The children of Hammond can visit Santa Claus on Nov. 17 from 6-10 p.m. This is the 13th annual “Starry November Night,” and it is hosted by the Hammond Downtown Development District. Santa Claus will ride in on a carriage and will start at La Carreta to welcome everyone to downtown Hammond.

“We hold this event every year to kick off the holiday season for Hammond,” said Executive Director of the Hammond Downtown Development District Chelsea Tallo.

The children can follow Santa to the “Kid Zone,” which promises “holiday fun for all ages.” The children will have the opportunity to play with artificial snow. There will be free controlled admission into the Louisiana Children’s Discovery Center where the kids will be given the chance to play, write letters to Santa, enjoy cookies and milk, and have their photo taken with Santa Claus.

There will also be a ride through downtown Cate Street in a horse-drawn carriage for $5 per ride. Children under five years old can ride for free and all children under 12 must be accompanied by an adult. The tickets for the ride will be available around 6:30 p.m. on the same day.

“Attendees can expect family-friendly atmosphere,” said Tallo. “It’s a family event that kicks off the holiday season for Hammond. We have a pretty big ‘Kid Zone’ that we are excited about. We also have the horse and carriage ride too.”

The adults can also enjoy the night with “Wine Walk.” Unlike the previous times, there will be cheese provided by The Rind Cheese Shop and Catering. 

“This season is pretty much the same, except we added cheese to the ‘Wine Walk,’ so it is ‘Wine and Cheese Walk,’” said Tallo.

Eligible adults can purchase a wristband and tasting glass for $20 at the DDD office, 2 West Thomas Street and are required to provide identification at 5:30 p.m. at the night of the event. Various downtown businesses will have wine and cheese tasting, and will be hosting special events and specials, and the full list of the businesses can be found at dddhammond.com/events/Starry-November-Night.