By Darlene Brace
The holiday season is officially underway in our area, bringing a sleigh full of festivities and cheer for the whole family. Towns across Chautauqua and Cattaraugus Counties are transforming into winter wonderlands, offering a variety of classic Christmas activities, from dazzling parades and cozy carriage rides, to special visits with Santa and Mrs. Claus. Get ready to bundle up, soak in the spirit of the season, and make unforgettable hometown holiday memories at these wonderful local celebrations.
In Olean, the Santa Claus Lane Parade will take place on November 28th starting at 6:30pm. This large parade will have over 65 floats. It will take place in downtown Olean near Lincoln Park, traveling along North Union Street. Santa and Mrs. Claus will help light up the decorations to kick off the Christmas festivities and holiday spirit. For more information, go to oleanny.com.
Additionally, Christmas in Ellicottville will kick off the holiday season with a festive weekend full of holiday activities starting November 28th at 12pm and running through November 30th at 7pm. There will be a variety of activities near Washington Street, including horse and wagon rides as well as fire truck rides, face painting, crafts, visits and photos with Santa, live reindeer, and other family-friendly activities. For a detailed list of activities, go to ellicottvilleny.com.
The 12th annual Christmas in Gowanda event will take place on Friday, December 5th from 5pm-8pm and Saturday December 6th from 1pm-7pm near Main Street and Jamestown Street. There will be a petting zoo, horse drawn carriage rides both days, and lots of other Christmas activities. The Holiday Spirit Parade will be on Saturday at 6pm. Santa and Mrs. Claus will be there to assist with the lighting of the tree at 7pm. For a complete list of events go to Christmas in Gowanda on Facebook.
Christmas in the Village of Lakewood will be on Friday December 5th and Saturday the 6th. On Friday, enjoy sleigh rides through the village, caroling, and photo opportunities with Santa from 5pm-8pm. On Saturday, the festivities begin with breakfast with Santa at the Lakewood Legion. Your kids will enjoy Santa’s Craft Corner, where they can make and take-home crafts. There will be more photo opportunities and more sleigh rides. Go to Christmas in the Village-Lakewood NY on Facebook for details.
Randolph’s Country Christmas will be on December 6th. Many of the activities will take place in or near the school from 10am-8pm. The Randolph Holiday Arts and Craft Show will be in the Central School. There will be a magic show at 10am in the Randolph Library. The highlight of the day will be The Candy Land Christmas Parade at 7:30pm, following with the lighting of the memorial tree.
This year, Jamestown’s annual downtown parade is themed the Jamestown Magic of Holiday Movies Parade. It will take place on December 6th, starting at 6pm near the armory and traveling down Third Street to City Hall. Santa will arrive at the end of the parade, at which time there will be the lighting of the Christmas tree. The evening ends with a spectacular fireworks display at about 8pm. The parade can be seen live and taped for later viewing on CCS-TV.
Also on December 6th, Fredonia will host its annual Miracle on Main Street Festival. It will feature a variety of vendors at Barker Common all day, along with numerous Christmas activities happening throughout the area. The day will kick off with an all-day pancake breakfast with Santa at Domus Fare. There will also be story times with Santa and Mrs. Claus, crafts, cookie decorating, and plenty of other fun holiday activities. At 4pm, a free showing of the Christmas classic “The Polar Express” will take place at the Fredonia Opera House, followed by the lighting of the Christmas tree with Santa at Barker Common at 6pm. For a complete schedule of events for this exciting day, please visit festivalsfredoniany.org or check their Facebook page.
From 11am to 7pm on December 6th, join the Christmas on Central Holiday Spectacular and Parade in downtown Dunkirk along Central Avenue. Enjoy Breakfast with Santa at the Clarion Hotel at 8am, visit open downtown merchants, and explore craft and food vendors. There will be free horse-drawn wagon rides, and holiday activities. The you can join in the fun at a pre-parade DJ dance party and enjoy holiday dancers from 5pm-5:40pm. Then the tree lighting ceremony will be followed by the Christmas parade. For more details, visit cityofdunkirkny.gov.
A Christmas Stroll in Ellicottville will take place December 13th from 4:30pm to 7pm. This will feature a living nativity scene where community members and children dress up and portray the nativity characters at the village gazebo. You can embrace what many consider the true meaning of Christmas.
This holiday season offers a wide range of Christmas activities for families across the region, including parades, sleigh rides, visits with Santa, and much more that awaits you. With plenty of fun activities for children and the young at heart, you can embrace the spirit of the season, and you can create some fun and lasting memories with your loved ones. Merry Christmas!!