Minneapolis’ Holidazzle is the premier holiday celebration in the Twin Cities. Head downtown to Loring Park to experience Minneapolis’s tradition and a whirlwind of Christmas Festivities.

Holidazzle is a family friendly event that highlights local businesses, products, parks, food, and art. The activities and local vendors create an area for people from all ages to gather together and celebrate everyone’s favorite holiday. “There were a lot of people there of all different ages. It was cool to see Minneapolis’ community,” junior Maggie Emmer said.

For younger children, Holidazzle offers visits from Santa Clause and an ice skating rink. “The little kids and toddlers at Holidazzle faces lit up when Santa Clause came out big red suit and white beard. They were super excited to go and visit him.” sophomore Lexi Borgelt said.

Teens often spend their time tasting all the different food varieties at the festival. “At Holidazzle we basically just walked around and looked at the shops and got mini donuts,” Emmer said.

Mini donuts seemed to be a very popular food choice among Red Knight students. “The food was super good. We got mini donuts,” sophomore Morgan Anderson said.

A major challenge of Holidazzle is the freezing Minnesota weather. The warming house offers a place to heat up and grab something to drink before heading back outside. “It was super cold which was kind of sad because we spent most of our time in the warming house,” Anderson said.

Visitors to the festival can also walk around to look at the local businesses and products. “They had some really cute gifts at the shops,” Borgelt said. Parents can also enjoy listening to the bands provided or entering various giveaways.

Holiday is run by the Minneapolis downtown council and the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board, and they do a very nice job of creating a very festive environment. Hollidazzle is also a free event. “I really like how Holidazzle was free because it gave my friends and me something to do together,” Emmer said. Join the community for winter festivities and fun at Holidazzle this year.