Southern Californians hardly get a winter wonderland of their own, but during the new holiday celebration at Liberty Station, Christmas on the Promenade, residents will get their own little piece of snowy heaven.
The two-day event, organized by nonprofit Kids Included Together (KIT), runs Friday, Dec. 8, from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m., and continues Saturday, Dec. 9, from 9 a.m. until 6 p.m.
“Really, it was pretty simple,” said KIT Executive Director Jan Giacinti of how the idea for the event came about. “The fact that NTC was a brand-new area and we were among a group of some 15 nonprofits that were going to be moving into the area.”
She explained that it was almost two years ago that the idea first came up to hold a holiday event at NTC. KIT presented a proposal to the NTC Foundation and asked for their partnership.
“It’s been a wonderful relationship and we’re just delighted to have this event,” Giacinti said.
She explained that KIT focused on and wanted to emphasize the collaborative nature of the groups that were going into NTC, allowing everybody to participate.
The main goal of the event is to support and promote the various nonprofit groups at the promenade, including The Jenna Druck Foundation, Family Literacy Foundation and ARTS: A Reason to Survive, as well as to educate the public on these organizations’ missions.
“This is the spirit of giving, and this is what we do year-round, and how neat for the kids to be able to see that all of a sudden,” Giacinti said. “Who knows, they may come and volunteer in some of the organizations, they may choose to get involved at some level.”
The main fund-raising attraction is Christmas Tree Alley, where visitors can stroll through the elaborately decorated Christmas trees available for auction. Each tree comes with valuable gifts stowed underneath and will be included in a drawing on Saturday evening. Drawing tickets are $5 each and all proceeds will benefit the organization that created the tree.
The La Vita Dolce tree, benefiting KIT, includes a trip for two to Italy, including airfare and accommodations in Florence. A Taste of the Arts tree, benefiting ARTS: A Reason to Survive, includes passes to different museums from here to San Francisco, art pieces and gift certificates to different restaurants in the area.
Some organizations will host booths at the Holiday Kids Fun Zone with activities such as face painting, art projects, fun jumps, carriage rides and more. Prices vary between $1and $5 depending on the activity, and many are suggested donations.
“It’s an opportunity to generate funding for the nonprofit sector,” Giacinti said. “Most of this is just to cover the expenses “¦ it’s not going to make a lot of money for anybody.”
Kids shouldn’t forget the Winter Wonderland Snow Zone, where five tons of snow creates a wintery blanket for snow angels and snowball fights.
“Some kids can be 15 years old and never have seen snow,” Giacinti said. “It just is kind of a fun kid thing that every child should be able to enjoy.”
Breakfast with Santa is another event kids won’t want to miss on Saturday at 8:30 a.m. and at 10:30 a.m. Tickets are $10 per child and $15 per adult and include a pancake breakfast, entertainment and a photo with Santa.
For the parents, the Holiday Marketplace, featuring merchants such as The Point Loma Artists, Pet Pawkits, Karma Market and Handbag Princess, will be open both days, though it closes at 2 p.m. on Saturday.
The holiday celebration wouldn’t be complete without food and live entertainment. Food will be provided courtesy of Hunter’s Steakhouse, Wahoo’s Fish Tacos and Café Solare, a permanent fixture at NTC. The festival will also feature performances by the Peninsula Singers, the San Diego Ballet, San Diego Women’s Chorus and St. Augustine High School’s caroling group and Dana Middle School’s jazz band and string orchestra.
Admission and parking are free. For more information about Christmas on the Promenade, visit www.christmasonthepromenade.org.
KIT is a nonprofit organization specializing in providing best practices training for community-based youth organizations committed to including children with disabilities into their existing recreational, social and childcare programs. For more on KIT, visit www.kitonline.org.