OGDEN — For 56 years, Ogden’s Christmas Village has served as the backdrop for holiday time in Weber County.
This year, the lights downtown will be turned on Nov. 24, immediately following the Holiday Electric Light Parade, which is scheduled for 5:30 p.m.
The parade will start on 22nd Street and head south along Washington Boulevard to 27th Street. The Christmas Village opening ceremony begins when the parade reaches Ogden Municipal Gardens, 353 E. 25th Street, at approximately 6:30 p.m.
Christmas Village Committee Chair Craig Bielik said the annual holiday display will feature activities and entertainment through Dec. 22, with the cottages and lights at the Ogden Municipal Gardens available for viewing until Jan. 1.
At the village, 67 cottages sponsored and created by the community, will turn the area near Historic 25th Street into a replica of Santa’s village at the North Pole. The village is open daily, from 5 p.m. to midnight.
Bielik said the theme for village festivities this year is “All Aboard," honoring Ogden’s railroad history and the 2019 sesquicentennial celebration of the driving of the Golden Spike. A small train will be hidden in each of the cottages as a scavenger hunt for visitors exploring the displays.
Honory Mayors of Christmas Village this year are the family of Perry and Sarah Huffaker, who were killed in July 2017 when the small airplane they were in crashed onto Interstate 15 shortly after taking off from the Ogden-Hinckley Airport. Perry Huffaker worked as Ogden City’s parks director.
Live entertainment at the village includes the following:
• Santa greeting children in his castle from 6 to 9 p.m. Monday through Friday and from 5 to 9 p.m. on Saturdays.
• A breakfast with Santa event will be hosted at 9 a.m. Dec. 1 at the Union Station, 2501 Wall Ave. Reservations are required to attend the event and can be made at christmasvillage.ogdencity.com.
• Reservations can be made for pre-school groups to tour Christmas Village with Mrs. Santa during daytime hours by calling 801-629-8720.
• Santa’s Reindeer will also make an appearance at the village on from 6 to 9 p.m. on Dec. 14 and 15.
• The Mini Polar Express Train runs from 6 to 9 p.m. Monday through Friday and from 5 to 9 p.m. Saturdays. The Jupiter Train rides through the heart of Ogden from 6 to 9 p.m. on Mondays and Fridays and from 5 to 9 p.m. on Saturdays. The train boards at 353 E. 25th Street.
• There will also be live entertainment from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday at the Ogden Amphitheater, 343 E. 25th Street. Performers can visit christmasvillage.ogdencity.com for more information about being included in the line-up.
Christmas Village has been held in Ogden each year since 1962.
