Name: Holiday Arts Guide: Family festivals and lights
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Holiday Arts Guide: Family festivals and lights

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By | Many Twin Cities holiday events and traditions have moved online due to COVID, and the recent surge brings a statewide mandate that has temporarily shut down museums through at least Dec. 19. But, there are some open outdoor events and drive-thru light displays if you want to brave the cold and find a little festive cheer.Please check with the event for specifics and be aware that event schedules may change with the pandemic situation.Hub for the Holidays. Hub for the Holidays, which usually takes place at the Union Depot, will be virtual this year. There’s still plenty of holiday cheer to be had with the Hub from bake sales to photo contests. The holiday photo contest is new this year, looking for photos of holiday cooking or baking memories. Holiday treat bags will be available for pickup as part of the virtual bake sale from Nov. 15-30. There’s also a holiday tree lighting at 7 p.m. Dec. 4, and special messages from the North Pole all through the month of December on social media. 651-202-2700 or .Minnesota Landscape Arboretum: Winter in Bloom. Winter Light, the arboretum’s annual light display, sold out fast this year, but don’t worry, if you couldn’t snag a ticket in time to see these glowing blossoms, a virtual tour will be available online. If you already snagged a ticket, the tour now will be a drive-thru starting Dec. 1. More details will announced about additional drive-thru tickets and when the virtual the tour will be available at .Holidazzle. Through Dec. 20. The annual Minneapolis event, which moved over the years from a lighted parade downtown to festivities in Loring Park, has gone online. Cuddle up inside with the virtual Holidazzle Show event. The event will have four episodes and feature Zoom meet-and-greets with Santa, DIY holiday projects, local food spotlights and more. There will also be accompanying social media challenges and live craft demonstrations. New episodes air every Thursday up to Dec. 27. Santa will read holiday stories online every Sunday and Holidazzle has Santa’s phone number, too. Free; 612-656-3824 or .Como Park Zoo and Conservatory: Holiday Flower Show and Reindeer Cam. Every year the Como Park Conservatory showcases hundreds of festive poinsettias. This year’s holiday show will be virtual but still feature plenty of crimson, burgundy and golden poinsettias. The Como Zoo will be doing a live 24/7 reindeer cam and Santa pays the reindeer a visit at 1:30 p.m. Dec. 23. Santa’s visit will be a Facebook Live event so people can interact with him. More info to be announced on a virtual tour of the Holiday Flower Show. .Christmas stories. Tune in to the “Sundays at Landmark” web page and Landmark Center social media pages for “Christmas Stories with J.B. Eckert.” Storyteller and tour guide Eckert has written three original Christmas stories for all ages and will tell a different story every Sunday: Nov. 29, Dec. 6 and 20.Our Cathedral Illuminated: The Manger. The Cathedral of St. Paul will be illuminated with a light show that tells the story of Jesus’ birth in a manger for three nights in mid-December. Light and sound is created by Luxmuralis, an award-winning projection art company based in Lichfield, England.&nbsp;“Cathedral Illuminated” is a drive-by, view-from-your-vehicle event in keeping with Minnesota COVID-19 restrictions. Visitors will be able to tune to a radio signal for the music. The bike lanes going both south and north on John Ireland Boulevard in front of the cathedral will be closed off so cars can park and watch the 12-minute loop. The program starts at 6 p.m. Dec. 17-19 and will run continuously for three hours each night and stream live on Cathedral Heritage Foundation’s Facebook page. For more information, go to the Cathedral Heritage Foundation’s Facebook page.Glow Holiday Festival. This new a one-mile drive-thru at the Minnesota State Fair Fairgrounds features 10 stops at holiday lights displays that include a Disco Dance Party, Glitter Critters and a tribute to Prince. Due to state COVID mandates, visitors will be required to stay in their vehicles. The food court will be drive-thru. It’s open 4:30-9 p.m. Sundays through Thursdays, 4:30-10 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays through Jan. 3. Tickets are $46 per vehicle, plus fees; one ticket per vehicle, .Nature Illuminated. The Minnesota Zoo is hosting a new nighttime, drive-thru event featuring custom-designed pieces of illuminated animal art, running from Dec. 3–Jan. 17. The event features a 30-foot red panda, a cockatoo that’s larger than your car, and nearly 30 other inflatable art pieces designed, printed and stitched by the artists at Landmark Creations in Burnsville. According to a news release, Landmark Creations’ custom work has been featured at the MTV Video Music Awards, Coachella, the GRAMMY Awards and other concerts and events around the country. Tickets are $25 per vehicle for Zoo members and $50 per vehicle for nonmembers Thursdays through Sundays; $35 per vehicle for members and $60 per vehicle for nonmembers on Fridays and Saturdays. All tickets must be purchased online in advance at .Rice Park in downtown St. Paul. There’s no giant evergreen draped in blue lights this year, but the park outside the Ordway is festooned with holiday lights. The nearby ice skating rink outside Landmark Center isn’t happening this year, though.Christmas in Color. Valley Fair in Shakopee is presenting this one-mile drive that will feature more than 1 million LEDs synchronized to holiday music. Tickets are $30 per car and on sale at .Sever’s Holiday Lights. This drive-thru show runs through Jan. 3 at Sever’s Festival Grounds, 3121 150th St. W., Shakopee. The half-mile course promises 1.2 million lights and a giant lighted yeti. Concessions will be available. Tickets are $7 per person or $35 per car maximum; .Old Fashioned Holiday Bazaar. Dec. 3-13. While the Old Fashioned Holiday Bazaar won’t be returning to the Landmark Center, starting Dec. 3 the event’s website will still feature artists and vendors to browse. Links to artists’ online sites will stay open until Dec.13; l.Excelsior Christkindlsmarkt. Canceled this year, but virtual market is planned. For info: .Virtual European Christmas Market. Through Dec. 24: Get in some early Christmas shopping with the virtual European Christmas Market, which is usually held at Union Depot in St. Paul. The online market will include Storytime with Santa and 23 vendors showcasing handmade gifts. The market is open now at .We invite you to use our commenting platform to engage in insightful conversations about issues in our community. 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By | Many Twin Cities holiday events and traditions have moved online due to COVID, and the recent surge brings a statewide mandate that has temporarily shut down museums through at least Dec. 19. But, there are some open outdoor events and drive-thru light displays if you want to brave the cold and find a little festive cheer.Please check with the event for specifics and be aware that event schedules may change with the pandemic situation.Hub for the Holidays. Hub for the Holidays, which usually takes place at the Union Depot, will be virtual this year. There’s still plenty of holiday...

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Emma Chekroun

Twin Cities news, sports, politics, entertainment and business from the St. Paul Pioneer Press, Minnesota's first newspaper.

Holiday Arts Guide: Family festivals and lights

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