The 3rd annual Holly Jolly Holidays is making its return to Oxford at the Old Armory Pavilion this holiday season. Visit Oxford is bringing a real ice-skating rink back for an extended period of time.

Locals and visitors will have a larger skating surface and even more opportunities to skate.

The ice-skating rink will be open Nov. 21 through Jan. 2, 2023, and will be nearly 4,000 square feet of skating surface. Similar to the 2021 Holly Jolly Holidays, the rink will be placed in the Old Armory Pavilion located at the corner of Bramlett Boulevard and University Avenue. Skating hours will be: Monday through Friday, 3 to 8 p.m.; Saturday 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Sunday 1 to 6 p.m., although hours are subject to change based on weather and private rentals. The rink will be closed Nov. 24 for Thanksgiving and Dec, 24 and 25 for Christmas. The cost to skate will be $12 per person and includes ice skate rentals while skate aids will be available to rent to help skaters navigate around the rink. No advance ticket purchases or reservations will be needed to skate

“Christmastime in Oxford has always been magical. Holly Jolly Holidays offers a unique experience to our locals and gives visitors an additional reason to come see our beautiful city during this special time of year. The ice-skating rink will be open for a longer period of time so everyone will have even more opportunities to experience this fun event,” said Kinney Ferris, executive director of Visit Oxford.

Holiday Art Markets

On Saturdays, December 10 and 17, local artists will have booths to sell their artwork in a tent located outside of the Pavilion 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. On Dec.10, past Double Decker Arts Festival art vendors will set up for holiday shopping while Yoknapatawpha Arts Council Makers Market will set up on December 17 to sell.

Visits with Santa

Santa will make his grand appearance three times at Holly Jolly Holidays. Thursday, Dec. 1, Santa will be available for pictures 4 to 6 p.m.; December 8 and 15, he will be on-site 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. There is no charge to visit with Santa and visitors can take their own photos.

This year’s Holly Jolly Holidays is presented by Nicholas Air. Additional sponsors include NESparc, Specialty Orthopedic Group, Walk On’s Sports Bistreaux, Graduate Oxford and Oxford Floral. For more information on all holiday happenings, go to VisitOxfordMS.com/hollyjolly or follow along on social media @hollyjollyholidaysoxms.