By Jackson Melin
The flyer for the Oro Valley Festival of the Arts and Holiday Tree Lighting Celebration. Photo courtesy of orovalleyaz.gov.
The 14th annual Oro Valley Festival of the Arts and Holiday Tree Lighting Celebration took place Saturday, Dec. 6, from 10 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., and Sunday, Dec. 7, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The official tree lighting began at 6 p.m. at the Oro Valley Marketplace. Admission is always free. The event featured a wide selection of local artists, vendors and performers, ranging from artists and food trucks to jazz bands.
Each year, the hope for the event is to attract attention from both tourists and residents. More than 150 artists and over 500 student and community performers showed up. Participants took pictures with Santa and built mini wood–toys and personalized snowflake ornaments. The main attraction, of course, was the 35-foot tree decorated with more than 1,000 hand-crafted ornaments.
Visit their site for more holiday activities and to plan your next festive outings!
Santa Clause waves in front of OV Fire and Police Department vehicles. Photo courtesy of orovalleyaz.gov.
A vendor sells caramel apples at the festival. Photo courtesy of orovalleyaz.gov.