This holiday season, locals and visitors will have the opportunity to get in the spirit with ice skating in front of City Hall on the historic Oxford Square as part of “Holly Jolly Holidays on the Square.”  

The event will take place Dec. 11 through 13 and is presented by CSpire. Other attractions will include carriage rides around the Square, a live holiday-themed cake demonstration, hot chocolate and holiday-themed snacks and more.  

After a year of COVID-related gloom, Visit Oxford hopes to spread some Christmas cheer with a COVID-friendly outdoor activity for locals and visitors alike.  

“With all that 2020 has brought, we wanted to help create something fun for locals, as well as another reason for visitors to visit Oxford and dine in our restaurants, shop in our retail and stay in our hotels,” Executive Director Kinney Ferris said. “We have had many conversations with vendors, the emergency management team, city leadership and amongst our staff on how to have a safe, fun activity to keep the spirit alive during this season.”  

Ice Skating  

A 40-foot by 50-foot ice skating rink will be installed on Friday, Dec. 11, which will allow up to 40 people to skate safely at one time. Participants will be required to wear a mask and reservations for ice skating will be made online in 30-minute increments at a cost of $5 per child, $10 per adult. The rental of ice skates is included in that fee. Hours for ice skating will be Friday: 4 to 8 p.m.; Saturday 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Sunday 1 to 5 p.m. Socially distanced spacing will be required while preparing to skate or while viewing the skating.  

Carriage Rides  

On Saturday, Dec. 12, carriage rides will be offered around the downtown Square between 3 and 7 p.m., giving people the chance to ride during the day time, but also at night under the canopy of lights. Similar to ice skating, reservations will be made online and the cost will be $10 per family/group. Participants will be required to wear a mask while in the carriage. Operators will sanitize the carriage between groups and sanitizer will be available to riders, as well. Socially distanced spacing will also be required while waiting to ride.  

Cake Demonstration  

Two-time Cake Wars winners, Sweet T’s Bakery will do a live demonstration of a holiday themed cake at the City Hall Plaza Saturday afternoon. He will start constructing the cake at 1:30 p.m. and viewers will be able to watch as he assembles another award-winning masterpiece!  

Vendors  

Several local vendors will also join in on the fun and have holiday-themed goodies for sale. Come enjoy a hot chocolate, or coffee, as well as a sweet or savory treat. “In our inaugural year of Holly Jolly Holidays, and in starting this event in the midst of a pandemic, we wanted to start small with hopes to grow and add more vendors and activities in coming years,” Ferris said.  

Sponsors  

CSpire is the presenting sponsor of Holly Jolly Holidays while Chick-Fil-A West Jackson Avenue, Oxford Square North/Mike Overstreet Properties and Magnolia Rental are all Mistletoe sponsors and Cannon Motors of Mississippi and Chancellor’s House are Noel sponsors of the event.  

For more information on all holiday happenings, go to VisitOxfordMS.com/holidays.  

About Artificial Ice  

Artificial Ice Events, the nation’s largest synthetic ice rental company, sets up and installs artificial ice surfaces that require no water or refrigeration. The plastic ice surfaces are built around a new technology that closely resembles the skating experience of real ice.