Fireworks, free skating day scheduled for Tulsa Winterfest
BY NOUR HABIB World Scene Writer
Monday, November 05, 2012
11/05/12 at 2:10 PM
Winterfest will present a fireworks display and offer a free skating day in honor of its fifth year as the anchor of downtown Tulsa’s holiday activities.
Winterfest, presented by Arvest Bank and the Lobeck Taylor Family Foundation, will be at the BOK Center Nov. 23 to Jan. 6. The Turkey Trot 5K, in which 1,200 runners participated last year, will kick off the festival at 8:30 a.m. Nov. 23.
The Winterfest attraction includes a 9,000-square-foot outdoor skating rink, carriage rides, visits from “Segway Santa” and a warming tent set up outside the ice rink. A 44-foot Christmas tree – which organizers say is the tallest in Oklahoma – will feature more than 35,000 lights.
The free skating day is Dec. 9.
The fireworks display will take place on Dec. 8, immediately following the Holiday Parade of Lights. The parade will journey through downtown and proceed down Denver Avenue in front of the Winterfest entrance.
Also on Dec. 8, the third annual Holiday will be in the BOK Center’s Grand Lobby from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. The market will feature hundreds of vendors selling seasonal gift items like candles, jewelry, gourmet foods, wine, clothing and artwork.
Free entertainment every week will take place on the ONEOK Outdoor Stage next to the ice rink.
Performances will feature children from area churches, schools, nonprofit organizations and choral groups.
More than 130,000 people attended last year’s Winterfest.
Through the Glow Tulsa initiative, Winterfest has teamed up with the Guthrie Green, Downtown Coordinating Council and downtown merchants to bring an array of holiday activities to downtown Tulsa.
Tom Wallace, chairman of the Downtown Coordinating Council, said the Deco District’s Pop-up Shopping event also returns this year. About 12-15 shops will participate, setting up in the Thompson and Philcade buildings near Fifth Street and Boston Avenue. Overhead holiday lighting will be set up in the area.
The Guthrie Green, 111 E. Brady St., will hold Glow on the Green from 4 to 7 p.m. Nov. 25, featuring live music from the Red Dirt Rangers, holiday treats from Lucky’s and the lighting of the park.
Other events include performance of holiday favorites “The Nutcracker” and “A Christmas Carol” at the Tulsa performing Arts Center, and “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat” at the Tulsa Convention Center.
Discounted parking will be available for $2 at the garage on First and Main streets through the holidays.
A free trolley will run throughout downtown starting at 5 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays.
For a full Winterfest calendar with prices and daily hours of operation, visit tulsaworld.com/winterfest. For a list of holiday activities in the downtown area, visit tulsaworld.com/downtowntulsa.
Associated Images:
In this November 2011 file photo, skaters brave the watery ice of the outdoor ice rink on the opening day of Winterfest, next to the BOK Center in downtown Tulsa. MICHAEL WYKE/Tulsa World File
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