The nonprofits annual Holiday Concert and Family Festival is Dec. 21 and Dec. 22 at Camden County College, as kids from across South Jersey celebrate the holiday season
Gloucester Township’s Mainstage Center for the Arts’ annual Holiday Concert and Family Festival returns to the Dennis Flyer Theater at Camden County College on Dec. 21 and 22.
The event includes activities for the whole family, as well as multiple shows to enjoy, with approximately 150 students participating across multiple groups performing during the weekend.
Showtimes are 7 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 21, and 2 p.m. on Dec. 22, with doors opening one hour before. Included in the family festival portion of the weekend are hot chocolate, a visit from Santa with free pictures, a cookie fundraiser, an ornament-making station, free games and more all in the lobby of the theater. For those events or food or drink available for purchase, sales benefit the Harmony and Encore Show Choirs.
“There are some games that can be played while the kids are also waiting to meet with Santa, and parents can take pictures for free,” said Anne Marie Weaver, director of special projects. “Each child leaves with a small grab bag gift from their visit with Santa. And there’s also the cookie walk; it’s a lovely way to spend that 45 minutes before you take your seats for the concert.”
Weaver, as do all with Mainstage, looks forward to the Holiday Concert every year, and believes the Family Festival has served as an exciting extension of the holiday celebration for the programs.
“I love to tell people — instead of spending more money to go see The Rockettes in New York City, you get the same exciting performance value at the Mainstage Holiday Concert,” Weaver said. “And the Family Festival is just kind of a nice intro to the Holiday Concert.”
Of course, the main event and cause for the time at Camden County College is for the Holiday Concert, with multiple groups from Mainstage performing both days to celebrate the holiday season.
One of two stage managers, Anthony Magnotta, spoke about four different programs combining together to make the holiday concert the “Mainstage tradition” that it is.
The Harmony Show Choir (high schoolers) and Encore Show Choir (middle schoolers) will share the stage throughout the night, along with the Mainstage School of Dance and the Mainstage School of Performing Arts, as well as musical theater students as well.
The show is set up more like a theatrical performance, with the holiday concert expected to go for about two hours.
Magnotta, alongside Megan Kennedy, have helped put together the set list for the concert and organize materials for the performances to run as smoothly as possible, making it an event in Gloucester Township South Jersey residents will not want to miss.
“Each and every year we look forward to it,” Magnotta said. “It’s a lot of hard work that goes into it, and the pay off is at the end when the kids really enjoy doing their holiday sets and also just bringing holiday cheer to the community.”
Tickets are $16 for adults and $13 for children under 12-years-old, as well as senior citizens. Ticket information can be obtained at the Mainstage Center for the Arts by calling (856) 302–6485.
