A float makes its way through the intersection of Third and Washington streets during the 2021 Festival of Lights parade in Columbus. The event returns downtown Saturday.
This holiday season, we are blessed with a cornucopia of free and affordable events that promise to lighten our spirits and bring a bounty of cheer to the area.
If you haven’t already, make plans to treat yourself to some of the many upcoming events. Here is just a sampling of events to look forward to this weekend and beyond:
- Christmas of Yesteryear, 5 to 8 p.m. Friday at Hope Town Square. A visit from Santa, bake and craft sale, Nativity and more are part of the annual homespun, hometown celebration.
- Columbus Festival of Lights, 6 to 9 p.m. Saturday in downtown Columbus. The return of the festive and colorful parade highlights an event that this year will conclude with an added fireworks show.
- Christmas in the City, Friday-Sunday, downtown North Vernon, featuring a festival of trees, carolers, vendors, food trucks, Christmas market, parade and more.
- A CSO Holiday, free concert of holiday favorites by the Columbus Symphony Orchestra, 3 p.m. Sunday at The Commons in downtown Columbus, also featuring a pre-show performance from the Andrews Strings Studio.
- Christmas Trees Through Time — Christmas Memories, through Dec. 21 at the Bartholomew County Historical Society, 524 Third St., Columbus, featuring a baker’s dozen of themed trees set amid holiday decorations.
And this list of events doesn’t even begin to mention the numerous church Christmas markets, holiday-themed concerts, school plays and more coming up this month. You can find out more about these events and others in our area in The Republic’s Go! Guide that publishes every Wednesday, or at the Visit Columbus website, columbus.in.us/calendar.
For many people, these events and others are cherished traditions that add to the enjoyment of the holidays, and some of them have been around long enough that generations have enjoyed them and look forward to their return each year.
Events like these also are part of the fabric of what gives our area a warm and welcoming feel. In these parts, we like to extend the joy of the holidays to all comers, and there are plenty of people who go the extra mile, volunteering their time and energy to make the season merry and bright.
We hope you’ll join in the fun and take part in these events, and in doing so, realize that we are fortunate in our community to have such an array of activities put on in large part by people and organizations whose main goal is to spread happiness and enjoyment of the holiday season. We are grateful for their generosity.
Join in these events, and you may find that spirit is contagious.
