December Annual Events In Austin
Annual events, runs and festivals in Austin, Texas in the month of December.
Armadillo Christmas Bazaar
What began with a handful of vendors in the Armadillo World Headquarters music venue on a rainy Saturday afternoon in 1976 has grown into a seasonal celebration of Austin’s unique arts and music community and become an annual holiday event for many Austinites. The Armadillo Christmas Bazaar features over 160 artists and artisans vending a wide variety and price range of gifts, live music and a full bar. This year's 37th Armadillo Christmas Bazaar will take place at Palmar Events Center, just across the street from it's original location at South First and Barton Springs at the now long-gone Armadillo World Headquarters. Open all the way up to 11 PM on Christmas Eve, the Armadillo Christmas Bazaar is a favorite of last minute Austin shoppers. Children under the age of 12 are admitted free with parent. The dates for the 2012 Armadillo Christmas Bazaar are Wednesday, December 12 through Monday, December 24, 2012.
Blue Genie Art Bazaar
The Blue Genie Art Bazaar was started over ten years ago by Blue Genie Art Industries, a nationally recognized firm specializing in large-scale commercial fabrication of creative projects including museum exhibits, sculptures and specialty signs. The first Bazaar consisted mostly of items made by Blue Genie Art employee's, but the Bazaar has come to feature unique gifts and artwork from over 130 artists selected through a jury process from a large pool of applicants every year. Admission to the Blue Genie Art Bazaar is free. The items available range from fun and kitschy to serious art and include paintings, sculptures, jewelry, clothing, accessories, glassworks, ceramics, prints, photography and plenty of weird and quirky gifts you won't find anywhere else. The Blue Genie Art Bazaar is organized more like a gallery or retail store than a traditional holiday market in that each artists creates their own display, but there are central cashier stations manned by Blue Genie staff members and artists are not required to be present at the show. The dates for the 2012 Blue Genie Art Bazaar are Tuesday, November 27 through Monday, December 24, 2012.
Cherrywood Art Fair
Cherrywood Art Fair is a free Austin annual two day shopping event in December showcasing over 100 artists along with food, live music and fun stuff for kids to do in a family-friendly environment. All items sold at the Cherrywood Art Fair must be original artwork and artist vendors are selected through a juried process. The Cherrywood Art Fair takes place at Maplewood Elementary School in the Delwood neighborhood of Austin and there is always a silent auction to raise money for the school. One interesting aspect of the Cherrywood Art Fair is it's annual poster, which always features a retro design. The dates for the 2012 Cherrywood Art Fair are Saturday December 8 and Sunday December 9, 2012.
Chuy's Children Giving To Children Christmas Parade
Chuy's Children Giving To Children Christmas Parade is an annual Austin holiday toy drive that takes place on the Saturday morning following Thanksgiving. The inspiration of Chuy's Mexican Food restaurant co-owner Mike Young, the first Chuy's Children Giving To Children Christmas Parade took place in 1989 with Chuy's friends and employees riding alongside Austin musician Marcia Ball on a flat bed trailer and has grown into an yearly Austin family tradition. The Chuy's Children Giving To Children Christmas Parade benefits Operation Blue Santa, a non-profit organized by the Austin Police Department with support from the Texas National Guard, the Austin Fire Department, the Austin Parks and Recreation Department and Austin Energy to provide needy Austin families with a full holiday meal and wrapped Christmas gifts for each child under age 14. The parade begins at 11 AM and lasts for approximately an hour and a half beginning at the south side of the State Captiol, proceeding south down Congress Avenue and ending at the Congress bridge. The parade features giant inflatable balloons, festive holiday floats, famous children's characters, live music and dancing, marching bands, classic cars and of course a real Santa Claus. At a designated time during the parade procession, all units stop to collect unwrapped toys brought to the parade by the parade spectators. The date for the 2012 Chuy's Children Giving To Children Christmas Parade is Saturday, December 1, 2012.
