holiday events
The City of Highland Park is pleased to once again present the Heart of the Holidays, celebrating the season with four themed events throughout downtown Highland Park on November 19 & 26 and December 3 & 10 from 2-4 PM.
On November 19 in conjunction with the annual Sugar Plum Shopping Spree hosted by the Downtown Highland Park Alliance, Santa will arrive by carriage, joined by holiday carolers and street entertainers (balloon artist, juggler, magician, stilts). Additionally, Children’s Theatre Co will be performing! Explore Downtown Highland Park to discover Santa's mailbox, enjoy a carriage ride from Highland Park Bank & Trust, donate to the Toys for Tots toy drive, delight in holiday window displays, enter the Sugar Plum Shopping Spree raffle, enjoy complimentary popcorn from Landmark Renaissance Place Theater and more!
On Small Business Saturday, November 26, Downtown Highland Park will fill with holiday music as buskers and carolers roam the streets while shoppers enjoy food samples like complimentary popcorn from Landmark Renaissance Place Theater, Santa's mailbox, a Toys for Tots toy drive, holiday windows and more!
December 3 boasts a Frozen movie theme with Frozen characters performing throughout town, holiday carolers that include A Cappella groups Lakeshore Dynamics and MadCap A Cappella, make your own Olaf project with kids collecting pieces of Olaf in the different children’s stores, roasted chestnuts, complimentary popcorn from Landmark Renaissance Place Theater, Santa’s mailbox, a Toys for Tots toy drive and plenty of photo opportunities for all!
On December 10, families will enjoy Santa and Mrs. Claus, elves and gingerbread house making courtesy of Renaissance Place, holiday carolers, as well as a Klezmer band, Hanukkah Harriet and dreidel making, sufganiyot (jelly donuts), complimentary popcorn from Landmark Renaissance Place Theater, Santa’s mailbox, a Toys for Tots toy drive and more!
The Downtown Highland Park Alliance is proud to host the annual Sugar Plum Shopping Spree on Saturday, November 19 from 10 AM – 5 PM, in conjunction with the fun and festive kick-off to the City of Highland Park’s Heart of the Holidays event series. Shoppers are invited to get their holiday shopping done while enjoying seasonal special deals, holiday treats, and incentives, including the opportunity to win a $250 gift card at the Downtown Highland Park business of choice. Visitors will also enjoy Santa’s arrival by horse drawn carriage along with holiday carolers and street entertainers (balloon artist, juggler, magician, stilts). Kids will enjoy sharing their holiday wishes in Santa's mailbox located at Gearhead Outfitters. Additional activities include carriage rides from 12 - 4 PM presented by Highland Park Bank & Trust, a Toys for Tots toy drive, and more!
With every purchase made at participating Downtown Highland Park businesses, shoppers will receive a raffle ticket to be entered to win a $250 gift card to the Downtown Highland Park business of their choice. The more purchases, the more opportunities to win! The winner will be announced on November 21.
Participating businesses include: Allura Fine Jewelers, Babydreams, Beantstalk, Children’s Theatre Company, Curt’s Café, Eileen Fisher, ENAZ, Furology, Gallery Five, Gearhead Outfitters, Goodies, Harmony Coffee Bar, HP Tops, Inspired Organics Children’s Boutique, Landmark Renaissance Place Cinema, Love That Spice, Lynfred Winery, My Sister’s Circus, Over the Top, Rock N’ Rags, Soulshine Boutique and Healing Sanctuary, Sugarcoated, Sugaring NYC, Summer Classics Home, Sunflower, Stationery Station, Style Shack, The Bar Method and Yoga 6 with more being added daily.
A map of participating businesses will be available at enjoyhighlandpark.com/sugarplum soon. Shoppers can also look for a special poster in the windows of participating businesses as a reminder to stop and shop.