'Holiday Stroll' To Transform West Hartford Into A Festive Wonderland

Town of West Hartford

WEST HARTFORD, CT — The town's biggest community holiday celebration will take place Thursday, Dec. 4, as the 37th annual "Holiday Stroll" will transform West Harford Center and Blue Back Square.

Families can get in the holiday spirit from 5 to 8 p.m., rain, snow, or shine.

This free, family-friendly event has something for everyone.

Guests can come and meet Santa and Mrs. Claus, sample free tasty treats from area restaurants, listen to strolling carolers, see performances on three stages, be dazzled by the Nutcracker ballet dancers, get a caricature drawing of themselves, and much more.

Plus, the streets of Blue Back Square and West Hartford Center will showcase beautiful window displays created by West Hartford’s imaginative shop proprietors, which will also have special promotions and activities during the event.

It all starts at 5 p.m. with the holiday tree-lighting, with Santa located near the Cheesecake Factory in Blue Back Square.

Children can visit with Santa and Mrs. Claus.

Meanwhile, the "Rock This Town" band will give a live performance, and Fox 61 TV anchor Erika Arias, meteorologist Matt Scott, and iHeartRadio DJs will hand out prize giveaways.

There will be activities for kids, festive sampling from all the restaurants, and much more.

Entertainment will also be showcased on the Farmington Avenue stage and in the PeoplesBank parking lot at 102 LaSalle Road.

The Farmington Avenue stage will feature performances by Playhouse on Park, SJK Experiment with Steven King Jr., Hall Choraliers, and Conard’s Be S#arp. American Sign Language interpreters will be on-site to ensure inclusivity.

Meanwhile, the talented students from the School of Rock will entertain at The PeoplesBank lot.

Folks can also check out the ninth annual "Festival of Trees" at First Church, 12 S. Main St., featuring more than 50 decorated trees donated by local businesses.

They can enjoy hot cocoa and cookies, and take a chance to win a tree and/or a gift card. Winners will be announced on Sunday, Dec. 8.

All proceeds go to local charities.

Parking is available in the Isham, Memorial, and Town Center garages and at the municipal lots at West Hartford Town Hall, Brace Road, and Farmington Avenue. Parking rates apply.

The 37th annual Holiday Stroll is made possible by the support of sponsors TD Bank, GoNetSpeed, Tea Leaf Realty, Charles Schwab, Hartford Healthcare, Mathnasium, NBT Bank, Peoples Bank, and Westfield Bank, and its media sponsors 102.9 The Whale, 104.1 WMRQ, 2020 Media, AMP Radio, Cricket Press, and We-Ha.com.

This event is organized by the West Hartford Chamber of Commerce, Blue Back Square, the Town of West Hartford, and the West Hartford Center Business Association.

A program of events will be available during the Holiday Stroll and the West Hartford Chamber of Commerce webpage via this link.