Festival of Lights - Worcester, MA

• Headline Performance by Clatta Bumboo, a soulful, rhythmic artist with deep roots in Jamaican music and culture
• Performances by the Worcester Poets Laureate, the Burncoat High School Quadrivium Chorus, Midland Street Elementary School, the Jo Ann Warren Studio and the Many Voices: Mechanics Hall Youth Singers
• Tree and large-scale light sculpture lighting, including "Pillars of Monumental Truth," produced by Worcester performance-based artists of Fractaltribe showcasing positive seasonal messages and "Illuminaciones," an interactive light sculpture at the Mercantile Center Plaza (formerly displayed on the Worcester Common in 2023), designed by local artist Zebbler Studios.
• Glow Park: An illuminated playscape for youth and adults on Worcester Common and a 90-foot alpine slide positioned on Franklin Street
• Hot cocoa station, small family crafts, giveaways, a family picture-taking area and a Friends of the Library pop-up holiday sale at the Worcester Public Library
• Complimentary ice skating for all attendees during the Festival of Lights will be made possible by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts. Skaters may bring their own skates or rent for $6 per pair.
• FREE parking in Downtown Passport Zones all day and at Pearl-Elm Garage (24 Pearl Street) beginning at 2 p.m.
• Interactive roving circus performers, fire performances and carriage rides
• Santa Claus meet & greet
• Community organizations
• 15+ food vendors, heated beer tent, face painting and more!

Partners: Downtown Worcester Business Improvement District, DCU Center/ASM Global, Worcester Cultural Coalition, Rockland Trust, Cumulus Radio, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts, the College of the Holy Cross, the Worcester Railers Hockey Club, Unity Radio, 96.1 WSRS, Cirque de Soleil: OVO, Exhibition Hub, stART on the Street, the Mercantile Center and the Canal District Business Alliance.

2024-25 Hours of Operation

Regular Operational Hours

• Fridays:

  5 - 9 p.m.
• Saturdays:

  1 - 9 p.m.
• Sundays:

  1 - 6 p.m.

School Vacation & Holiday Hours

• Monday, December 23 - Tuesday, December 24 (School Vacation):

  1 - 6 p.m.
• Wednesday, December 25 (Christmas):

  Closed
• Thursday, December 26 - Friday, December 27 (School Vacation):

  1 - 9 p.m.
• Monday, December 30 - Friday, January 3 (School Vacation):

  1 - 9 p.m.
• Monday, January 20 (Martin Luther King, Jr. Day):

  1 - 6 p.m.
• Monday, February 17 - Thursday, February 20 (School Vacation):

  1 - 6 p.m.
• Friday, February 21 (School Vacation):

  1 - 9 p.m.
• Saturday, February 22 (School Vacation):

  1 - 9 p.m.
• Sunday, February 23 (School Vacation/Last Day to Skate):

  1 - 6 p.m.

The Oval Ice Skating Rink will be open as the weather allows and any weather-related delayed openings or closures may be found by visiting the Oval Ice Skating Rink's Facebook and Instagram pages or by calling the Oval Ice Skating Rink Weather Hotline sponsored by Cornerstone Bank at 508-929-0777.