New Year’s Eve Celebration at Holidays on the Farm When: 5-9 p.m. Where: Parky’s Farm, 10073 Daly Road, Springfield Township What: Great Parks is hosting a family-friendly silver-and-gold New Year’s Eve bash on the last night of its Holidays on the Farm with champagne or sparkling apple cider toasts, a kid-friendly DJ and a “midnight” countdown at 8:30 p.m. Who: Great Parks Why: Your little ones can celebrate the New Year early and be in bed at a reasonable time. Don’t worry; we won’t tell them. Photo: Provided by Great Parks

Great Parks’ Holidays on the Farm returns this week, this time with new attractions, including theme nights and an installation from the popular arts and lights festival, BLINK.

Holidays on the Farm will once again be hosted at Parky’s Farm in Winton Woods, opening on Friday, Nov. 22 and running on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays through Dec. 8 and then nightly from Dec. 13-23, with a special New Year’s Eve celebration on Dec. 31. Organizers say the event allows attendees to escape the holiday hustle and enjoy the season in a natural setting.

“Holidays on the Farm is a chance to step away from the rush of the holiday season and enjoy a nature-based, outdoor festival that perfectly captures what Great Parks represents, which is fun and adventure in all four seasons,” Todd Palmeter, Great Parks’ CEO, said in a press release. “We can’t wait to open the farm gates on opening night.”

The event will feature over 100,000 LED lights, including colorfully lit trails. Santa Claus and Mrs. Claus will also be visiting from the North Pole, and guests can once again enjoy the popular magic and puppet shows and carolers, plus food and drinks from food trucks and the special “Cheer Garden” for adult beverages. Other activities include the winter sport curling, pony rides, hay wagon rides and the chance to visit with the farm’s reindeer, sheep, goats anf other animals.

New this year, Holidays on the Farm will feature the BLINK installation, inCANdescent; inCANdescent was designed by artists with environment nonprofit Keep Cincinnati and made from hundreds of reused paint cans. The cans create a light and sound show inside its large cylinder. Great Parks say the installation is a fitting symbol of the two organizations’ shared focus on improving the quality of life for everyone living and working in Greater Cincinnati.

Also new this year is theme nights:

  • Tuesday, Dec. 17: Frozen Night — Guests can dress as their favorite character from Disney’s Frozen and meet Elsa and Ana.
  • Monday, Dec. 23: Polar Express Night — Don ye now your PJs and enjoy a train ride.
  • Tuesday, Dec. 31: New Year’s Eve — There will be a special silver and gold party with a kid-friendly DJ and confetti for a countdown to “midnight” (which will really be 8:30 p.m., but you don’t need to tell the kiddos that.)

During Holidays at the Farm, Great Parks will also be teaming up with local organizations and guests for Giveback Weekends. Guests who donate during a giveback weekend will receive a coupon for discounted Santa photos:

  • Nov. 22-24: Freestore Foodbank — Donate a nonperishable food item.
  • Nov. 29-Dec. 1: Project Connect — Donate a new, warm winter coat in any size for children and teens.
  • Dec. 6-8: Toys for Tots — Donate an unwrapped toy. Group Sales, Inc. will match donated toys up to $1,000.
  • Dec. 13-15: Ronald McDonald House Charities — Donate individually packaged snacks, boxes of cereal, toiletries and/or new, unwrapped toys.
  • Dec. 20-22: Shelter House — Donate new socks, toiletries, laundry detergent or flip-flops.

Parky’s Farm, 10073 Daly Road, Springfield Township. More info: greatparks.org.

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This article appears in Sep 20 – Oct 3, 2023.

Katherine Barrier is a graduate of the University of Cincinnati’s journalism program and has nearly 10 years of experience reporting local and national news as a digital journalist. At CityBeat, she...