Free holiday events being hosted throughout Laredo

After kicking off Thursday, Nov. 30 with the Winter Wonderland at Jovita Idar’s El Progresso Park, a variety of free holiday events will continue throughout the city in the coming weeks.

The Winter Wonderland is hosted by Mayor Pro Tempore and District V Councilmember Ruben Gutierrez Jr. and begins at 6:30 p.m. Thursday with a tree lighting being held at 7:15 p.m. There will also be school performances and train rides, and following the tree lighting there will be a screening of the movie “The Nightmare Before Christmas” which is rated PG and has a runtime of 76 minutes. Jovita Idar’s El Progresso Park is located at 6002 Thomas Ave.

The next event will be Friday, Dec. 1 with Jingle all the Way at Independence Hills Park. It is hosted by District I Councilmember Gilbert Gonzalez and features hot chocolate, cookies, train rides, Santa’s sleigh, school performances and more. The event runs from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Independence Hills Park located at 1102 N. Merida Dr. and there will be a tree lighting at 7 p.m. There will also be Christmas lights highlighting the tunnels near the pond.

District VI Councilmember Dr. Tyler King is hosting the ninth annual Light the Way for Christmas event at North Central Park on Tuesday, Dec. 5. There will be performances from school bands, choirs and dance teams in addition to train rides, Santa’s sleigh, vendors and a tree lighting. The event runs from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. at North Central Park located at 10202 International Blvd.

On Wednesday, Dec. 6, the annual Navidad Fest will fun from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Sames Auto Arena located at 6700 Arena Blvd. The event will feature a snow slide, train rides, ice skating, Santa, hot chocolate and cookies, school choir performances, craft stations and more. There will also be a tree lighting at 7 p.m.

District II Councilmember Daisy Campos Rodriguez is hosting Cookies & Carols at Slaughter Park on Wednesday, Dec. 13. The event will feature train rides, pet adoptions, photos with the Grinch, cookies and hot chocolate and more. It runs from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Slaughter Park located at 202 Hendricks Ave.

Finally, District VII Councilmember Vanessa Perez will host the Grinchmas at Fasken event on Friday, Dec. 15. The event features rides on the North Pole Train, games, a fashion show by Senior Center members, pictures with Santa and the Grinch, hot chocolate and cookies, arts and crafts and more. Vendors and sponsors interested in participating can call 956-337-2038 or email . The event runs from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the Fasken Rec Center located at 15201 Cerralvo Dr.