This
is where you will find the latest information on Celebrate Santa and the
upcoming festival, convention and parade highlights.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 9, 2010, GATLINBURG, TN
Multiple States To Attend
Santa Parade
So far more then 30 states, 3 provinces in Canada and
Australia are sending Jolly Old Elves and their Missus to attend the Celebrate
Santa Festival in Gatlinburg, TN.The
Festival runs March 13, 2010 and goes through the 17th.The major kick off for these Santa and
Mrs. Clauses is the Holly and Shamrock Parade that will be held on Saturday the
13th.Many states will
have their own floats, and many more will be marching in groups under their
state banner.Awards and trophies
will be given out to the better entries.Some of the state groups are under a nom de plume such as the “Palm Tree
Santas”, or the “Peach Tree Santas”, then there’s the “Lone Star Santas”, the
“Buckeye Santas”, “Long Leaf Pine Santas” and so on. These Santa groups can number from a few to over a hundred
depending on how active each state group is.In fact, the Palm Tree Santas from Florida will have two
floats, an antique fire engine and much more on their own.
The home state of Tennessee and their “Volunteer Santas” have over 90 members, with more
then a third coming to Celebrate Santa.And there will be as many state fans watching on the side-lines as there
will be in the parade.“This is
becoming one of the bigger spring events in the Southeast U.S.,” states Joe
Moore, the Co-Coordinator of Celebrate Santa, “Last year we had a handful of
state groups organized this year we have a great deal more.
And States are not the only ones represented.There is also Clan Claus, a
kilt-wearing group that has registered its own tartan.And the Charles Howard Alumni Group,
one of the more famous schools for Santas with hundreds of them that have
attended the school, some many times.And there are a few more groups beyond these.
Then there are the other events wooing the public to stay a
while in this resort community.There is a special Santa and Mrs. Claus Fashion Show featuring costumes
from different time periods and cultures from around the world on Tuesday the
16th.Also an
Olympic-style race of Santas racing down the ski slopes on inter-tubes that is
sure to have people rolling in the snow with laughter.
Celebrate Santa is the first annual convention and festival
bringing professional Santas and Mrs. Clauses for fun and serious class work
together from all over the world.The Holly & Shamrock parade is the largest of its kind and will attract
more then 50,000 spectators this year along its nearly mile long route.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: January 19, 2010
GATLINBURG, TN and BUFFALO, NY
Largest Professional Santa Gathering and Major Motion Picture Join Forces
The
Celebrate Santa Festival to be held March 13 – 17th, 2010 in
Gatlinburg, Tennessee will feature over six hundred professional Santa and Mrs.
Clauses celebrating the life and times of Santa Claus.And this year they are going back to
their “roots”.The event is
closely tied with the upcoming epic motion picture, Nicholas of Myra, the story on the life and times of St. Nicholas,
their descendant and the original Santa Claus.The movie’s writer/director, Gerald Hartke and the lead
actor, Matthew Mesler are the Grand Marshals of the Holly & Shamrock Parade
on March 13th.They
also will be the guests of honor at a premiere party Sunday night the 14th
called “An Evening with St. Nicholas” honoring the movie and what it means to
the overall Santa community.
“This
movie will have a tremendous impact on how the public views today’s Santa
Claus,” states Santa Joe Moore, the event’s Co-coordinator and nine year Santa
Claus, “People will come away with a better understanding of who Santa really
is and that there is much more to us then taking toy lists.”Moore says he is honored to join forces
with Nicholas of Myra and help spread
the word on this movie.
Hartke
is also excited at the prospect of being with hundreds of Santas.“We were a little unsure of how the
Santas would react to the movie and the history behind the character,” said
Hartke, “Celebrate Santa is a tremendous affirmation for us that we are on the
right track, and that it was long past time to tell this wonderful story.”
The
two events will be promoting each other in order to gain as much exposure as
possible prior to Celebrate Santa and afterwards.“Since the Celebrate Santa Festival is an annual event in
Mid-March, we see an ongoing promotional opportunity for both entities,” claims
Moore.“There will be a great many
opportunities to talk about both events as they dovetail each other so well,”
echoes Hartke.
According
to the Moore, Santas will be coming from more than 30 states, Canada and Australia.
