The City of Worcester hosted its annual Festival of Lights celebration Friday, December 3 at the Worcester Commons, behind City Hall, to celebrate the multiple holidays centered around the idea of light and community this season.

“We are so thrilled to be able to celebrate the holiday seasons and our cultural diversity with the Worcester community in person for this year’s festival,” City Manager Ed Augustus said. “We were proud to continue the annual tradition virtually in 2020, and now we hope that being able to gather together again in the Oval will bring a renewed sense of optimism and joy this time of year.”

The night was filled with free, family-friendly activities. From carriage rides to fire dancing and ice skating, hundreds of attendees were able to enjoy the night.

Stacy Servideo and her son Gavin Santiago have been attending the Festival of Lights annually.

While they missed the in-person event last year due to its cancelation with the pandemic, they were excited to be back again in 2021.

“This is my first time skating,” Santiago said. “I just thought it would be really fun to do it.”

Servideo said that she hasn’t been skating for about 20 years, but she thought it’d be a fun treat this year to do so with her son.

The community lit a menorah to honor the sixth night of Hanukkah. A grand tree and colorful large-scale sculptures were also lit, courtesy of Tower Hill Botanic Garden.

Musical groups performed for the community throughout the night. Worcester Public Schools choral groups sang classic holiday songs, like Jingle Bells and Rudolph the Rednosed Reindeer.

Musical groups from AMPP also performed. AMPP, which stands for Arts and Music Police Partnership, which was created by Officer Justin Bennes of the Gang Unit to create more outreach by police beyond the focus of sports. AMPP encourages students to create and record their own songs.

“I feel so proud. I’m like a momma bear,” said Worcester Police Officer Rebecka Mailea, who serves as a staff member on AMPP. “These kids work so hard to be able to showcase all of the effort they put in. For us to be able to give them an outlet to do so, is really meaningful.”

For many of the students, it was either their first time performing ever or the first time since the start of the pandemic. For Phil Giarusso, he was honored to be part of a community event and have the chance to perform again, after months away from the stage due to Covid-19.

“I’ve struggled a lot with mental health. Music…helps me through all of my struggles,” Giarusso said. “To be here and have this platform, it’s something I’m very grateful for.”

Tina Lee, one of the AMPP students, sang a song about the differences between the holiday season in the United States versus in Vietnam.

“I’m very honored because I don’t think a lot of people here understand the struggles as well as the comparisons between different countries, different class,” Lee said. “It’s an opportunity for me to express how I feel, and I hope that it reaches so many people and inspires them to continue to do art.”

Lee came to America seven years ago, and she moved to Worcester in 2015. This was her first time performing as well as attending the Festival of Lights.

“The event’s very lively, and it’s definitely very different from how we spent Christmas or any holidays in Vietnam,” Lee said. “It’s a blessing to be able to experience both worlds.”

Food trucks, including Grub Guru and Dogfather, were present, and a beer tent served some locally brewed favorites. There were vendors around the Oval as well. Kids were able to get their faces painted as well as balloon animals.

To focus on public health and safety, Covid-19 vaccinations and booster shots were available for all in attendance over the age of 5 years old.

“In addition to hosting our amazing sponsors, vendors, and performers, as we continue to focus on the health and safety of our residents, I am pleased (that we had) a free clinic for Covid-19 vaccinations and booster shots open to everyone ages 5 and up in attendance,” Augustus said.

The event was made possible with the City of Worcester’s sponsors, including ASM Global, the Downtown Worcester Business Improvement District, 104.5-FM WXLO, the Worcester Cultural Coalition, the Dogfather, and Discover Central Massachusetts.