Babcock Ranch, America’s first solar-powered town, celebrates the magic of the holiday season with Winter Wonderland, a three-day extravaganza Dec. 3-5. The event includes a visit from Santa Claus, a North Pole activity center for children, holiday music, the town’s annual tree lighting ceremony and more amid the glow of twinkling lights in Founder’s Square.   “Winter Wonderland honors the spirit of the holidays and brings back a special tree lighting tradition at Babcock Ranch,” said Syd Kitson, chairman and CEO of Kitson & Partners, the developer of Babcock Ranch. “It celebrates the special bond of family and community, the joy of the holiday season and provides so many different experiences families will remember for years to come.”   Winter Wonderland events are free and open to the public. Festivities take place in Founder’s Square, where thousands of lights, wintery light sculptures and holiday decorations transform the town’s downtown into an enchanted wonderland.   Food and drinks are available throughout the weekend from food trucks parked around Founder’s Square as well as nearby restaurants Slater’s Goods & Provision, The Lakehouse Kitchen & Bar and Square Scoops Coffee & Creamery.   Winter Wonderland kicks off Friday, Dec. 3 with the town’s annual tree lighting ceremony, a holiday tradition since 2017. Opening night festivities include holiday music performed by students from Florida Gulf Coast University’s Bower School of Music & The Arts, the Punta Gorda Symphony, and a children’s choir from the Babcock Neighborhood School. It will also feature a reading by Mrs. Claus, welcome remarks by Kitson, a dazzling light show choreographed to music at Innovation Tower, the town’s 67-foot-tall landmark over Lake Babcock, and a special appearance by Santa Claus. Babcock Ranch’s holiday tree will sparkle with light as guests sing carols across Founder’s Square.   Guests attending opening night festivities are required to preregister for a parking pass. The $5 fee for nonresidents will benefit the Babcock Ranch Foundation, which supports, enhances and implements programs that positively impact worthy causes in Southwest Florida. Complimentary golf cart parking is available for all registered resident golf carts. Registration is not required for activities on Dec. 4 and 5.   Saturday packs in a full day of family fun, including games and activities at the North Pole Kids Station, a Holiday Craft Market and live music at the Founder’s Square bandshell.   Children visiting the North Pole will experience the magic of wintertime – life-size snow globe races, glacier relays, Grinchmas games – as well as craft stations for decorating ornaments and making popcorn garlands. The play area will also offer a bounce house, face painting and more. The North Pole Kids Station is open Saturday and Sunday.   Babcock Ranch’s lakefront boardwalk provides a scenic setting for the two-day holiday market featuring arts and crafts created by more than 30 resident vendors, and perfect for holiday gift-giving.   “The market celebrates the incredible creativity and entrepreneurial spirit of our residents and gives us the opportunity to showcase their talent to the community,” said Kitson.   Children can share their wish lists and pose for a picture with Santa Saturday and Sunday from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m.   The weekend entertainment lineup includes holiday music performances under the bandshell from 1 to 3 p.m. and a 5-minute Innovation Tower light show set to holiday music every 30 minutes from 6 to 8 p.m.   Sunday includes the Jingle Bell 5K Race, open to 500 runners. The race begins at 7 a.m. in Founder’s Square and is followed by an awards ceremony under the bandshell.   “Winter Wonderland is a blending of time-honored and new traditions, and our gift to the community,” said Kitson. “We hope families will make this a must-attend event to celebrate the holidays and enjoy the hospitality of our very special hometown.”   For more information and to register to secure the required parking pass for Dec. 3 festivities, visit www.facebook.com/babcockranch/events.   Winter Wonderland Schedule   Friday, December 3, 6 to 8 p.m. Winter Wonderland Kickoff Celebration and Tree Lighting Founder’s Square

• Holiday musical performances by the Punta Gorda Symphony, FGCU’s Bower School of Music & The Arts and a children’s choir featuring students from the Babcock Neighborhood School
• Christmas story reading by Mrs. Claus
• Face-painting, balloon art
• Remarks by Syd Kitson
• Caroling
• Innovation Tower holiday light display choreographed to music
• Tree lighting with special appearance from Santa Claus
• Food and beverage available from restaurants and food trucks at Founder’s Square

    Saturday, December 4, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Founder’s Square

• 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Holiday Craft Market: Enjoy the boardwalk setting while browsing arts and crafts created by 30 resident vendors.
• 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. North Pole Kids Station: Kid-friendly activities and games, including life-size snow globe races, bounce house, face painting, popcorn garland craft station and more.
• 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Food trucks
• 1 to 3 p.m. Student performances under the bandshell
• 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. Photos with Santa
• 6 to 8 p.m. Innovation Tower Light Shows: Enjoy the sounds of the season during these dazzling 5-minute light shows over Lake Babcock, offered every 30 minutes.

  Sunday, December 5, 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Founder’s Square

• 7 to 10 a.m. Jingle Bell 5K Race: Open to the public and 500 participants, the run begins and ends at Founder’s Square with an awards ceremony under the bandshell. Pre-registration required.
• Noon to 5 p.m. Holiday Craft Market: Stroll the boardwalk and shop unique holiday gifts, art and crafts created by 30 resident vendors.
• Noon to 4 p.m. North Pole Kids Station: Kid-friendly activities and games, including life-size snow globe races, bounce house, face painting, popcorn garland craft station and more.
• Noon to 5 p.m. Food trucks
• 1 to 3 p.m. Live performances under the bandshell, featuring the Southwest Florida Symphony
• 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. Photos with Santa
• 6 to 8 p.m. Innovation Tower Light Shows: Enjoy the sounds of the season during these dazzling 5-minute light shows over Lake Babcock, offered every 30 minutes.

  About Babcock Ranch: Ranked as Southwest Florida’s top master-planned community based on Metrostudy data for single-family home annual starts in Charlotte, Lee and Collier counties, Babcock Ranch was also named 2020 Master-Planned Community of the Year by the Lee Building Industry Association. The community also recently surpassed 1,600 homes sold and was named to the No. 25 position in the country’s 50 top-selling master-planned communities of 2021 by RCLCO Real Estate Advisors and was recognized on John Burns Real Estate Consulting’s 2020 list of the country’s 50 top-selling master-planned communities.   Created by Kitson & Partners with respect for the natural environment and the philosophy that smart growth and sustainability work hand in hand, half of the town’s footprint is set aside as greenways, parks and expansive lakes, providing recreation and scenic backdrops for Babcock Ranch’s homes and the Founder’s Square downtown district.   Construction is now complete at Crescent B Commons, the 82,640-square-foot Publix-anchored shopping center featuring new restaurants, retailers and salons.   Babcock Ranch offers homes from seven homebuilders in several neighborhoods, with additional builders and newly introduced neighborhoods coming soon. With more than 50 home design options ranging from 1,120 to more than 4,000 square feet, Babcock Ranch homes appeal to young millennials, families, empty nesters and retirees alike. Homes start from the $200,000s to over $1.5 million. Built to Florida Green Building Coalition standards, homes emphasize energy and water conservation and offer a full gig of fiber-optic connectivity.   Within Babcock Ranch’s welcoming neighborhoods, more than two dozen model and quick-delivery homes are now open or under construction by AR Homes by Arthur Rutenberg, Divco Custom Homes, Florida Lifestyle Homes, Lennar, Meritage Homes, Pulte Homes, and WCI.   For more information about Southwest Florida’s new hometown, located just northeast of Fort Myers off Babcock Ranch Road/State Road 31, visit the Woodlea Hall Discovery Center at 42850 Crescent Loop in Babcock Ranch, call 877-709-6620, or visit www.BabcockRanch.com.