University Town Center set to kick off the holiday season with festive events
The holiday season at University Town Center is about to begin.
Planned events for the UTC holiday season include nightly light shows, an ice rink, outdoor holiday movie showings, horse-drawn carriage rides, Saturday night fireworks shows, a holiday circus show, “Wonderland: Believe,” Santa’s Flight Academy and a kickoff parade on Saturday.
Santa’s Grand Arrival Parade kicks off Saturday, Nov. 8 at 6:30 p.m., though the festivities start a little earlier. Beginning at 4 p.m. on Saturday, the NoFilter band is performing a pre-parade show.
There’s a tribute to veterans scheduled for 5:45 p.m. Wonderland Circus at UTC master of ceremonies Ty McFarland, a former Army National Guard captain, is hosting the veteran’s tribute.
Goodwill Manasota, whose Veterans Service Program helps “returning veterans re-acclimate to civilian life and connects them and their families with employment and support services,” will be spotlighted during the festivities, a news release said.
When does the Christmas tree get lit?
Tightrope walker Nik Wallenda and sibling Lijana Wallenda are doing a crisscross skywalk at 6 p.m., when UTC’s 50-foot Christmas tree gets lit.
The season’s first light show is scheduled to take place at 6:15 p.m., before 107.9 WSRZ’s Jones and Company hosts the holiday parade.
The Santa Grand Arrival Parade is slated for an hour and features 60 floats, entertainers and Santa Claus arriving on his sleigh.
A festive fireworks show and We The Kings after-party concert follow the parade.
What are the other holiday events at UTC?
In addition to Santa Claus making his arrival at UTC for the holiday season, the parade also marks the opening of Santa’s Flight Academy inside The Mall at UTC.
Children can meet Santa inside his 22-foot-tall sleigh, experience snowfall, dance in Santa’s Magic Mirror and help prepare the sleigh to deliver presents, according to a news release.
Santa’s Flight Academy runs through December 24.
Prior to the evening festivities, the Suncoast’s Largest Food Truck Festival begins at 11 a.m. and runs to 8 p.m. in the mall’s main parking lot.
Holiday event parking at UTC
Free parking is available around the mall in various lots, including UTC District lots, Nathan Benderson Park and the lot near Homewood Suites.
A segment of North Cattleman Road will be closed from 4 p.m. to 11 p.m. Drivers are urged to use the Mall Ring Road to find event parking.
Saturday’s event kicks off several holiday events planned for the area through Jan. 4.
Additional attractions include nightly light shows, an ice rink, outdoor holiday movie showings, horse-drawn carriage rides, Saturday night fireworks shows and a holiday circus show, “Wonderland: Believe.”
Wallenda is performing the Wonderland show, which runs Nov. 21 to Jan. 4.
Tickets are available online at WonderlandCircus.com.
Holiday movies under the stars
The holiday movie lineup starts Nov. 14 with the Nightmare Before Christmas. The season’s last showing is Wicked on Jan. 3.
Showtimes are 7 p.m. every Friday and Saturday through the holiday season. Seating is limited to a first-come, first-serve basis with the outdoor theater located at UTC’s West District’s grass lot adjacent to Natuzzi. Onsite concessions open at 6 p.m. on movie nights.
The outdoor ice rink opens Nov. 19 in UTC’s West District next to Ford’s Garage. There are planned theme nights and a live DJ will play music on weekends.
The outdoor rink’s hours of operation are 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday, Sunday and on school holidays.
For tickets, visit UtcSarasota.com/Holidays/The-Rink.
For more information on the Holidays at UTC, visit UtcSarasota.com/Holidays.
