By Alexandra Brewer | Arts & Life Writer

Downtown Waco glistened with holiday cheer this weekend as Waco Wonderland returned to Heritage Square for its 13th year, drawing large crowds of families, students and local vendors. With the ferris wheel lighting up Austin Avenue, expanded food truck options and a busy Mistletoe Market, this year’s event blended familiar traditions with new features that kept visitors circulating through the plaza.

For many longtime attendees, the sense of community is what brings them back each December. Local small business owner Jessica Moreno, who runs De La Niña, said she has attended the event for the past three years.

“I just enjoy it because it’s a big community event and it brings everyone together,” she said.

Moreno said her favorite part of the festival remains the holiday kickoff, the part of the weekend when the tree is lit and fireworks are ignited.

She said she continues to return because of features like Santa, the tree and family-friendly attractions.

“The City of Waco does a really good job on offering different things for families,” Moreno said.

The City of Waco added several new components this year to keep the event fresh. Community Engagement Manager Megan Davis said organizers wanted to bring in new energy while keeping signature attractions, like the parade and snowhill.

“We had some ice sculptures out and then we also featured a movie last night on a big screen and featured ‘Elf,'” Davis said. “We haven’t done it in a couple of years.”

Coordinating the festival requires months of preparation, Davis said.

“The organization of all the vendors and our local partners … [starts] early in the year to make sure that we can get them scheduled in things,” she said. “Another thing that we really focus on is our security plan. We want to make sure that this is a safe event for our community.”

Davis said the event has seen significant growth, including record-setting attendance.

“We noticed we’ve seen more people out here,” she said. “This year, with the exciting weather, I think we’re going to double the number of people that we see, so we’re excited.”

She added that community partnerships make the entire festival possible.

“Not only did they provide the financial support, but they also provided the support with local volunteers and different folks coming out to showcase just our local economy,” Davis said.

Among the many vendors at this year’s event was Arrows and Roots Co., attending Waco Wonderland for the first time.

“We have been selling freeze-dried candy, and the favorite has been our extreme fire rainbow Skittles,” said Travis Harvey, spokesperson for the local business. “It’s skittles with tahin, chamoy and cayenne pepper.”

Harvey said the crowd reaction has been overwhelmingly positive. For his small business, the event marks a milestone.

“It’s a kickstart,” Harvey said. “This is our first big event, so it’s been fun to kind of see what the future looks like for us.”