ALBANY NY — Take your family downtown to celebrate winter in Albany at the 3rd Annual Albany WinterFest on December 27, 2008. There will be outdoor activities, indoor fun, live animals, music, entertainment and more celebration to ring in the New Year.
The Albany WinterFest caters to a family audience,
so it's a great event for both kids and adults. Plus, it's completely
free to attend, including free transportation from the Albany City
Trolley!
This year's festive event begins at 11:30 am with the Jingle Jog,
a race for kids ages 5 to 11. Following this "fun run," will be a party
with refreshments and a prize drawing. More interactive entertainment
begins at 1:00 pm. Lodge Street and part of North Pearl Street will be
closed to traffic to accommodate various entertainment acts, including
the Jabali African Acrobats, local jump rope team Double Dutch,
one-man-circus-show Incredible Larry, Pil Sung Martial Arts, hula hoop
artist Anna Jack and local gymnasts Team Online.
A family four trip to Walt Disney World will be the incentive for participating in the Scavenger Hunt beginning at City Hall. Academy park will host games, pony rides, a rock climbing wall, a giant bonfire, food vendors and other attractions.
American Idol finalists from the sixth season will perform at the Palace Theatre, including former Idol runner-up Blake Lewis, Chris Sligh and Brandon Rogers. Families will also get a chance to see these singing stars perform during the grand finale, beginning at 5 pm in front of City Hall.
A fireworks show tops off the day's entertainment at 5:15 pm, staged on the east lawn of the state Capitol Building. Afterwards, there's Albany's Last Run 5K at 5:30 (the route goes through the Capital Holiday Lights In Washington Park!), and then families can head home to watch the ball drop and start the countdown to 2008!
Albany WinterFest began in December 2006, replacing the previous Albany First Night celebration, which was witnessing declining attendance. In order to have a more popular New Years event, the City of Albany knew the focus had to be around family-centered events and entertainment... thus, the first annual Winter Festival was born in Albany NY. Since then, WinterFest has proven to be wildly popular winter event, boasting over 10,000 attendees in 2007.
To learn more about WinterFest 2008, visit AlbanyEvents.org, or call (518) 434-2032.
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