New attractions and winter festivities spice up Holidazzle 2018

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photo courtesy of Dusty Hoskovec Photography via Holidazzle.com

You may have just set down your fork and settled into your Thanksgiving food coma, but Minnesota isn’t waiting around to start celebrating the next upcoming winter holidays. Holidazzle is here. Now in its fifth year as a spectacular festival rather than the traditional parade, Holidazzle has once again set up shop in Loring Park transforming the space into a glittering winter wonderland for the festival’s opening night this weekend.

And so, it’s time to emerge from your turkey nap and button those pants back up so you can head out and explore what new attractions Holidazzle has put together for 2018.

Minneapolis Holidazzle 2018

New Attractions

This year’s Holidazzle is starting some new traditions that are guaranteed to make the Minnesota winter a little less miserable. One of the new highlights that’s perfect for some memorable family fun or for a special date night are the new Downtown sleigh rides which take you to and from Nicollet mall. You’ll be able to cozy up and drink in all the festive lights and decorations as you go for a sleigh ride in the city. Holidazzle is also bringing in some other new attractions like The Thwing, an interactive giant multi-person swing, beautiful giant snow globes that are practically made for your Instagram feed, s’mores station with specialty marshmallows each Friday night, and silent disco skating on Thursdays.

The kids will also love this year’s new Storytime Session on Sundays as well as getting the chance to see the Alpacas (who are adorably named Lincoln, Blinkin’ and Nod) and rescue animals that will be in Loring Park during the first four Sundays of Holidazzle. For the adults though, you will enjoy the Adult Craft Night and Vinyl Night on Thursdays in the Fulton Beer Garden as well as Drag Queen Bingo, also at the Fulton Beer Garden on Friday nights.

New attractions and winter festivities spice up Holidazzle 2018
photo courtesy of Dusty Hoskovec Photography via Holidazzle.com

Favorite Traditions

While I’m not sure what’s better than Drag Bingo or Sleigh Rides, you need not worry as you’ll still be able to enjoy the long-standing Holidazzle traditions with free ice skating, live music performances, bonfires, tasty food, market vendors, and the Kid Zone with slides, a maze, tunnel, and climbing wall. You can enjoy the amazing, enormous Illuminated Art Installations, stunning fireworks display on November 23 and December 1, 8, 15, and 22 and bring along the kiddos to meet and take photos with Santa for free.

Holidazzle is also bringing you 10 Movie Nights where you can watch some of your holiday favorites like Elf, The Mighty Ducks, A Christmas Carol, Groundhog Day, The Chronicles of Narnia, and more.

New attractions and winter festivities spice up Holidazzle 2018
photo courtesy of Dusty Hoskovec Photography via Holidazzle.com

Tasty Food and Market Vendors

Before they run out be sure to treat yourself to the exclusive Holidazzle Kramarczuk sausage made with wild rice and cranberries. You can wash it down with Fulton Beer’s wildly popular Holidazzle Proper Porter or Sociable Cider Werks’ Fat Bike hot mulled apple cider. Other food vendors you’ll want to indulge in are Cindy’s Cinnamon Roasted Nuts, iPierogi, The Littlest Pancake, Walt’z Wings & BBQ, Gorkha Palace, and more.

Holidazzle is also the perfect place to pick up your holiday gifts. This winter market features dozens of local vendors including Love Your Melon, Faribault Woolen Mill Co., Hippy Feet, Minnie & Paul, Midwest Woodcraft LLC, Northern Drift, and Block Paper Scissors. And on the weekend of Thursday, December 13, the Minneapolis Craft Market will stop by Holidazzle so you can shop from incredible handcrafted goods by designers and makers of the North.

Holidazzle begins Friday, November 23 and runs each following weekend Thursdays through Sundays until Sunday, December 23. This enchanted winter village is completely free to attend and guarantees you and your friends and family a memorable new tradition that will make the cold winter months a little bit more magical.

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