Ah, Christmas! The most wonderful time of the year. One way to celebrate is to check out all the decorations and festivities that Downtown Houston will have to offer this holiday season. Downtown District’s 1st Annual Holiday Spectacular features events to delight everyone.
Jumpstarting the festivities is H-E-B’s Thanksgiving Day parade. Beginning at 9 a.m., the parade will feature floats, hot-air balloons and marching bands. Telecast live on KHOU-TV, the parade will start at Minute Maid Park and wind its way through 20 blocks of Downtown Houston.
Opening Thanksgiving Day is a 7,200-square-foot outdoor ice-skating rink at Discovery Green, Downtown’s newest park. Open through Jan. 19, the rink will feature a variety of family-friendly programming and will be decorated for the holidays.
Mayor Bill White will be celebrating too, with a tree-lighting ceremony, taking place on Dec. 5 at Hermann Square at City Hall. Free to the public, fireworks, photos with Santa and multicultural holiday entertainment will be featured.
But if Dec. 5 seems too far away, there is always the Wortham Theater Center’s Christmas tree lighting on Wednesday. The Houston Nutcracker’s Sugar Plum Fairy will be the guest-of-honor and will light the 25-foot tree.
Festive tours of Houston will also be offered as part of Downtown District’s Holiday Spectacular. The Buffalo Bayou Partnership will feature 30-minute Christmas cruises down Buffalo Bayou on holiday-themed pontoon boats. The tours will operate from 4 to 8 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 6 and Dec. 20.
The Heritage Society will host its 46th annual Candlelight Tour from 6:30 to 9:30 pm on Dec.12 and 13. The tour will feature eight of Houston’s oldest historic structures, all adorned in traditional 19th century holiday decor. Each location will feature family-friendly holiday entertainment, and The Heritage Society Museum will feature What’s Cookin’? Two Centuries of American Foodways, an exhibition exploring different cultures through food.
Charitable opportunities are also available as part of Downtown District’s Holiday Spectacular. The 2008 Chevron Jingle Bell Run and Walk on Dec. 14 will raise funds and awareness for Downtown’s YMCA Partners Campaign. Everyone is welcome to participate, and a kids’ fun run, a 5-mile adult run and a 3-mile family walk will be offered.
Also happening is H-E-B’s third annual Feast of Sharing from 4 to 9 p.m. on Dec. 17 at the George R. Brown Convention Center. Free and open to all residents of the greater Houston community, the feast will serve more than 5,000 attendees a traditional holiday meal. Live entertainment, children’s crafts and visits with Santa Claus will also be available.
For those that just like to shop, Main Street Square, Houston’s shopping district featuring Macy’s, the Shops at Houston Center and the brand-new Houston Pavilions, will be decorated with 25-foot Christmas trees, snowflakes and peppermint sticks. Christmas sales and holiday-themed events will be offered throughout December. Houston Pavilions, featuring stores such as BCBG, Forever XXI and Books-a-Million, will also be sponsoring "100 Days of Escapades" to celebrate the holidays and its recent grand openings.
Traffic won’t be a problem either. Free holiday trolleys will run nine pick-up and drop-off locations, delivering shoppers and revelers to Discovery Green and other locations. Starting Friday and operating through the last week in December, the trolleys will run from 11 a.m. to 11:30 p.m., Friday through Sunday.
From shopping to charity, Downtown District’s Holiday Spectacular has something for everyone and will most likely establish itself as a Houston tradition. Maps, more events and other information can be found online at www.houstondowntown.com.
