Details for this year’s Dickens of a Christmas celebration in downtown Roanoke have been announced.
The event will kick off at 5:30 p.m. December 2 with the lighting of the city’s Christmas Tree.
This year the tree will be at its original location on Salem Avenue.
The Mill Mountain Ringers will perform at the tree-lighting ceremony.
Also, this year’s Christmas parade in Roanoke will be at 6:30 p.m. December 9.
The parade will follow the same route as previous years -- starting on Jefferson, then turning onto Campbell Avenue past Market Square.
On December 16 the Roanoke Valley SPCA’s Pet Costume Contest is being held. The contest starts at 6:30 p.m.
New this year -- a guarantee of snow on December 16. A company from North Carolina is bringing a snow-blowing machine that turns ice into snow.
For more details, the full press release is below.
The Roanoke Valley’s largest holiday celebration, SunTrust Dickens of a Christmas, returns this year during the first three Friday nights in December. Details about the free street festival, which has been named among the Top 20 Events by the Southeast Tourism Society since 2002, were announced at a news conference this morning.
Dickens of a Christmas will kick off on December 2with the lighting of the City of Roanoke Christmas Tree, which returns to its original location, on Salem Avenue. The ceremony begins at 5:30 p.m. and will include live stage performances by the Mill Mountain Ringers.
December 9 will feature Haley Toyota’s City of Roanoke Christmas Parade, which will follow the same route as previous years on Jefferson, then turning onto Campbell Avenue, past Market Square. DRI Is pleased to welcome Haley Toyota as the sponsor of the Christmas Parade this year. The parade starts at 6:30 p.m. at the intersection of Elm Avenue and Jefferson Street. Don’t miss this wonderful, “outside the ordinary” holiday parade!
The Roanoke Valley SPCA brings back its beloved Pet Costume Contest on December 16 on Salem Ave. Pet owners should report by 6:00 p.m. to register their pets the night of the event. Contest begins at 6:30pm.
The newest addition to this year’s SunTrust Dickens of a Christmas is Downtown Roanoke, Inc.’s guarantee of snow on December 16. Snow My Yard, a company based in North Carolina that uses a snow-blowing machine to turn ice into snow, will bring in eight to 10 tons of snow. This artificial snow will cover Market Street, adjacent to the City Market Building, on December 16 in the SunTrust Kid’s Zone. The free SunTrust Kid’s Zone will also include a sledding area,encouraging kids to take advantage of this promised snowfall!
On all three nights, festivities continue throughout the evening until 10:00 p.m., including live stage and street performances by acts such as the Mill Mountain Theatre & Roanoke’s Children’s Theatre, Roanoke Symphony Orchestra, the Southwest Virginia Ballet, and more! Each night of Dickens will feature street performances of Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol” by students from the William Fleming High School and Roanoke Catholic Theatre Departments.
Other activities taking place throughout the Historic Market area include carriage rides for $5 per person, with tickets for the rides available at SunTrust branches, vendors, live carolers, a magician, a fire-eater and sword swallower, photos with Santa, a living nativity scene, and more!
Dickens of a Christmas is also expanding this year to include entertainment in the newlyrenovated City Market Building and the Taubman Museum of Art. The Market Building will house Santa’s Workshop and live entertainment. The Taubman Museum will feature vintage cartoon shorts such as Max Fleisher’s 1948 version of “Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer” and Isadore Klein’s 1949 short, “Snow Foolin”, and will be free for all three evenings of Dickens of a Christmas! Live entertainment including music and excerpts from the Roanoke Children’s Theater production ofChristmas Cookies will take place in the Museum’s Atrium.
A full schedule of events can soon be found atwww.DowntownRoanoke.org/Dickens
Friday Night Street Closures:
The following streets will be closed on December 2, 9, and 16:
On December 9, the following streets will close at 6:15 pm and open up directly after the parade:
The event will kick off at 5:30 p.m. December 2 with the lighting of the city’s Christmas Tree.
