The 2024 WinterFest will see the return of some favorite activities, like ice skating and carriage rides, which were missing for a few years.
WinterFest, always held on the first Saturday of December, is sponsored by the Festus Tourism Commission.
This year’s WinterFest will begin at 8:30 a.m. and run through 6 p.m. Saturday at locations along Festus Main Street. Most activities will be held on and around the Festus Public Library parking lot, 400 W. Main St., and the First United Methodist Church parking lot, 113 S. Grand Ave.
Barb Lowry, the Festus recreation and tourism director, said she’s happy carriage rides are back on the agenda.
“We haven’t had them for the last couple of years due to scheduling issues,” she said.
Admission to the WinterFest is free. However, there will be a fee for some activities.
The cost for carriage rides is $5 a person or $15 for four.
“The rides start at the library parking lot and follow along Main Street to Mill to Second to Adams and onto Main Street, then back to the library parking lot,” Lowry said.
She said event organizers once again will provide free skating on an artificial ice surface on the library parking lot.
“People love the skating,” Lowry said. “It’s free to skate and skate rental is free.”
Likewise, there is no charge to use the giant inflatables across the street at the First United Methodist Church parking lot, she said.
“We’ve got a slide and a bounce house for little kids,” she said. “There’s a snowman bounce house for everyone.”
The event will also include vendors and food trucks, and face painting and balloon artists will be on hand.
“We’ll have a petting zoo,” Lowry said. “There is a small fee to feed the animals. There will be pony rides again, for a fee.”
A Decorated Cookie Challenge will be held inside the Festus Public Library. Different age classes (13 and younger, 14-17 and 18 and older) will vie for a $50 prize in each class, with winners decided by public vote during WinterFest.
Another indoor activity, Breakfast with Santa, will be held inside First United Methodist Church. There is no charge for the breakfast, but freewill offerings will be accepted.
In addition, Santa Claus will make his first visit of the season to the Santa House in Schneider Park at the intersection of Main and Mill streets during WinterFest. He is scheduled to receive visitors of all ages, including “well-behaved, leashed pets,” at the Santa House, Lowry said.
There is no charge to see Santa or for people to take their own photos of their children, pets or others with him, but canned food or other nonperishable food donations are encouraged, with the donations going to the Ozark Food Pantry.
Lowry said any cash donations will go to the Jeffco Shop with a Cop organization.
Below is the WinterFest schedule of events:
■ 8-10:30 a.m.: Breakfast with Santa, First United Methodist Church.
■ 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.: Craft/food vendors, balloon twister, voting inside the library for the Decorated Cookie Challenge.
■ 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.: Skating, inflatables, petting zoo, pony rides.
■ noon to 6 p.m.: Santa will receive visitors in the Santa House in Schneider Park.
■ 3-6 p.m.: Carriage rides.
Santa House schedule
Santa will continue his visits to Santa House in Schneider Park after WinterFest.
His scheduled visits will be from 6-8 p.m. on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays and from noon to 5 p.m. on Saturdays though Dec. 21.
“We added Wednesdays for this year because there were going to be fewer dates to see Santa,” Lowry said.
She said the Wednesday dates were added because 2024 is a leap year, creating a quirk in the calendar.
For more information about WinterFest or Santa’s visits to Santa House, visit festusmo.gov or the city of Festus Facebook page.