If you didn’t think it was possible to have holiday winter fun near our beaches or to ice skate just steps from the ocean — it is, thanks to Las Olas Oceanside Park (LOOP).
The third annual Wonderland holiday experience runs all month long until January 1. The highly anticipated, seven-week activation (from mid-November) features an ice-skating rink, strolling characters, visits from Santa, a holiday market, holiday movies, live music and more. The best part? All of the Wonderland events (excluding the ice rink experience) are free to the public, presented by the City of Fort Lauderdale’s Beach Business Improvement District in partnership with the City of Fort Lauderdale Parks and Recreation Department, Visit Lauderdale and Florida Power and Light.
The return of this spectacular outdoor extravaganza means “Olas” — the wildly popular, larger-than-life 20-foot beach snowman — is back on A1A and Las Olas Boulevard too. Along with him, 50,000 holiday lights illuminate the beachfront park.
The 4,000-square-foot ice skating rink is made from eco-friendly synthetic ice and will keep you gliding along until you’re ready to enjoy the rest of the holiday activities that surround the rink. Not only is it fun, but it’s also a fantastic way to give back to the community. Every Tuesday, $2 from every ticket sold benefit a different local nonprofit. What a way to get into the holiday spirit while making memories. These nonprofits include The Humane Society of Broward County, United Way of Broward Country/Mission United, Feeding South Florida and Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD).
Keep your eye out for Santa himself, who is making appearances on various dates throughout December. You’ll even get the opportunity to skate with Santa and Friends every Sunday.
This season, you can support local businesses by Christmas shopping at the holiday market. The market features local vendors offering gifts for loved ones and bites for entertaining. It’s open Thursday to Sunday every week.
In addition, you can enjoy classic holiday movies under the stars and holiday twinkling lights every Thursday night. Movies include Abominable and Arthur Christmas.
As far as live music goes, you can expect performances by Southbound 75, Laura Goodstone and Private Stock. To end the amazing lineup, a Night of Sinatra featuring Jeff Grainger will dazzle you on Christmas Eve.
You don’t have to travel across the country to make lasting memories during this holiday season after all.
