THIS WEEKED: RPO Gala Holiday Pops, Reindeer Run, and more

ROCHESTER, N.Y. — There are so many holiday festivities happening in the Rochester area this weekend. Here’s your guide to the upcoming holiday traditions:

RPO Gala Holiday Pops (Friday, Saturday, and Sunday)

The Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra is celebrating the holiday season by playing holiday classics with a high school choir at Kodak Hall in the Eastman Theatre.

Principal pops conductor Jeff Tyzik will lead the orchestra for The Gala Holiday Pops, which has been running for over 30 years. The shows begin at 8 p.m. on Friday, 2 p.m. on Saturday, 8 p.m. on Saturday, and 2 p.m. on Sunday. You can get tickets here.

First Responders Night (Saturday)

The Ridge Road Fire District is partnering with the Hilton Varsity Hockey and Greece Varsity Hockey teams for a game to honor first responders on Saturday.

Firefighters, police officers, deputies, and paramedics will be among the guests. The Life-Saving Award Ceremony will feature a special puck drop before the game, with local first responders participating in the ceremonial faceoff. Doors open at 5:15 p.m. at the Lakeshore Hockey Arena and the ceremonial puck drop is at 6 p.m.

Reindeer Run (Sunday)

People will race through the Genesee Riverway Trail on Sunday morning in festive attire for the Reindeer Run 5K. The race starts and finishes at the Blue Cross Arena.

The 5K begins at 8:30 a.m. and a kids’ half-mile race starts at 9:20 a.m. You can register for the race here and pick up your packet at Fleet Feet at The Culver Road Armory on Friday or Saturday.

Exchange Boulevard between Court and Broad streets will close starting at 6:30 a.m. for the race. In addition, these streets will close from 8:15 to 10:30 a.m. for the race:

• Exchange Boulevard southbound from Broad Street to Plymouth Avenue
• Exchange Boulevard northbound from Ford Street to Broad Street
• Ford Street from Mt. Hope Avenue to Plymouth Avenue
• Wilson Boulevard from Ford Street to McLean
• Court Street from South Avenue to Exchange Boulevard

Roc Holiday Village (through Sunday, Dec. 29)

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Park is once again full of shopping, ice skating, and holiday festivities. The 6th annual Roc Holiday Village is underway with 17 days of entertainment.

Roc Holiday Village runs through Sunday, Dec. 29 except on Mondays and Tuesdays. The holiday village includes over 25 vendors, Santa’s Workshop, and activities at the Simcona Gingerbread House. There will also be free arcade games, trivia nights, movie screenings, and live music. Here’s a look at what’s planned for Friday and this weekend:

• Friday, Dec. 20: There’s a free screening of 1983 classic holiday film “A Christmas Story” at The Simcona Gingerbread House. The screening starts at 8:30 a.m. and the movie is about an hour and a half.
• Friday, Dec. 20: The Triple-O Lodge Bar is holding a tasting of the Belgian beer Stella Artois and a celebration of its craftsmanship. It runs from 7 to 9 p.m.
• Saturday, Dec. 21: For the first time this year, the village is hosting the Winter Wonderland 5K race. It kicks off at 7:30 p.m. You can sign up here.
• Saturday, Dec. 21: There’s a free screening of Will Ferrell’s classic holiday comedy “Elf” at The Simcona Gingerbread House. The screening starts at 8:30 a.m. and the movie is about an hour and a half.

You can see a full daily schedule of events here. The shopping runs from 4 to 9 p.m. on Wednesdays and Thursdays and from 4 to 10 p.m. on Fridays. For the weekends, the shopping runs from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Saturdays and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sundays. The winter igloos are also back but they’re already sold out.