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Holiday Magic Train to Spread Holiday Cheer With Live Music, Festive Decorations and a Photo Contest
Metro transit commuters will enjoy the sights and sounds of the season again this year while riding the Holiday Magic Train. Concerts featuring live holiday music onboard the specially decorated MetroLink train are scheduled for Saturday, November 29; Saturday, December 6; and Saturday, December 13.
The Holiday Magic Train is a partnership between the St. Louis Convention and Visitors Commission and Metro transit, and this is the fifth year the train has traveled along the Red and Blue MetroLink Lines to bring holiday cheer to thousands of area commuters. The train is decorated with garland, lights and ornaments, snowflakes on the windows and big holiday wreaths adorning the front and back of the train.
Honeyvox will kick off the holiday concert series with a performance onboard the Holiday Magic Train on Saturday, November 29. The concert will begin at 11:02 a.m. at the Shiloh-Scott MetroLink Station, and they will perform high-energy dance tunes and holiday favorites while the train travels along the Red Line to the Lambert Airport Terminal 1 MetroLink Station and then returns to the Shiloh-Scott Station at 1:41 p.m.
Passengers aboard the Holiday Magic Train on Saturday, December 7 will enjoy the jazz and swing sounds of Kevin Mitchell 4. The concert will begin at 12:59 p.m. at the Shrewsbury-Lansdowne I-44 MetroLink Station, and the group will perform while the train travels along the Blue Line to the Fairview Heights MetroLink Station and then will arrive back at the Shrewsbury Station at 3:04 p.m.
Retro Boogie will play the final concert onboard the Holiday Magic Train on Saturday, December 13. Their performance gets underway at 1:02 p.m. at the Fairview Heights MetroLink Station, and they will play their funky sound as the festively decorated train travels along the Red Line to the Lambert Airport Terminal 1 MetroLink Station and then returns to the Fairview Heights Station at 3:01 p.m.
The cost of a Holiday Magic Train concert is a ticket to ride. Metro customers can board at any MetroLink station along the way with a valid ticket or Metro pass.
The music doesn’t stop there. Currently, two local high school musical groups are scheduled to perform 30-minute holiday concerts at Metro transit locations. Bayless High School Xpression will perform at 5 p.m. on December 2 at the Shrewsbury-Lansdowne I-44 MetroLink Station, and the Vashon High School Drum Line and Pep Band at 5 p.m. on December 11 at the Grand MetroLink Station.
A photo contest will add even more fun to the MetroLink commute during the holiday season as passengers are invited to take their pictures at designated places onboard the Holiday Magic Train for a chance to win free tickets to a St. Louis Rams game. To enter into the contest, Holiday Magic Train riders should look for a “photo booth” cutout where they can take photos of themselves or others posing with festive hats, and then share their photos on social media including both the #STLMetro and #ExploreStLouis hashtags.
The photo contest begins next week. Submitted photos must contain both hashtags to be accepted. Photos can be entered in the contest through Friday, December 12. The photos will then be posted on the Metro Facebook page for voting, and the photo receiving the most votes will be announced as the contest winner on Tuesday, December 16.
The Holiday Magic Train is in service from November 19 through December 31. Customers will generally find it on the Red Line on Monday, Wednesday and Friday from around 4 a.m. until approximately 6:30 p.m. and on the Blue Line on Tuesday and Thursday from 4:50 a.m. to nearly 6:30 p.m.
On Saturdays, the Holiday Magic Train operates from around 10 a.m. to approximately 6:45 p.m. and it will alternate between the Red Line and the Blue Line. On Thursday, December 25, the Holiday Magic Train will operate on the Blue Line from approximately 10 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. on Sunday schedule frequency.
About Bi-State Development Agency
The Bi-State Development Agency/Metro (BSDA/Metro) is the operator of the Metro public transportation system for the St. Louis region, which includes the 87 vehicle, 46-mile MetroLink light rail system; 379 MetroBus vehicle fleet that operates on 75 MetroBus routes; and Metro Call‑A‑Ride, a paratransit fleet of 120 vans. BSDA/Metro also owns and operates St. Louis Downtown Airport and its surrounding industrial business park, and the Gateway Arch Riverboats, as well as operates the Gateway Arch Revenue Collections Center, the Gateway Arch Transportation System, and the Gateway Arch Parking Facility.