ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Roc Holiday Village is returning to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Park for the sixth year starting Friday, Dec. 6.

There will be shopping, ice skating, visits with Santa, and other holiday festivities over the course of 17 days. Roc Holiday Village co-founder and co-owner Kelli Marsh says she got inspiration from other holiday markets around the world.

“We just thought there was a really big gap in the holiday season in Rochester since Midtown closed and we wanted to bring something back. We wanted to bring Santa back downtown,” Marsh said.

The holiday village will feature food and drinks at The Lodge, over 25 vendors at stands, Santa’s Workshop, and activities at the Simcona Gingerbread House. There will also be free arcade games, trivia nights, movie screenings, and live music. The winter igloos are also back but they’re already sold out.

You can see a full daily schedule of events here. Marsh said most of the activities at the village are free.

“You can sit by the fire pits and have a warm drink. There’s free ice skating, visit Santa, and there’s so much to do,” she said.

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. There are also some new food and drink options this year. Canned cocktails will be available at The Lodge, outdoor bar, and Gingerbread House.

This year, Roc Holiday Village was nominated for best holiday market in the USA TODAY 10 Best Readers’ Choice Awards. Marsh said it’s an honor to be selected among 20 nominees across the country.

“We’re so excited about that. It’s the first year we’ve been nominated and we’re just so happy to be on the list,” she said.

Roc Holiday Village opens at 4 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 6 and runs through Sunday, Dec. 29 except on Mondays and Tuesdays. 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. You can see the hours for free ice skating, Santa’s Workshop, The Lodge, and the Gingerbread House here.

On the first Saturday of the village, the annual Liberty Pole lighting will take place at 5 p.m., followed by a parade to Roc Holiday Village.