Wake Forest Cares Holiday Kick-off returns to downtown November 21

• The Wake Forest Cares Holiday Kick-off returns to downtown Wake Forest on Saturday, Nov. 21. 
• Free and open to everyone, this family-friendly celebration is scheduled from noon-4 p.m. 
• Food and refreshments will be available for purchase at downtown restaurants and several food and dessert trucks.
• Our Holiday Kick-off will signal the start of the Wake Forest Cares Holiday Donation Drive.

WAKE FOREST, NC – Help us ring in the holiday season and launch our annual Holiday Donation Drive during the Wake Forest Cares Holiday Kick-off on Saturday, Nov. 21. Free and open to everyone, this family-friendly celebration is scheduled from noon-4 p.m. in downtown Wake Forest.

Activities

Promising fun-filled activities for both children and adults, our Holiday Kick-off will offer a slew of activities and attractions, including ice carving, winter-themed games and activities, such as Interactive Christmas Tree, Christmas Toy Attack, Snowball Toss, and Snow Board Simulator, plus festive encounters, community performances, children's craft activities, and more!

Food

Food and refreshments will be available for purchase at several downtown restaurants, while the following food and dessert trucks will also be onsite throughout the afternoon: La Katrina Tacos, Not Just a Fry Guy, The Tasty Turkey Que, Kao Thai, Mr. Cannoli, and JAM Ice Cream. 

Parking

Free parking will be available at the Wake Forest Center for Active Aging, 235 E. Holding Ave., Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, and along several side streets and parking lots throughout downtown Wake Forest and beyond. To view and download the parking map, visit https://bit.ly/WFCaresHolidayKickoff. 

Holiday Donation Drive

In addition to ringing in the holiday season, our Holiday Kick-off will signal the start of the Wake Forest Cares Holiday Donation Drive. As part of this effort, we are inviting the community to support one or more of these Town-sponsored programs: Helping Others by Providing Electricity (HOPE), Northern Community Food Security Team, Shop with a Cop, Wake Forest Center for Active Aging Scholarship Program, Wake Forest Firefighters Foundation, and Wake Forest Parks, Recreation & Cultural Resources Scholarship Program. All are working to address specific needs in our community, including hunger, home lighting and heating, health and fitness, and/or joy and hope during the holiday season and beyond. To learn more, visit https://bit.ly/WFCaresDonationDrive.

Thank You Sponsors

The following sponsors have generously contributed to the 2026 Wake Forest Cares Holiday Kick-off: McPherson Family Eye Care, OrthoNC, Nothing Bundt Cakes, Lightbridge Academy, Wildberry Pediatric Dentistry, Saving Grace Animals for Adoption, Vision Martial Arts, Hawthorne Residential Partners, Radeas, Brightspeed Internet, Primrose School of Heritage Wake Forest, Decorate with Lights, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, Fidelity Bank, Piedmont Federal Bank, Carolina Regenerative Health and Wake Forest Chamber.

The Wake Forest Cares Holiday Kick-off is the perfect occasion to stroll through downtown Wake Forest, shop for that one-of-a-kind gift, dine in one of our distinctive restaurants, and socialize with friends and neighbors. For more information on this one-of-a-kind community celebration, visit https://bit.ly/WFCaresHolidayKickoff or email Downtown Development Director Jennifer Herbert at jherbert@wakeforestnc.gov.