Roc Holiday Village 2023: Hours, events, parking and more

Victoria E. Freile, Rochester Democrat and Chronicle
·7 min read
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The wildly popular Roc Holiday Village returns in December, again transforming Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Park in downtown Rochester into a wintry wonderland.

The family-friendly event, admission to which is free, will be held on a total of 17 days through Dec. 23. The fest, presented by Five Star Bank, begins Friday, Dec. 1.

The event launched in 2018, and in its second year drew more than 125,000 people. After a one-year hiatus in 2020 due to COVID, the monthlong holiday festival returned in 2021. More than 140,000 visitors attended last year's event, according to festival organizers.

Santa will be returning to his workshop five days a week for the length of the festival. New this season is a new rinkside igloo rental for larger parties, an expanded variety of free arcade games in the Community Foundation and Triple-O Lodge and daily beer tastings. Also new this year are free silent disco events to take place on the ice rink on Dec. 7 and Dec. 14, and what's been dubbed "the Giving Cup," where each day a different nonprofit organization will operate the cocoa counter in the Lodge.

“It’s almost hard to imagine downtown Rochester in December without Roc Holiday Village and the bustle of activity and thousands of visitors from near and far that it attracts to our beautiful city,” said Martin K. Birmingham, President and CEO of Five Star Bank, the festival's main sponsor.

Activities will again include free ice skating and skate rentals, a family-friendly ice hockey competition, a shopping village, private igloo rentals, free live music, free crafts for kids, food trucks, appearances by Santa and more. A full rundown can be found by going to rocholidayvillage.com and clicking on “festival.”

Liberty Pole Lighting

At 5 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 2, the annual Liberty Pole lighting will take place at the corner of East Main and Franklin streets downtown. It will be followed by a brief parade – with Santa – to the park and Roc Holiday Village. As usual, the Prime Time Brass band will lead the parade.

The festival layout

This year's festival footprint will consist of two large heated tents, one housing The Community Foundation and Triple-O Lodge and the other the Gingerbread House. A smaller heated tent next to the Lodge will contain Santa's Workshop, featuring free visits and photos with Santa and free cookies. Children can also mail letters to Santa here. An African-American Santa will be at Santa's Workshop on Thursday, Dec. 7, and Wednesday, Dec. 20.

In the Lodge, festival-goers can purchase wine, beer, hard cider, mulled wine, cocoa, coffee, bubbles, soda, juice and water. Rohrbach Brewing Co. will debut a new beer – the Village Lager – for the festival. Free tastings of the new brew will be held in the Lodge on Friday, Dec. 1, Saturday, Dec. 2, Sunday, Dec. 10, Sunday, Dec. 17 and Thursday, Dec. 21.

Free live music will be performed on Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings. Karaoke will take over the mic on Wednesday evenings. There's also a mini arcade with free games.

The Gingerbread House will host free crafting sessions for kids, holiday celebrations, the Mini Makers Market and more.

There will also be numerous smaller outdoor booths where more than 20 retail vendors will sell their wares.

Holiday celebrations

Stephanie Paredes reads to children at the Three Kings' Day celebration at Roc Holiday Village in 2019.
Stephanie Paredes reads to children at the Three Kings' Day celebration at Roc Holiday Village in 2019.

Roc Holiday Village will host the following seasonal holiday celebrations at the Gingerbread House:

  • Hanukkah – Sunday, Dec. 3, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Storytelling, live music and crafts.

  • Kwanzaa – Sunday, Dec. 10, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Live music and storytelling.

  • Three Kings' Day – Friday, Dec. 15, from 4 to 8 p.m. Live music and crafts.

  • Christmas – Sunday, Dec. 17, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Crafts, Christmas carols and more.

Village hours and dates

  • Friday, Dec. 1 – 4 to 10 p.m.

  • Saturday, Dec. 2 – 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.

  • Sunday, Dec. 3 – 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

  • Wednesday, Dec. 6 – 4 to 9 p.m.

  • Thursday, Dec. 7 – 4 to 9 p.m.

  • Friday, Dec. 8 – 4 to 10 p.m.

  • Saturday, Dec. 9 – 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.

  • Sunday, Dec. 10 – 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

  • Wednesday, Dec. 13 – 4 to 9 p.m.

  • Thursday, Dec. 14 – 4 to 9 p.m.

  • Friday, Dec. 15 – 4 to 10 p.m.

  • Saturday, Dec. 16 – 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.

  • Sunday, Dec. 17 – 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

  • Wednesday, Dec. 20 – 4 to 9 p.m.

  • Thursday, Dec. 21 – 4 to 9 p.m.

  • Friday, Dec. 22 – 4 to 10 p.m.

  • Saturday, Dec. 23 – 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.

The Triple-O Lodge and Frosty's Food Court will be open an extended hour until 10 p.m. on Wednesdays and Thursdays and until 11 p.m. on Fridays and Saturday. The Lodge and food trucks will also be open until 6 p.m. on Sundays.

Santa’s Workshop will be open from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays; from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Saturdays; and from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sundays.

Igloo rentals

Cozy igloo rentals have already sold out for the season, but the village also offers free outdoor seating surrounding several fire pits on site.

Each private geodesic dome-covered lounge has a view of the village, is furnished with cozy furniture, blankets and pillows and offers bar service. Three larger igloo inns vary in size, but the smaller two accommodate 30 people and the largest inflatable dome can hold up to 40 people. One inn is located next to the ice rink and also offers a private deck with Adirondack chairs and a fire pit.

Food trucks

Dubbed Frosty's Food Court, food trucks will take over Court Street, between Chestnut Street and Manhattan Square Drive, as the road is closed to traffic. Tables, seating and outdoor heaters will also be set up in the food court area. The food truck lineup will change daily, with at least three vendors on hand each day. For the daily lineup go to rocholidayvillage.com/food

Food vendors include: Eat Greek Food Truck, Rob's Kabobs, Travelin' Tom's Coffee Truck, The Meatball Truck, Rob's Al Dente, Wraps on Wheels, Cookie Coma, Melt Truck ROC, Red Osier, Steve and Al's Steak Out, and Chef's Catering.

Ice skating

The ice rink was busy with families taking advantage of the free skating at Roc Holiday Village in downtown Rochester, NY on Dec. 16, 2022.
The ice rink was busy with families taking advantage of the free skating at Roc Holiday Village in downtown Rochester, NY on Dec. 16, 2022.

The ice rink will be open (weather permitting) from 4 to 10 p.m. on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays, from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Saturdays, and from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Sundays.

After the festival ends, the rink will also be open for free skating for 90 minute sessions between noon and 8:50 p.m. daily Tuesday, Dec. 26, through Sunday, Dec. 31, and from noon to 5 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 24.

Call (585) 428-7564 for updates on ice rink closures.

Other activities will also be held on the kidney-shaped ice rink, weather pending. Among them, a hockey skills competition with NHL standout Ryan Callahan on Sunday, Dec. 17, curling and sled hockey demonstrations on Saturday, Dec. 9, figure skating performances on Sunday, Dec. 10, and Saturday, Dec. 16, and silent discos on Thursdays, Dec. 7 and 14.

Parking

Organizers recommend parking at metered spots on streets near the park; in adjacent garages, such as the Washington Square Garage, the Allpro Parking Garage at the Five Star Bank building, the Court Street Garage, the Midtown Garage or the parking garage at the Strong National Museum of Play. Parking is also available nearby at surface lots.

Court Street between Chestnut Street and Manhattan Square Drive will be closed to thru traffic during village hours.

This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Roc Holiday Village 2023: Hours, events, parking and more