‘Holly Days’ returning to Dayton Arcade in early December

Credit: Tom Gilliam

Credit: Tom Gilliam

A holiday celebration featuring a food and artisan market, live entertainment and much more is returning to the Dayton Arcade for the second year in a row.

“Holly Days at the Arcade Presented by Universal 1 Credit Union & AES Ohio” is a free event that’s open to the public on Tuesday, Dec. 6 through Thursday, Dec. 8 from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. The event is organized by Cross Street Partners and Culture Works.

“We’re very excited to build upon the success of last year’s Holly Days event,” said Megan Dunn Peters, arcade community manager for Cross Street Partners. “We’re grateful to our sponsors Universal 1 Credit Union and AES Ohio for helping to make Holly Days 2022 a magical holiday experience for both local Daytonians and regional visitors, and we hope spending holidays in downtown Dayton becomes a treasured family tradition.”

This year’s event will feature a food and artisan market with over 30 vendors in the Rotunda as well as additional vendors, a community Lego Build hosted by Brixilated and a cash bar in The Tank Inspired by CenterPoint Energy, the press release explained. The Contemporary Dayton’s CoSHOP will be open featuring multicultural artists, woman creators and sustainable items.

There will also be several local food trunks lining Fourth Street in front of the Arcade’s main entrance.

Credit: Tom Gilliam

Credit: Tom Gilliam

Culture Works is curating live holiday entertainment throughout the three-day event. According to the press release, a full schedule will be announced the fist week of December.

“I think the artists have just as much fun creating and performing for Holly Days as the guests do watching them,” said Lisa Hanson, president and CEO for Culture Works. “Our creative community really knows how to activate these spaces inside the Arcade and captivate a crowd. We’re thrilled to help bring even more performances and local artists to Holly Days in 2022!”

Holly Days was first featured in 1992 and 1993 by the City of Dayton. It was estimated that around 150,000 Daytonians visited the Arcade during the holiday celebrations, the press release said. Holly Days was one of the last events held inside the Arcade before it shuttered. When renovations began in 2019, the construction crew removed holiday lights that still remained from the last Holly Days.

For more event information, vendor list, and entertainment schedule, visit arcadedayton.com or the Dayton Arcade’s social media pages.

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