Christmas Fest: The Growth of a Legacy
Enter the Christmas Fest: The Growth of a Legacy ExhibitTo begin viewing the virtual exhibit, click the “Enter the Christmas Fest: The Growth of a Legacy Exhibit” gold button on the photo above.
Curated by Briar Bell ’24
“You go to St. Olaf? Don’t they do that Christmas thing?”
Students of St. Olaf often hear words such as these when friends and relatives learn what school they attend. Either that or, “…like in the Golden Girls?”
This question refers to the long-standing St. Olaf College Christmas Festival (or just “Fest” as we Oles call it). According to the Christmas Festival homepage on the St. Olaf College website, Fest has been ongoing since 1912. But what is the real story behind Christmas Fest? How did the Christmas concert of a liberal arts college in Northfield, Minnesota become the event it is today: a multi-day, live-streamed, radio and TV-broadcast musical celebration, hosted in Orchestra Hall, with hundreds of performers captivating thousands of listeners every year?
Enter the exhibit and dive into the archival history of the event so integral to the St. Olaf identity.