Winterfest Transforms Chapman Campus into Holiday Wonderland Festive tradition is a reminder to celebrate light and community during the holiday season.

Chapman University’s annual Winterfest and Doy’s Holiday Tree Lighting was a magical evening filled with joy, laughter and festive fun. Students, faculty and families gathered under the sparkling lights to kick off the holiday season with one of the university’s favorite annual traditions. 

The centerpiece of the evening was the highly anticipated tree lighting ceremony. With a dramatic countdown, the towering evergreen lit up Attallah Piazza in a dazzling array of colors, drawing cheers from the crowd. To add to the holiday magic, a visit from Santa Claus delighted children, who lined up for photos and shared their holiday wishes.

Not one to be left out of the fun, Pete the Panther was on hand, spreading cheer and posing for pictures, while live musical performances by the Wimberley Bluegrass Band, student choirs and solo singers filled the air with festive tunes. Completing the winter wonderland vibe, a flurry of snow cascaded down onto the piazza, giving attendees the feeling of a snowy winter night as they gathered to enjoy holiday treats and soak in the warm community atmosphere.

Amid the holiday fun, Rabbi Cassi Kail, director of Jewish Life and a university chaplain, was one of several speakers to address those gathered. “As days become shorter and nights grow longer, our world becomes darker,” she said. “It is in these moments when so many of our traditions invite us to not only create light, but to be the light in our darkened world. A lamp glows inside each and every one of us. Let us never extinguish that flame. Instead, this holiday season may we nurture it, and bask in the glow of one another’s light as well.”

“No matter what holidays you celebrate this winter, may the light of the season give you hope, resilience, inspiration, fulfillment and joy,” she concluded.