Fri 11/26-Sun 1/2/22
While Cleveland’s downtown Winterfest is getting ready for its big kickoff Saturday November 27, Cleveland Metroparks beats it by a day when it opens its Winter RiverFest, taking place at Merwin’s Wharf and the adjacent Rivergate Park.
The whole area will be swathed in holiday and lots of lights, with a beer garden, firepits and igloo dining for those who want to brave the chill and have a wintery dining experience. (Indoor dining is also available for cold wusses like me.) On some weekend days, Santa will be there.
And for the first time, there’ll be a skating rink, adding to the places (Wade Oval, Public Square) where you can bring the family to skate. And it will feature real ice that’s refrigerated so it can be used in temperatures up to 80 degrees (fat chance!). You can reserve a 90-minute time slot ($12 ages 6 and up, $5 3-5) and skate rental ($3) ahead of time online. If there’s room, walkups are also accepted.
Winter RiverFest runs seven days a week through Sunday January 2, 2022, Monday-Thursday @ 4-7:30pm, Friday @ 2-9:30pm ad Saturday & Sunday noon-9:30pm. There’ll also be special holiday hours. You can find those and a schedule of special events at clevelandmetroparks.com/WinterRiverFest.