The Christmas tree lights up the night at Hyde Park Village’s annual Holiday Happenings. Photo courtesy of Sophia Romana.
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By Sophia Romana
TAMPA, Fla. — Tampa residents packed Hyde Park Village on Thursday night as they kicked off its holiday season with their fourth annual Holiday Happenings tree lighting.
Families and friends gathered around Village Circle to watch the towering Christmas tree come to life, marking the unofficial start of the “most magical time of year” in South Tampa.
The event ran from 5:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. and turned the popular shopping center into a holiday street party. The long-anticipated tree lighting brought the evening to a close.
This year’s celebration also had a charitable focus. Proceeds from Holiday Happenings benefit the Children’s Dream Fund, a local organization that makes dreams come true for children battling life-threatening illnesses.
During the event, the organization held a “dream” giveaway, where a child was surprised on stage with Santa as their dream was granted.
Emily Walsh, Marketing and Events Manager at Children’s Dream Fund, spoke to 10 Tampa Bay about the impact their organization makes for local children and how this event plays a role.
“We really get to be a light spot in a child’s medical journey,” Walsh said. “We get to make it happen thanks to amazing community partners like Hyde Park Village.”
During the evening, Tampa City Ballet performed inspired dances from The Nutcracker, drawing crowds to the fountain before the tree lighting.
Santa spent the night strolling through the village, posing for photos, greeting children, and stopping to chat with families between stores.
Local businesses joined in with their own holiday offerings. There were many local food vendors, and some shops extended exclusive discounts or handed out complimentary drinks for the event.
Buddy Brew marked the occasion by launching five new seasonal holiday drinks. Their new drinks include a peppermint bark flat white, candy cane cold brew, sugar cookie latte, sugar cookie matcha, and a gingerbread cookie latte.
At Capital One Café, guests could decorate cookies inside while visiting a hot chocolate bar. Downtown Dogs offered complimentary “Puppermint Pup Cups” for pets and debuted a Holiday Wish Tree benefiting local K-9 agencies.
For some attendees, it was a first look at how Tampa celebrates the holidays, even in the warm weather.
University of Tampa junior Jonathan Gallo is spending his first holiday season in Tampa after transferring from New Jersey, where he’s used to cold winter weather. He said Holiday Happenings helped make the warm Florida evening feel a little more like home.
“Even with the warm weather, events like this really put me in the holiday spirit,” Gallo said. “This will be an event I come back to every year, it was a lot of fun.”
For businesses and organizers, the strong turnout signaled the start of a busy holiday season at Hyde Park Village.
Senior Marketing Manager at Hyde Park Village, Madison DeChellis, told 10 Tampa Bay the tree lighting is designed to launch a month of holiday activities in the village.
“It kicks off the best time of the year,” DeChellis said. “Santa will be around the village all month long, so if you don’t catch him at this tree lighting event, you can catch him in Hyde Park Village at all of our businesses.”Hyde Park Village will host more holiday events throughout December. You can view all upcoming festivities on their website.