Holiday-themed village coming to Kokomo Municipal Stadium

The City of Kokomo is proud to announce the creation of a Wintertyme Village, taking place at Kokomo Municipal Stadium on weekends throughout the holiday season. The village will operate on Saturdays from 2–7 p.m. and Sundays from 1–7 p.m. Admission is free. The village will be closed on parade night, December 7, though vendors will be able to set up downtown on the square for the parade.

Planned activities will take place every night of the village. Some of these activities include: decorating a Christmas cookie with Mrs. Claus, writing letters to Santa, and visits with Santa himself. The Santa House, which has been displayed on the courthouse square in recent years, will be moved to the stadium. Miniature farm animals, a popular feature at the parade, will also make an appearance at the village. Additionally, the Kokomo-Howard County Public Library will host Christmas story readings by Santa or Mrs. Claus.

Several commercial lighted and 3D displays will be set up along the inner perimeter of the walking path surrounding the stadium. Families will have multiple photo opportunities to enjoy. A unique feature of the village is that, in addition to the Frozen Sandlot operating during regular hours, the stadium’s Jumbotron has been upgraded to show movies. There are plans to host a couple of movie nights—bring your own blanket!

Local market vendors are invited to participate in the village, with set-up available on the concourse just inside the main entrance. The vendor fee is $50 for the season. All potential vendors are encouraged to attend an informational meeting to learn about the planned activities and the village’s details on Monday, September 30, at the stadium at 4 p.m.. Applications for vendor participation will be available at the meeting.

A number of local food vendors, bakers, handcrafted candle and oil makers, and others have already expressed interest in setting up shop at the village. Several sponsors of the Christmas Parade have also shown interest in participating.

The village was created in response to multiple requests to extend the local holiday tradition of Kokomo’s Christmas Parade, offering small local vendors the opportunity to extend their selling season beyond the Downtown Farmers Market. The parade and village are made possible through various sponsorships, which help cover the cost of displays and lights.