Holiday traditions are still celebrated in downtown Red Bank, where a trolley carries shoppers on their rounds and lighting the holiday tree is a community-wide celebration attended by several thousand.
The annual Holiday Express Concert and Town Lighting will take place Nov. 26, 7-9 p.m., on Broad Street near Canal Street. The event is sponsored by Red Bank RiverCenter. This year, the Christmas tree will be located in the courtyard of the Dublin House at 30 Monmouth St.
Just in time for the festivities, Santa and other passengers on the Santa Express will arrive at the Red Bank Train Station.
Families and children can join Santa for a free ride from the Little Silver Train Station to Red Bank in time for the Holiday Concert. Santa will arrive at the Little Silver station at 5:30 p.m., and the train will leave at 6:30 p.m., arriving in Red Bank at 6:35 p.m. The free train ride is sponsored by the Art & Antiques District.
The vintage Red Bank Holiday Trolley will make its weekend runs between the downtown and The Grove in Shrewsbury beginning Nov. 26 and continuing through Dec. 19. In addition to a nostalgic ride, the trolley allows shoppers to park their cars just once and ride to destinations. The trolley route runs north along Broad Street, turning onto White Street, then Maple Avenue, up Monmouth Street and back to Broad. The schedule is: noon to 8 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, and noon to 6 p.m. on Sundays. The fare is 50 cents, and free for children under 3 years and seniors. Trolley sponsors are NJ Transit, RiverCenter and Metrovation.
The third annual Red Bank Holiday Window Walk will begin Nov. 27 and run through Dec. 31. Some 30 retailers are participating this year, creating imaginative holiday themes for their storefronts. A panel of judges will select the best displays. This year, shoppers can vote for their favorite display between Nov. 27 and Dec. 19 by visiting www.redbankrivercenter.org.
Traditional carolers, choirs, choruses, bell ringers and brass bands will bring Holiday Harmonies to the sidewalks of downtown Red Bank on Saturday afternoons, from noon to 3 p.m., Nov. 29 through Dec. 18. Sponsor is PNC Bank.
Window displays will get a little livelier when Holiday Mannequins take their place and leave you wondering whether the figures in the window are real or illusions. Models posing as mannequins, compliments of Barbizon School of Modeling and Personal Development of Red Bank, will be in place in more than a dozen shop windows in the downtown on Sunday, Nov. 28, 2-4 p.m.
Another holiday tradition, the Menorah Lighting at the Red Bank Train Station, will take place Dec. 7 at 5:30 p.m. The traditional celebration in honor of the Festival of Lights will include traditional songs.
Cap off the holiday season by celebrating New Year’s Eve with music and entertainment for the whole family at Red Bank First Night , Dec. 31, 6 p.m. to midnight. Events are scheduled throughout the downtown.
For more information, contact RiverCenter at (732) 842-4244.
— Gloria Stravelli