Hundreds of residents, students and visitors gathered in front of City Hall on Dec. 6 to celebrate College Park’s third annual Winter Wonderland tree-lighting ceremony.
Ryna Quiñones, the city’s communications and events manager, said the event is a way for the community to come together during the holiday season.
“This is a wonderful time to do with the holidays,” Quiñones said. “It can be a time that people may feel disconnected, you know, or maybe time that they want to spend with loved ones. And I think this is an opportunity for both. You get to hang out with friends and neighbors, bring your loved ones, do a little bit of holiday shopping if you’d like.”
At the front of City Hall was a hot chocolate station as well as an ice-carving demonstration. Next to Cornerstone Grill & Loft, the Sugar Loop Funnel Cakes food truck served sugary delights.
The event featured music from the School of Rock in Silver Spring, folk band Hat & Hair and the blues band Fast Eddie & The Slowpokes.
Inside City Hall, the community room featured story time and an exhibition called Science Spectacular.
Outdoors, children crowded around a petting zoo with a mini horse, a llama, a zebu cow, sheep, lambs, goats, bunnies and chickens from the Waldorf-based Mary’s Go Round.
Parents like College Park resident Bobby Digi brought their children to see the animals. Digi said a petting zoo isn’t something he normally encounters near his home in the inner city, so Winter Wonderland gives his family a chance to see new things.
“My family loves to see farm animals,” Digi said. “Here we have things like cookies, toys and agriculture that you can look at.”
Twenty-five vendors sold crafts, clothing, art and confectionaries along Knox Road.
Danielle Carter Miller, owner of the vintage and upcycled clothing store Junk 2 Gems, brought a booth to the event for the first time because it draws such a diverse mix of residents, students and visitors.
“I wanted to be a part of the outdoor atmosphere,” Carter Miller said. “The community, the tree lighting, the live music — it just felt more inclusive and community oriented.”
Erica Greenspan, a University Park resident who stopped at the festival while biking, said she had never seen so many students attend a city event.
“I think in the last five to 10 years, [city events] completely changed,” said Greenspan, who graduated from the University of Maryland in 2008. “It’s done a really good job connecting the university with the surrounding community.”
Santa Claus arrived around 4:45 p.m., and at 6 p.m., the tree lit up.
Quiñones said this year’s Winter Wonderland helped boost spirits following the government shutdown.
“We want to help try to bring some of the cheer into our community,” she said. “I know that it has been a very tough and challenging season for a lot of families and a lot of the individuals here in College Park and in the greater DMV region, so if we can bring a little bit of brightness to them, we are thrilled.”