University Place Announces Holiday Events

OREM, Utah (October 1, 2025) – University Place announces its schedule of holiday events including Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas. Both inside the shopping center and outside in The Orchard, most events are free and family friendly. This years festivities include the following:

October

Over 750 hand carved pumpkins and other spooky Halloween decorations will be on display throughout the Orchard. Open during shopping center hours, the pumpkins will be lit in the evening. See if you can spot the six special Utah pumpkins!

During shopping center hours, come and take a ride on the straw bale slide in the Orchard.  This is a free activity for kids, recommended ages two through 15 years old.

Bring your blankets and chairs to The Orchard for a creepy outdoor animated movie, “The Addams Family”.  There will be face painting, yard games, and drinks for sale, and free popcorn while supplies will last. Festivities begin at 6:30, and the movie will start at 7:15 pm.

Hosted by Orem City, this annual event is a favorite among kids and adults! Come and get up close to all kinds of city vehicles, firetrucks, ambulances, construction trucks, police cars and more.  Candy will be handed out at the Orem City booth.

Come bring the kids to meet and take photos with some of the scariest villains from your favorite movies and books! There will be a dozen characters roaming the Orchard, yard games, and fire dancing shows at 6:00 pm and 7:30 pm.  

New to this year’s Night of Fright is a market of local vendors selling homemade crafts and goods.  There will also be Halloween treats and drinks for sale.

November – December

Officially kicking off the Christmas holiday season, join us in The Orchard for our annual Christmas tree lighting. This is one of the longest standing traditions we have at The Orchard, there will also be live music, treats, giveaways and yard games including the giant color changing shapes and life-sized Lite Brite and fireworks! 

The lights will be turned on close to 6:00 pm and be on nightly from November 17through January 3.

Join us for our 8^th annual University Place Gingerbread Competition! The talent and creativity in the community is highlighted every year at this event… and rewarded! The first prize this year will receive $1,500!  The Gingerbread houses will be on display all week inside the shopping center.

Registration is required to enter the contest and opens October 6. Register at: www.universityplaceorem.com/events. 

University Place is honored to be the only location in Utah County to host the Light the World Giving Machines. The vending machines sale items for charities both locally and internationally such as diapers, farm animals, meals, formulas, and more. This years of charities in the University Place machine include:

• Ability 1st
  • Food and Care Coalition
  • Rocky Mountain University of Health Professions
  • Tabitha’s Way
  • United Way
  • Water for Good

The oldest tradition at University Place, bundle up and come welcome Santa and Mrs. Claus as they arrive at University Place by *helicopter!  There will be snacks and live entertainment while we wait for Santa to land in the parking lot between Tucanos Brazilian Grill and The Cheesecake Factory.  Santa is scheduled to arrive around 10:00 am, weather permitting.

University Place has been a leader in the community offering Santa visits for kids with sensory sensitivity. This will be the eighth year Quiet Santa is returning to the shopping center. Our Santa is specifically trained to visit and interact with kids who with sensory sensitivity, and each child gets a longer period with Santa alone, before the shopping center opens to the public.  

Appointments are required, and registration will open on Monday, November 17th on our website.

Come meet some of Santa’s friends at Santa’s Village, including superheroes, princesses, cartoons characters, and even some villains from the dark side!  Bring your camera, pictures with the characters are free.

For the past six years we have invited carolers to roam the halls of the shopping center and create a festive environment for shoppers and diners. Come and enjoy the carolers on select Wednesday evenings in December.

One of our most treasured events – University Place’s Live Nativity has been here every year since the Orchard was built. The live nativity features real people and live animals recreating the evening that baby Jesus was born.

This event is put on in partnership with the Mountain View High School drama department whose students play the leading roles in the event.

Bring your little children and come listen to a book read by Mrs. Claus! Each child will get a copy of the book read as a keepsake. Mrs. Claus will also lead the children in some carols and has a special guest she’s invited this year! There will also be treats and a craft for your little ones. 

This event is by registration only and will open on our website on Monday, December first.

Lite Brite Nite is kind of a winter carnival with our Christmas Lights.  It includes music, photos with the Grinch, facepainting, balloon artists, elf scavenger hunt, our changing color shapes, life size Lite Brite, and treats.

Stop by Center Court, by the Customer Service desk, to kick off the new year by grabbing a photo with your family or friends at our 2026 photo wall decorated with balloons, the year, and lights!

All events are subject to change and weather. For more details and a full schedule of events, visit

https://www.universityplaceorem.com/events/.

About University Place

Opening in the early 1970’s in Orem, Utah, University Place (formerly University Mall) is a 120-acre development in the midst of a $500 million revitalization. In addition to first class retail offerings, University Place is now home to upscale residential, Class-A office and high-quality green space. University Place was first developed and is still owned and operated by Woodbury Corporation, a 100-year-old, 4th generation family-run business, and one of the oldest and most respected full-service real estate development and management companies in the Intermountain West. For more information about University Place and updates on the project, visit https://www.universityplaceorem.com/. For more information about Woodbury Corporation, visit https://www.woodburycorp.com/.

Press Contact:
Amanda Butterfield
Woodbury Corporation PR
A_butterfield@woodburycorp.com
801-440-9837