Winterfest at City Plaza Opens with Tree Lighting

 
The holidays officially arrive in Raleigh Dec. 1 with the opening of Winterfest on City Plaza.
 
The opening celebration will be from 3 p.m. to 9 p.m., with the ice rink open from 2 p.m. to 11 p.m. The festival will offer a stage full of performers including a vast range of local choirs, bands and entertainers. The family fun event will offer sledding ramps, carriage rides, bounce houses, a carousel, a Ferris wheel, more than 40 vendors offering the fare of local restaurants, crafts and gift items and of course, Santa Claus himself in his village with several of his helpers.
 
Mayor Nancy McFarlane will light the 35-foot, North Carolina-grown Norway spruce at 7 p.m. Blue grass will then take the stage at 7:30 with Nu Blue and The Kickin Grass Band getting Raleigh all warmed up for the International Blue Grass Music Association’s convention that will be livening up Raleigh next autumn.
 
Also new for this Winterfest kickoff, a 42-foot outdoor movie screen will be showing “The Polar Express” at 5:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.
 
The free kickoff extravaganza will be followed by two months of programming at the AT&T Raleigh Winterfest Rink including Sledding Sundays, Two for One Tuesdays, Work Out Wednesdays, Date &n Skate Thursday, Rock around the Rink Fridays and All-Day Skate Saturdays. The ice rink will be open six days a week from December 1 through January 30. Admission, which includes skate rentals, is $8. For complete information, visit RaleighWinterfest.com.
 

GENERAL INFORMATION

Grab your mittens and scarves and make your way to the heart of the center city for Raleigh’s premier holiday event—the AT&T Raleigh Winterfest. Winterfest is a two-month long extravaganza featuring an outdoor skating rink with natural ice. This family-friendly celebration of fun-filled activities at the AT&T Raleigh Winterfest Ice Rink kicks off with a memorable event in City Plaza on Saturday, December 1.
 

INFORMATION HOTLINE:
For weather updates and weekly schedule, call 919.821.6984.
 

LOCATION:
The AT&T Raleigh Winterfest Ice Rink will be located in City Plaza situated on the southern end of the 400 block of Fayetteville Street.
 

ADMISSION:
Admission including skate rental is $8.00 for both adults and children.
 

SOCIAL MEDIA:
For updates on the AT&T Raleigh Winterfest, become a fan of our facebook page or follow us on Twitter for a chance to win great prizes!
 

SEASON SCHEDULE

***In the event of inclement weather, certain activities may be cancelled. Please be sure to follow us on facebook for updates.***
 

Sledding Sundays (select dates): SnowMyYard.com will create a winter wonderland on December 16, January 6 and January 27 from 12 noon-4 pm (free with skating wristband).
 

Two for Tuesdays: Skaters will receive one free admission to the rink with the purchase of one paid admission (includes skate rental).
 

Workout Wednesdays: Warm up on the rink with some fun exercises.
 

Date & Skate Thursdays: Free carriage rides with skating wristband from 6 pm-9 pm.
 

Rock Around the Rink Fridays: DJ Paradime from Pulse 102 will rock the rink from 6 pm-10 pm.