Holiday at Home festival returns to Kettering this weekend

After canceling last year’s annual celebration due to the coronavirus pandemic, organizers of Kettering’s popular Holiday at Home festival are looking forward to once again celebrating all that makes their community great.

The Holiday at Home festival is slated for Sunday, Sept. 5 and Monday, Sept. 6 at the Kettering Government Center and Fraze Pavilion in Kettering.

This year’s theme is “Hometown Spirit Let’s Hear It!” The theme is designed to encourage people to ponder what they love about their communities.

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The Holiday at Home festival originally began on Labor Day, 1959, under the sponsorship of the Kettering YMCA. The event was founded to provide other Kettering residents with a reason to enjoy the holiday in their hometown.

Back then, there were a lot of car accidents and deaths over Labor Day weekend because so many people were traveling.

The founders of Holiday at Home created the festival with the intention of keeping their community members safe, while also providing an opportunity to have fun. The festival was so successful that it eventually outgrew the YMCA and has since been adopted by individuals in the city of Kettering.

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Holiday at Home features multiple stages of live entertainment as well as more than 150 artisans from all over the country, and so much more.

Holiday at Home has confirmed that more than 150 arts and craft vendors from around the country will set up shop Sunday and Monday at the Fraze Pavilion from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

In addition, there will be car shows on Sunday and Monday from noon to 5 p.m. at the entrance to Lincoln Park Boulevard Commons near Shroyer Road in Kettering. Sunday’s car show will feature the Air-Cooled VW, while Monday’s Annual Invitational Auto Show will feature classic and unique cars.

Organizers promise a mix of both new groups and old favorites for what is one of the largest parades in the Dayton area this year. In the past, as many as 100,000 spectators have come out to see the Holiday at Home Parade. The parade flows north on Far Hills Avenue starting at Stroop Road and ending just before Dorothy Lane making the parade route just under a mile. Set your alarms, because the parade begins at 9:55 a.m. on Labor Day.

The annual Holiday at Home 5K takes place before the parade on Monday morning at 8 a.m. A free quarter-mile Kids Fun Run takes place 15 minutes before the 5K. Up to 500 runners will jog through the parade route and other areas of Kettering, before enjoying a complimentary pancake breakfast. Cost is $35 for adults and $30 for children K-12. Learn more about the race or register to participate by heading to Holiday at Home’s website.

The Holiday at Home festival will also offer guests a chance to enjoy live entertainment on Sunday and Monday.

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Holiday at Home’s live entertainment schedule is as follows:

Sunday, Sept. 5:

Fraze Pavilion Archway

Noon to 2:30 p.m.: Flashback Band

4 p.m. to 6 p.m.: Soul Express

The Woods

1:30 p.m. to 3 p.m.: Matthew Crump and Lizard Lane

Kids Activities Area

3:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.: Ranger Vic

Monday, Sept. 6:

Fraze Pavilion Archway

Noon to 3 p.m.: The Fries Band

3:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.: 5 Band

The Woods

12:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.: Cory Breth

3 p.m. to 5 p.m.: Noah Back

The festival kid’s area, which will be open on Sunday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Monday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., will also be sure to keep your little ones occupied all day long.