He commented, “We have also been in touch with Santas from Costa Rica, Italy,
Sweden and other countries about attending.”
Nicholas of Myra Grand Marshals for Celebrate Santa October 6, 2009 FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE; GATLINBURG, TN:Celebrate Santa Festival a major event featuring the gathering of
several hundred Santas and Mrs. Clauses and other holiday folk has announced
that Matthew Messler star of Dawson’s Creek and Nicholas of Myra, and Gerald
Hartke, writer, director of Nicholas of Myra are the 2010 Grand Marshalls of
their Holly & Shamrock parade.The parade which will take place on Saturday, March 13, 2010 is expected
to draw more than 60,000 people to the resort town and a great deal of interest
from the media.
In its first year, held on a Tuesday afternoon, the parade
drew over 20,000 people and garnered national and international interest for
its unique presentation of over 600 Santas and Mrs. Clauses, as well as reindeer,
floats, trains, and more.In
addition to the parade, the Celebrate Santa Festival and the new movie Nicholas
of Myra are planning a national cross promotional campaign and Celebrate Santa
will be assisting the movies producers by getting Santas to attend and discuss
the origins of the Jolly Old ELf, at the premiere planned for next year.
Nicholas of Myra is a movie about how while writing his
famous poem, A Visit from St. Nicholas,
Clement Moore decided to research the origins of the saint he was writing.As the story unfolds you learn about
the child who became an orphan, the orphan who became a bishop, the bishop who
became a saint and the saint who became one of the most beloved figures in
Christianity.It is the
autobiographical story of a man who helped change the history forever with his
beliefs and his love for all mankind.
Celebrate Santa Festival is a five day festival taking place
in Gatlinburg, Tennessee from Saturday, March 13 through Wednesday, March 17, 2010.In addition to the
parade on Saturday, an event called Keep Christ in Christmas will take place in
the morning that will relate stories of miracles happening to multiple Santas
around the world. Latter in the week the Festival will feature a fashion show
on Tuesday, March 16 and Santa Tube Races at the famous Ober Gatlinburg resort
on Wednesday, March 17.All of
these events are open to everyone to attend.
“Both Matt and Gerry are thrilled to be part of this major
event and we are overjoyed to have them participate,” says Joe Moore, Co-coordinator
of Celebrate Santa, “They have expressed interest in participating with many of
our events beyond the parade like Keep Christ in Christmas, and the opening
session of our Celebrate Santa Convention.”
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 20, 2009, GATLINBURG, TN Celebrate Santa, the
major convention, parade and festival that takes place each March in
Gatlinburg, announced that they will have a major fashion show that is open to
the public at their next event. The fashion show will feature Santas,
Mrs. Clauses and elves in every conceivable form of costume from robes and
formal wear to casual Santa attire.
Various outfits will depict various cultures of the world as well as period
costumes from the pre-Civil War era to modern-day attire. Participants
must apply to Celebrate Santa and be accepted by a jury to present their
costumes before an estimated crowd of thousands at the Gatlinburg Convention
Center on Tuesday, March 16, 2010.
The judging for the fashion show will be done by a national talent agency, and
the winners of each category will be awarded a one-year contract with the
agency. The agency will be revealed closer to start of the convention in
March.
The public is invited to the fashion show with a donation to Celebrate Santa’s
sponsored national charity, Santa America. There will also be VIP seating
for the sponsors of the event. The show will take place complete with a
“runway” and Masters of Ceremony announcing each outfit and giving a full
description and its purpose.
This is the first event of its type and promises to be a popular, well-attended
time of fun and fashion. Many are unfamiliar with the various countries
and styles of St. Nicholas around the world and this event promises to be as
educational as it will be entertaining.
More information can be found at http://celebratesanta.com.
Celebrate Santa is a combination parade, festival and convention featuring
hundreds of Santas and Mrs. Clauses joining together for fun, furthering
education and camaraderie from all over the world. Last year’s six hundred
plus attendees are expected to grow to more than 800 in 2010. The Holly
& Shamrock Parade is expected to draw over 40,000 spectators and will take
place Saturday afternoon at 4:30 on March 13, 2010.
For more information visit http://celebratesanta.com or contact Co-Coordinator
Santa Joe Moore at 865-244-5230.
