Children of all ages will have the opportunity to tell Santa their Christmas wishes at the 41st annual Santa’s Village, hosted by the City of Martin Parks and Recreation Department on Dec. 11-14 in the University of Tennessee at Martin’s Ned McWherter Agricultural Complex.
This free annual community tradition guides visitors through an enchanted forest of lights, carnival rides, a petting farm, a holiday market with more than 40 craft and gift vendors, and features meet-and-greets with Santa Claus and Elsa and Anna from the movie “Frozen.”
Santa’s Village will be open from 6 to 9 p.m. Thursday and Friday, from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday and 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday.
There is no cost for admission, but there is a suggested donation of $5 worth of nonperishable food items or new children’s toys. These donations benefit WeCare Ministries of Martin.
With the generous donations from the 2024 Santa’s Village, the City of Martin Parks and Recreation Department donated over 26,000 nonperishable food items and canned goods, along with 26 jumbo bags of toys, to WeCare Ministries in Martin.
Parking for this event is available beside UT Martin’s Hardy M. Graham Stadium off University Street. The upper and lower levels of the ag pavilion are only accessible inside the building by stairs. Accessible drop off points and limited parking will be available on both upper and lower levels of the facility.
For more information about Santa’s Village, visit www.cityofmartin.net/santas-village-martin-tn. For more information about UT Martin, visit www.utm.edu or call 1-800-829-UTM1 (-8861).
PHOTO: Santa and Mrs. Claus pause for a photo while talking with visitors during last year’s Santa’s Village event. Talking with Santa is just one of the many fun and exciting features of the annual community tradition.
