The holiday season kicks off in National City this weekend with the 11th annual A Kimball Holiday.
A Kimball Holiday, a free event, will be held from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. Dec. 7 and Dec. 8 at National City’s Kimball Park, on the corner of D Avenue and E. 12th Street.
The event starts with the traditional tree lighting ceremony at about 6:30 p.m. and an appearance by Santa shortly after.
Other activities include a mini-ferris wheel, a mini-train ride that will take children through Santa’s Village and a larger ice rink than from years past. Santa will be on hand both nights for a photo opportunity and to hear children’s wishes.
There will be live music performed both nights.
National City’s Management Analyst Lauren Maxilom said this is the first year in the event’s history that every time slot is filled with performers and entertainers.
“We packed entertainment on the stage both days,” she said. “People are definitely getting excited and not only want to come, but want to participate and showcase their own musical group that they’re in or dance group that they’re in. We have people coming to us now after 11 years of trying to go out to the community and solicit their participation.”
New this year is a snow sledding hill.
“This event is always so much fun for all ages of our National City residents and it keeps getting better year-after-year,” she said. “We are excited to expand this year’s event to include National City’s first free snow sledding hill in order to make the event more festive and to enhance the feeling of the holidays.”
The event used to be held at brick row but as community turn out got larger and larger, they moved it to Kimball Park and expanded the event from one night to two nights.
