Christmas Village Presented By NRG Announces Season Guide

PHILADELPHIA - Nov. 23, 2016 - PRLog -- Christmas Village presented by NRG will relocate in 2016 and transformPhiladelphia's City Hall (1400 JFK Boulevard) into a traditional, open-air German Christmas Market, open daily between Thanksgiving, Thursday, November 24, 2016 and Christmas Eve, Saturday, December 24, 2016. Shop for high-quality, international gifts and decorations and enjoy holiday sights and sounds with thousands of twinkling lights, a new traditional carousel in the courtyard, live music, children's activities, a new weekly happy hour series and photos with Santa Claus. Warm up with a glass of warm mulled wine or hot chocolate while tasting European food and drink. Admission is free. Prices vary for food, drink and other merchandise offered by vendors. Spread the cheer by following @philachristmas on Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat, liking Christmas Village in Philadelphia on Facebook or visit the website at www.philachristmas.com.

Please see below for a full overview for the 2016 holiday season, including market hours, special events, vendor lists, food/drink, entertainment rosters, theme weekends and more.

2016 SEASON GUIDE:

1) Hours/Schedule

Christmas Village in Philadelphia officially opens daily starting on Thanksgiving Day (Thursday, November 24). Christmas Village will remain open through Christmas Eve,Saturday, December 24.

Daily market hours are Friday through Saturday 11:00am to 8:00pm, and Sunday through Thursday 11:00am to 7:00pm. Thanksgiving Day hours are 9:00am to 5:00pm, Black Friday hours are 9:00am to 8:00pm and Christmas Eve hours are11:00am to 5:00pm.

2) Theme Weekends

Look for music, performances, and entertainment to celebrate our theme weekends. Full schedules and additional info can be found here: http://www.philachristmas.com/events

* November 26 and 27 - Opening Weekend
* December 3 and 4 – International Weekend
* December 10 and 11 – German American Weekend
* December 17 and 18 - Charity Weekend with Make-A-Wish® Foundation
* December 24 – Christmas Eve and Closing Day

3) NRG Gingerbread House Contest (12/09)

NRG will host their Gingerbread House Decorating Contest again on Friday, December 9 at 1:00pm with members of the press competing on behalf of four local non-profits (Philabundance, Big Brothers Big Sisters, Sixers Youth Foundation and last year's winner College Settlement). Each non-profit will win a $1,000 donation from NRG for participating, and the winning charity's house will be rewarded an extra $1,000 donation. In the evening, after the contest winner has been chosen, NRG also brings an official Eagles Player to Christmas Village in Philadelphia for a photo and autograph session at 6:00pm.

4) New Ho Ho Happy Hours on Wednesdays (12/7, 12/14, 12/21)

This year, Christmas Village in Philadelphia introduces a special Wednesday night happy hour series called Ho Ho Happy Hour, presented with Lyft as the official ridesharing partner. On three Wednesdays (December 7, 14, 21) all visitors are invited to enjoy a funky stage programing. Plus enjoy deals on mulled wine and food from Chaddsford Winery and the German Grill as well as weekly changing tasting specials. The Ho Ho Happy Hour lasts from 5:00pm to 7:00pm and will feature a different theme on all three Wednesdays, a photo booth with changing backdrop, and raffle prizes.

Ho Ho Happy Hour Schedule:

* December 7 - "Irish Christmas" and features Irish bands and appetizers on December 7.
* December 14 - "Philly Christmas" along with a local band and special tastings.
* December 21 - "German Christmas" music and dancers, accompanied by a Bratwurst Eating Contest.

5) Wine Tastings – A taste of Christmas Village (Tasty Tuesdays and Thursdays)

Chaddsford Winery is once again running the Tasty Tuesday and Thursday tours at Christmas Village in Philadelphia on every Tuesdays and Thursdays from November 29 through December 22. This year, the concept will change and become even more interactive with a walk around the market.

Participants will purchase their tickets on Groupon and trade it at the Chaddsford Winery booth for a passport-flyer.

6) First Annual Bratwurst Eating Contest

On Wednesday, December 21 from 5:00pm to 7:00pm, Christmas Village in Philadelphia will host its first annual Bratwurst Eating Contest as a part of the German Christmas Ho Ho Happy Hour. It is an amateur competition with no entry fee. Each contestant has to eat as many Bratwursts as possible (max. 10) in fifteen minutes.

7) Favorite Foods for 2016

* Mulled wine
* German bratwursts
* Potato pancakes
* Schnitzel
* Belgian Fries with a variety of different sauces
* Döner Kebab
* German sweets like gingerbread, stolen and chocolate
* Crêpes
* Wandering waffles with speculoos dipping sauce

8) Special Booths:
* Christmas Trees - The Christmas Tree Stand − Fresh trees and wreaths
* Information Booth - Christmas Village Philadelphia − Information about the Christmas Village in general and Partner Promotions. Here you can buy heart hangers for our Wish Wall, plus the new 2016 Christmas Village mugs
* Photos - Santa's House − Get your photo with Santa Claus!
* Presenting Sponsor - NRG − Information about getting energy for your home
* Chaddsford Winery – Mulled wine, wine by the bottle and glass

9)  Family Fun Kids' Corner and Photos with Santa

Santa will be visiting on every Friday, Saturday and Sunday and offers family photos inside his hut. There will also be other family fun like story-telling, caricature artists, face painters, music and more. Schedule will vary by weekend and day.

The new kids' corner will be open Saturdays 11:00am to 8:00pm and Sundays from 11:00am to 7:00pm.

10) New Pet Photos with Santa

Woof woof! New for the season, bring your pup down for pet photos with Santa during every Friday, Saturday andSunday during regular market hours.

11) New Holiday Carousel

Look a whimsical, ornate and grand carousel at the center of the City Hall Courtyard that will give children of all ages a new holiday tradition while visiting the authentic German Christmas Market. The carousel features 20 wood carved horses that will twirl around for an unforgettable view of the new market inside City Hall's courtyard.  Carousel rides are $3.00 each.