Wells Fargo Family Festival
Free Family Fun

Sunday, December 4, 12 – 5 pm

Various Downtown Arts & Cultural Institutions
http://www.wellsfargo.com

Wells Fargo presents this year's Holiday Lights Family Festival, offering the community an opportunity to experience many of Omaha's leading downtown attractions for free. This year's Family Festival will be held Sunday, December 4th, from 12 to 5 pm. A free trolley service will connect the participating venues described below. Each site will offer free admission and family activities. In addition, select Omaha musicians will perform at The Durham Museum, W. Dale Clark Public Library, Wells Fargo Banking Branch and Joslyn Art Museum.

 

 

Wells Fargo, 20th and Douglas
Take part in a winter wonderland at Wells Fargo banking store on 20th and Douglas Streets. Enjoy Orville Redenbacher's popcorn - courtesy of ConAgra Foods. Children can pose for a picture with the company's very own "Jack the Dog” and make reindeer headbands along with other fun holiday crafts.  Enjoy holiday music by Been There at 12:30 p.m., SNJ Studio Singers at 1:30 p.m., Duchesne Academy Handbell Choir at 2:30 p.m., and Salem Kids in Praise Choir at 3:30 p.m. Don't miss the opportunity to learn about Wells Fargo history - stop by the company museum and see the historically accurate reproduction of the Wells Fargo Stagecoach in the lobby before you jet off to the Horse Barn and enjoy your very own ride!

 

Omaha Children's Museum, 500 South 20th
Families and children can visit the Omaha Children's Museum from noon- 5 p.m. for free. Guests can engage in active play in the museum’s permanent exhibits, and will be able to visit the museum’s temporary exhibit Dinosaurs: Dawn of the Ice Age for a discounted admission price of $3. They can also ride the carousel for $2. Children will be able to visit Santa’s Winter Wonderland and visit with Santa and Mrs. Claus in the Theater area from 2 – 5 p.m. Wells Fargo will also be hosting fun crafts in the Creative Arts Area. In addition, Guests can see the dazzling light show, lightPLAY: A Celebration of Holiday Magic, free of charge! This updated show will include new and different lights and effects. And you won’t want to miss Professor Pockets perform a Super Snowy Science Show free of charge in the Science Lab.

 

 

Omaha Police Department Horse Barn, 615 Leavenworth Street

Tour the stables and learn how police officers care for the animals at the Omaha Police Department Horse Barn. Officers will offer horse demonstrations as guests warm up with Swiss Miss hot cocoa courtesy of ConAgra Foods. Decorate your very own cowboy hat courtesy of Wells Fargo! Among the other activities offered at the Horse Barn, the Omaha Citizens Mounted Patrol Foundation will offer face painting, crafts and balloon animals; and Wells Fargo will be giving free stagecoach rides from 1 to 4 p.m.

The Durham Museum, 810 South 10th Street

The Durham Museum invites you to “experience the wonder” this year during Christmas at Union Station – including Omaha’s largest indoor Christmas tree and an exceptional line-up of family-friendly events. Cut! Costume and the Cinema, this extraordinary display will feature more than 40 period costumes from major Hollywood films such as Pirates of the Caribbean and Sherlock Holmes.  Don’t miss out on the annual display of ethnic holiday trees exploring the rich holiday traditions of nations from across the globe. In addition, the Holiday Miniatures exhibit will be open, featuring dozens of miniature holiday displays created by the Omaha-Council Bluffs Miniatures Guild. Enjoy listening to a professional cellist and violinist from the Nova Strings Quartet at 12:30 p.m. in front of the tree. Children can also meet Wells Fargo’s “Jack the Dog,” pan for gold, and participate in a scavenger hunt. Santa and Mrs. Claus will be stopping by for a visit too!  

 

W. Dale Clark Library, 215 South 15th Street
Cut loose at the library with fun activities and acts around the theme “Where the Wild Things Are.” Visit a special exhibit celebrating popular children’s author Maurice Sendak. Some of Sendak’s best books include “Where the Wild Things Are,” “In the Night Kitchen,” and “We are all in the Dumps with Jack and Guy.” Don’t miss your opportunity to dance and take your picture with the “Wild Thing” costume character or Scamper the Prairie Dog. You won’t want to miss having your face painted as a wild animal or making a special bookmark with animal shapes! Stop by the Wells Fargo activity area for cookie decorating and Swiss Miss hot cocoa courtesy of ConAgra Foods while listening to holiday selections performed by Ed Kazmierski at 1 p.m. and the Omaha Metropolitan Handbell Choir at 4 p.m.

Joslyn Art Museum, 2200 Dodge Street

Explore Joslyn Art Museum’s galleries including three special exhibitions From Sea to Shining Sea: Currier & Ives Prints from the CongAgra Foods Collection; American Landscape: Contemporary Photographs of the West; and Wendell Minor: In the American Tradition. Visit the studios and enjoy two art-making activities, Stencil Resists and Winter Counts, highlighting specific works or themes found among the exhibitions on view. Enjoy holiday music performed by Tuba Christmas, a 40-piece brass ensemble, who will perform in the Atrium at 2:30 p.m., and Quartet of Five Clarinetists at 3:30 p.m. Don’t miss the chance to get your Wells Fargo light up Yo-yo and watch Amazing Arthur Fratelli-Professional Showoff perform magic at 1 p.m., 2 p.m., and 3 p.m.

 

 

Ollie the Trolley will provide free trolley rides between locations. Have fun participating in holiday sing-a-longs with the members of the UNO Chamber Choir and ACDA Collegiate Chapter during your travels!