Roc Holiday Village will close Thursday with Farewell Santa Parade

Evan Bourtis News10NBC
Roc Holiday Village (file)

UPDATE: The final day for Roc Holiday Village will be Thursday. You can catch the final day of winter festivities from 4 to 9 p.m.

The city announced that Roc Holiday Village is canceled on Friday because of weather conditions. There will still be free ice skating on Friday, weather permitting.

It’s the fourth year of the winter village at Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Park, which started on December 2. The winter village features vendors, ice staking, cozy fire pits, visits with Santa, and live music. The village typically draws more than 100,000 people.

You can see a complete list of events at the winter village here. Here is an updated guide to the holiday fun, with Friday’s cancelation:

Thursday, Dec. 22

  • Mike Melito Trio performs: Local artists the Mike Melito Trio will perform from 7-10 p.m. at the Buckingham Properties Stage.
  • Farewell Santa Parade (new time): On our final night, Prime Time Brass will start to play around 7:00 p.m. and march with Santa around the Village before Santa departs at 8:00 p.m.

Friday, Dec. 23

  • CANCELED DUE TO WEATHER

All days

Visit Santa: Meet Santa in his magical workshop! Tell Santa what you want for Christmas and we’ll snap a photo of you with the jolly guy and instantly print a 4×6 copy for free! On your way in to see Santa, look for the big red Santa’s Mailbox inside Santa’s Workshop to send letters to Santa. Letters received by 12/11 will receive a reply! Parents, please help children write their full address clearly. It open from 4-8 p.m. at Santa’s Workshop.

Free Crafts for Kids: There’s a variety of easy handmade craft projects to keep your little ones busy (and happy) inside of our heated tent structure. Themes vary by day and are appropriate for kids of all ages! It runs from 4-9 p.m. at the T-Mobile Gingerbread House.

Triple-O Lodge Bar: Meet up in The Triple-O Lodge for drinks, snacks, and festive tunes! Get toasty by the bar that’s stocked with wine, beer, hard cider, warm mulled wine, bubbles, soda, juice & water. New this year! Visit our Hot Cocoa & Coffee bar inside The Lodge. Add marshmallows, peppermint and more to make the perfect drink to keep you warm. The Triple-O Lodge features a mini arcade with free games, and televisions for you to catch the game! Tables are first come first serve. Reservations not needed. Be sure to snag one of our collectible mugs for your cocoa, coffee or mulled wine! It’s open from 4-10 p.m.

Shopping at the village: Shop a unique selection of sweets, treats and treasures from artisan vendors. You can see the daily schedule for vendors here and you can see the hours for shopping here.

Free Ice Skating: Lace up your skates and glide onto the outdoor ice rink for free ice skating at MLK Park! Situated in the heart of downtown Rochester, everyone in the family will enjoy making magical memories with this winter tradition! See skating hours here.

Village hours

  • The winter village is open on Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. It’s also open on Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Sundays from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
  • The bar will be open for an extended hour until 10 p.m. on Wednesday and Thursday and 11 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays.
  • The ice rink will be open, weather permitting on Wednesday and Thursday from 4 to 10 p.m., Saturdays 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., and Sundays 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
  • Santa’s Workshop will be open Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. Its also open on Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Sundays from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Other details

You can see the schedule for food trucks here and see the drinks menu here. Also, there will be live music including karaoke, carolers, and brass bands. You can see the music schedule here. Roc Holiday Village features celebrations of the holidays Christmas, Hanukkah, and Kwanzaa. You can see the list of celebrations here. The winter igloos, where people can enjoy food and drinks, are all sold out.

Our coverage