An Atlanta tradition returns this year with Penny the Pink Pig debuting at the Georgia Festival of Trees.
The pig-themed ride is the successor to Prisicilla, the original Pink Pig that debuted in 1953 at the Rich’s Department store in downtown Atlanta.
RELATED: Rich’s Remembered: The Great Tree and the Pink Pig
Festival Executive Director Angie Ulibarri said since the original ride closed many people have asked her when it would return.
“It’s just this feeling of nostalgia,” she said. “You could tell it was a very important part of their childhood, and it was something that they miss. It ended. I think they retired her in 2021, I believe, and so people really were missing that part of Christmas.”
The festival, which opens Nov. 23, will also include games, a tree auction, and entertainment, including performers like Head Elf Waffles McSnowflake.
He said he’s met people who have four or five generations of people who have ridden the Pink Pig.
“We met one lady and she was so wonderful,” Mc Snowflake said. “We told her that the Pink Pig was coming back and she started crying. She remembered when she went with her grandmother so many years ago and it was a very special experience.”
Rides on the Pink Pig will cost $5. Money raised at the festival through the auction will go towards raising awareness and prevention around human trafficking in Georgia.
You’ll find the Georgia Festival of Trees at Georgia Gas South Convention Center at 6400 Sugarloaf Parkway in Duluth. For event schedules and tickets, click here.
This article appears on Now Habersham in partnership with GPB News
