hawks
Amerks Scoro Competition, Moose appearance and prizes on Sunday, Dec 12 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Photo opp designed by artist Shawn Dunwoody and presented by RIT
Crafts for kids inside the T-Mobile Gingerbread House
Holiday celebrations include Hanukkah on Dec 5, Kwanzaa on Dec 12, Three Kings' Day on Dec 17 and Christmas on Dec 19
Free Petting Zoo events on Dec 4, 5 12, 18 and19 from 1 to 3 p.m., and Dec 11 from noon to 2 p.m. Presented by Swan Tile & Marsh Construction Services, Inc.
Eating at The Village
Food Trucks on Court St. include Cookie Coma, FLX BBQ, Marty’s Meats, Morgan’s Cereal Bar, Rob’s Al Dente Mobile Pasta, Rob’s Kabobs, Rustic Taco Bar and Wraps on Wheels.
The Anthony Butera Team at Keller Williams and Triple-O
The indoor heated tent will feature wines, beers, cider, hard seltzers, mulled wine, sparkling wines, soft drinks, juices and water from the bar plus a rotation of pop-up restaurants with counter service each weekend. Free live music on Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings on the Buckingham Properties Stage will feature local musicians. Restaurants will be Nancy's Sweets & Eats (December 3 to 5), Marty’s Meats (December 8 to 12), and The Hideaway (December 16-19).
Artichoke French, The Chai Guy, Duke's Donuts, Local2U, Tony Pepperoni and RoCoCo Rochester Coffee Co.
Our patrons, volunteers, vendors and team are of the utmost importance to us. We're taking the necessary steps and following the recommendations of health officials by expanding our outdoor spaces, recommending masks be worn in indoor spaces, cleaning and sanitizing constantly, setting up hand sanitizer dispensers throughout the village, and installing an air quality system with our furnaces. In consideration of the health and safety of others, please only visit Roc Holiday Village when you are healthy. If you have a fever or other symptoms of illness, please stay home. Please see Health & Safety on our website for the latest health and safety information before planning your visit. We appreciate your patience and help.
The Festival does not operate any parking but there are many surface lots and ramp parking garages conveniently located nearby. Metered parking will be available on area streets, plus at the Washington Square Garage, Allpro Parking Garage at the Five Star Bank Building, Court Street Garage, Midtown Garage, and Fairway Parking. Court St. between Chestnut St. and Manhattan Square Dr. will be closed to thru traffic during the hours when the Village is open. Parking for the Roc Holiday Village is also available in The Strong’s Parking Garage.
About Roc Holiday Village
The City of Rochester Roc Holiday Village presented by Five Star Bank is Rochester, New York’s premier annual holiday festival bringing magic downtown for people of all ages. Roc Holiday Village was launched in 2018 and is owned and 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. In its second year in 2019, Roc Holiday Village presented 14 days of enchanting festivities and drew more than 125,000 people of all ages to the heart of downtown Rochester at Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Memorial Park for skating, shopping, live music, visits with Santa, crafts, pop-up restaurants and bar, private igloo tents, and more. In 2020, organizers announced that the festival could not be held due to the COVID-19 pandemic and New York State’s guidelines that restricted large gatherings.
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