Winter Guide: Roc Holiday Village, Holidays at the Market, and more

ROCHESTER, N.Y. — The holiday season is right around the corner. So is the return of holiday traditions in Rochester including Roc Holiday Village, Holidays at the Market, and more. Here is your guide:

Roc Holiday Village (Friday, Dec. 6 to Sunday, Dec. 29 except Mondays and Tuesdays)

Roc Holiday Village is returning to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Park in December for the sixth year. There will be shopping, ice skating, visits with Santa, and other holiday festivities over the course of 17 days.

The holiday village will also feature free arcade games, trivia nights, and movie screenings. For the first time this year, the village is hosting the Winter Wonderland 5K race. It kicks off at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 21 and you can sign up here.

Roc Holiday Village is open from Dec. 6 through Dec. 29 except on Mondays and Tuesdays. The holiday village opens at 4 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 6. The day after that, the annual Liberty Pole lighting will take place at 5 p.m., followed by a parade to the holiday village.

You can see a list of times for free ice skating at the MLK Park rink here. Tickets to the winter igloos have already sold out.

Holidays at the Market (Sundays Dec. 1, Dec. 8, and Dec. 15 and Thursday, Dec. 19)

Holidays at the Market is returning to the Rochester Public Market in December. The sale will feature dozens of vendors offering holiday-themed products including fresh-cut trees, wreaths, and specialty foods. There will also be clothing, jewelry, handcrafted goods, and more.

Holidays at the Market runs on Sundays Dec. 1, Dec. 8, and Dec. 15 from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. It runs on Thursday, Dec. 19 from 6 to 9 p.m. In addition to vendors, the market features visits from Santa and horse-drawn carriage rides from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Sundays.

Vendors can rent a space for $60 for one Sunday or $155 for all three Sundays. The cost to sell during the Thursday night special is $25 and it’s $175 to sell for all three Sundays and Thursday. Vendor applications are first-come, first-served, so the market is encouraging people to apply early.

You can apply online here or in person at the Public Market Office, which is open on Tuesday and Thursday from 6 a.m. to 1 p.m. and Saturday from 6 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Keg Tree lighting (Friday, Dec. 6)

Genesee Brewery will host its 10th annual Keg Tree lighting on Friday, Dec. 6. This year’s tree is made of 650 empty beer kegs wrapped in 25,000 twinkling lights.

The countdown to the lighting will begin at 6:30 p.m. at the Brew House on 25 Cataract St. The free celebration featuring holiday music, food trucks, and Genesee beer runs from 5 to 9 p.m.

The brewery’s signature Keg Tree Ale, a cinnamon version of the Genesee Cream Ale, will be available at the celebration. So will the Genesee 12-Horse Ale. Parking is available at the High Falls Garage.