Sat 12/9 @ 11AM
Cleveland Heights’ Coventry Village will be buzzing with activity from late morning into the evening as it celebrates its annual Coventry Holiday Festival and Coventry PEACE Campus Lantern Parade.
New this year, visitors can pick up a “Coventry Land” board game inspired by Candy Land, designed by local artist/musician Jenna Fourier, and use it to earn stamps from local merchants. Earn three and you can turn it in to enter a raffle for merchant-donated prizes.
Businesses up and down the street will be offering discounts, workshops, crafts, and other special activities. Mac’s Backs will have guest authors and storytelling and Made Cleveland will be judging a Chili Cookoff from 4-8pm. And of course you’ll want to block out some time to browse in the Big Fun pop-up shop, as the beloved vendor of toys and other fun items, a mainstay on the street until its 2019 closure, returns to its former space just for the holidays. A good time to stop by is from 7-8pm when local swamp rockers Cats on Holiday (the full band!) will be performing in the store.
There’ll be hot cider and cocoa, the chance to take photos with Santa, Olaf and the Grinch and — tell the kids if they were ho-hum about coming with you — face painting!!!
You’ll want to be sure to stop in the Grog Shop and B-Side Lounge which will be hosting its annual Jingle Bell Holiday Shop with more than 40 local vendors with lots of handmade and affordable items, ranging from jewelry to books to edibles.
Finally, the Coventry PEACE campus will be the location of the Lantern Parade, starting at 5pm. Stop by the campus earlier in the afternoon to join a free lantern-making workshop so you can take part. The parade, led by Robin VanLear who created the former University Circle Lantern Fest as well as Parade the Circle, will feature dancers, drummers and the giant puppets VanLear has become known for. It will wend its way through the entire district. It will be followed by a sing-along with the Singers’ Club of Cleveland and snacks in the Coventry PEACE building.
Cleveland Heights, OH