Jacksonville residents have plenty of opportunities to celebrate the holiday season this week at events put on by the city.
On Wednesday, the city will kick off the first day of December with holiday celebrations. Downtown Art Walk, which takes place the first Wednesday of each month, will have a holiday theme this week along with other activites put on by Downtown Vision, a business improvement nonprofit for the urban core.
Although Art Walk takes place from 5 to 9 p.m., the crowning moment of the evening, the city's Christmas tree lighting, will take place at 6:15 p.m. at James Weldon Johnson Park in front of City Hall.
The weekend will see a special event just for seniors. Jacksonville residents who are 60 or older will be privy to the city's annual Holiday Festival at 1 p.m. Saturday at the Prime Osborn Convention Center, at 1000 Water St.
The festival will have a traditional holiday dinner, live entertainment, dancing and prices for Jacksonville's older residents.
Tickets are $5 and can be purchased in person at one of five locations:
- City Hall Suite 210 (117 W. Duval St. 32202): 904-255-5400.
- Louis Dinah Senior Center (1805 Flag St. 32209): 904-630-0728.
- Fortuna Senior Center (11751 McCormick Rd. 32225): 904-996-0211.
- H.T. Jones Community Center (3856 Grant Rd. 32207): 904-399-0615.
- Lincoln Villa Senior Center (7866 New Kings Rd. 32219): 904-765-2654.
More information is available online.
The city's 35-day-long Holiday Bus from the Jacksonville Transportation Authority also makes its first appearance Monday and will run through Jan. 2.
The bus has a themed exterior and interior decorations and will be driven by Santa Claus. The Holiday Bus will appear on different JTA routes each day and give passengers a free ride for that trip.
Federal transportation regulations, including face mask requirements, will still be in place on the the Holiday Bus and all JTA vehicles.
