Introduction

Two Performances of “Holiday at Santa Fe” for Adults & Children on Dec. 3, 2016

Two Performances of “Holiday at Santa Fe” for Adults & Children on Dec. 3, 2016

Santa pays a visit to Santa Fe College.

Children and adults alike will thrill to holiday magic on stage when characters from the Kingdom of the Sweets, lively elves, Frosty the Snowman and the Frostettes, toy soldiers, Elsa from “Frozen” and, yes, Santa himself appear in two high-energy performances of Santa Fe College’s annual “Holiday at Santa Fe,” 2 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 3, 2016, in the Fine Arts Hall at the Northwest Campus, 3000 NW 83 Street, Gainesville.

Children 12 and under are admitted free and there must be at least one adult for every three children. Adult tickets are $15 in the orchestra and mezzanine, $12 in the balcony, and $9 for seniors. Tickets may be purchased at www.sfcollege.edu/finearts. Call the Box Office at 352-395-4181 to reserve free tickets for children.

“We’ve renamed this event, which used to be ‘Children’s Holiday at Santa Fe,’ because we realized that adults enjoy it just as much as children do,” explained Fine Arts Department Chairperson Alora Haynes. “With its emphasis on dance, music, and theatre, ‘Holiday at Santa Fe’ is the perfect way to showcase our talented performing arts students and offer a joyful celebration to our community.”

Members of the Dance Theatre of Santa Fe portray sweets throughout the world from the second act of “The Nutcracker” ballet. Ruled by the Sugar Plum Fairy, the Kingdom of Sweets includes chocolate from Spain, tea from China, coffee from Arabia, candy canes from Russia, and the enchanting Mother Caramel and her marshmallows. And the Silver Belles will dance to “Carol of the Bells.”

The Santa Fe Singers perform holiday tunes including “Frosty the Snowman.” New this year, Frosty and his Rockette-like dancers, the Frostettes, will make an appearance. Frolicking elves enliven the action, Santa pays a visit, and Elsa from “Frozen” is rumored to bring snow!

After the program, children will gather in the lobby to create winter holiday crafts including ornaments and dreidels and enjoy cookies and beverages with Santa, the elves, and other characters in the show.

“Holiday at Santa Fe” is sponsored by the SF College Fine Arts Department; the SF College Foundation and Arts Patron program; the State of Florida, Department of State, Division of Cultural Affairs and the Florida Council on Arts and Culture; Visit Gainesville, a Tourist Development Tax Grant from the Alachua County Board of County Commissioners in conjunction with the Alachua County Tourist Development Council; and Gateway Grand Best Western.

For more information, call Alora Haynes at 352-395-5296.