Make plans now to help us ring in the holiday season and launch our annual donation drive during the inaugural Wake Forest Cares Holiday Kickoff on Saturday, Nov. 13. Presented by the Wake Forest Mayor and Board of Commissioners, this free family-friendly celebration is scheduled from 1 to 7 p.m. in downtown Wake Forest.
Promising fun-filled activities for both children and adults, our Holiday Kickoff will feature an artificial ice-skating rink in the Depot Parking Lot, 110 S. White St., award-winning ice carvers, roaming street performers, including an Ice Princess Stilt-Walker and Jack Frost Juggler, and a variety of performances from 1 to 4 p.m. in Centennial Plaza, 301 S. Brooks St.
A high-energy concert by ACE Party Band along South White Street from 4 to 7 p.m., and a dazzling 10-minute Holiday Laser Light Show at the conclusion of the performance will offer a fitting climax to the day’s festivities.
Food and refreshments will be available for purchase at several downtown restaurants, while the following food and dessert trucks will be onsite throughout the afternoon and early evening: Bulkogi Korean BBQ, Cousins Maine Lobster, Kona Ice, Lumpy’s Ice Cream, VFW Chuck Wagon, and Virgil’s Jamaica.
No outside alcohol or coolers will be permitted during the event, but beer and wine will be available for purchase within the festival area starting at 3 p.m.
Free parking will be available along several side streets and parking lots throughout downtown Wake Forest and beyond. Please note: some parking lots may appear to be public, when in fact they are private. Read all signage in the parking lot to determine what type of lot you are using. Private lots are intended for business patrons only. Public lots that are open to attendees will be clearly marked.
The following local businesses have generously contributed to the 2021 Wake Forest Cares Holiday Kickoff: Bumgarner & Martin Orthodontics, McPherson Family Eye Care, Elan Dental, The College at Southeastern, OrthoNC, Westgate Dodge Ram, Mitchell Heating & Cooling, B&W Hardware, Ting Internet, Avance Care, Elemental Acupuncture and Wellness, Circa Magazine, Wegmans Food Markets, Epic Axe, Primrose School of Heritage Wake Forest, Wells Family Dental Group, Civic Federal Credit Union, Carolina Orthodontics & Children’s Dentistry, Triangle Family Dentistry, Fidelity Bank, Wake Forest Federal Savings & Loan and Carolina Regenerative Health.
The Wake Forest Cares Holiday Kickoff is the perfect occasion to stroll through downtown Wake Forest, shop for that one-of-a-kind gift, dine in one of our distinctive restaurants and socialize with friends and neighbors. For more information on this one-of-a-kind celebration, visit https://bit.ly/WFCaresHolidayKickoff or email Downtown Development Manager Jennifer Herbert at jherbert@wakeforestnc.gov.
In addition to ringing in the holiday season, the Holiday Kickoff will signal the start of the Wake Forest Cares Holiday Donation Drive. As part of this effort, we are inviting the community to support one or more of these Town-sponsored programs: Helping Others by Providing Electricity (HOPE), Northern Community Food Security Team, Shop with a Cop, Wake Forest Firefighters Foundation, and Wake Forest Parks, Recreation & Cultural Resources Scholarship Program.
All are working to address specific needs in our community – whether it be hunger, home lighting and heating, health and fitness, and/or joy and hope during the holiday season and beyond. The Wake Forest Cares Holiday Donation Drive is an opportunity to demonstrate our support for these important efforts. For more information, visit www.wakeforestnc.gov/wake-forest-cares.