This year the tree will be at its original location on Salem Avenue.
The Mill Mountain Ringers will perform at the tree-lighting ceremony.
Also, this year’s Christmas parade in Roanoke will be at 6:30 p.m. December 9.
The parade will follow the same route as previous years -- starting on Jefferson, then turning onto Campbell Avenue past Market Square.
On December 16 the Roanoke Valley SPCA’s Pet Costume Contest is being held. The contest starts at 6:30 p.m.
New this year -- a guarantee of snow on December 16. A company from North Carolina is bringing a snow-blowing machine that turns ice into snow.
For more details, the full press release is below.
The Roanoke Valley’s largest holiday celebration, SunTrust Dickens of a Christmas, returns this year during the first three Friday nights in December. Details about the free street festival, which has been named among the Top 20 Events by the Southeast Tourism Society since 2002, were announced at a news conference this morning.
Dickens of a Christmas will kick off on December 2with the lighting of the City of Roanoke Christmas Tree, which returns to its original location, on Salem Avenue. The ceremony begins at 5:30 p.m. and will include live stage performances by the Mill Mountain Ringers.
December 9 will feature Haley Toyota’s City of Roanoke Christmas Parade, which will follow the same route as previous years on Jefferson, then turning onto Campbell Avenue, past Market Square. DRI Is pleased to welcome Haley Toyota as the sponsor of the Christmas Parade this year. The parade starts at 6:30 p.m. at the intersection of Elm Avenue and Jefferson Street. Don’t miss this wonderful, “outside the ordinary” holiday parade!
The Roanoke Valley SPCA brings back its beloved Pet Costume Contest on December 16 on Salem Ave. Pet owners should report by 6:00 p.m. to register their pets the night of the event. Contest begins at 6:30pm.
The newest addition to this year’s SunTrust Dickens of a Christmas is Downtown Roanoke, Inc.’s guarantee of snow on December 16. Snow My Yard, a company based in North Carolina that uses a snow-blowing machine to turn ice into snow, will bring in eight to 10 tons of snow. This artificial snow will cover Market Street, adjacent to the City Market Building, on December 16 in the SunTrust Kid’s Zone. The free SunTrust Kid’s Zone will also include a sledding area,encouraging kids to take advantage of this promised snowfall!
On all three nights, festivities continue throughout the evening until 10:00 p.m., including live stage and street performances by acts such as the Mill Mountain Theatre & Roanoke’s Children’s Theatre, Roanoke Symphony Orchestra, the Southwest Virginia Ballet, and more! Each night of Dickens will feature street performances of Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol” by students from the William Fleming High School and Roanoke Catholic Theatre Departments.
Other activities taking place throughout the Historic Market area include carriage rides for $5 per person, with tickets for the rides available at SunTrust branches, vendors, live carolers, a magician, a fire-eater and sword swallower, photos with Santa, a living nativity scene, and more!
Dickens of a Christmas is also expanding this year to include entertainment in the newlyrenovated City Market Building and the Taubman Museum of Art. The Market Building will house Santa’s Workshop and live entertainment. The Taubman Museum will feature vintage cartoon shorts such as Max Fleisher’s 1948 version of “Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer” and Isadore Klein’s 1949 short, “Snow Foolin”, and will be free for all three evenings of Dickens of a Christmas! Live entertainment including music and excerpts from the Roanoke Children’s Theater production ofChristmas Cookies will take place in the Museum’s Atrium.
A full schedule of events can soon be found atwww.DowntownRoanoke.org/Dickens
Friday Night Street Closures:
The following streets will be closed on December 2, 9, and 16:
- Campbell avenue (Jefferson to Williamson)
- Market Street (Campbell to Church)
- Church Avenue (Williamson to Jefferson)
- Kirk Avenue (Jefferson to Williamson)
- Wall Street
- Short Market
On December 9, the following streets will close at 6:15 pm and open up directly after the parade:
- Albemarle Avenue
- Jefferson Street from Albemarle to Campbell Avenue
