As she took pictures with children Friday night, Cami Hall never broke character.
Dressed in a sparkly dress and a white wig, the UF business sophomore was Elsa for the night.
As part of Light the Village, an annual Christmas festival held at the Haile Village Center, the 19-year-old posed for photos as the princess from the Disney movie "Frozen."
On the other end of the village, through a cluster of lights and candy-cane columns, two percheron horses tugged a carriage around the block.
"It does feel like a fairy tale," she said.
The center is home to about 800 residents, who either live in single-family homes or condominiums, and has hosted a Christmas festival every year for about a decade, said Rick Medina, the manager of the village center. He estimated throughout the night, at least 3,000 people wandered around the complex — more than any other year.
The event, which was funded by the center and the River Cross Church, cost about $2,500 to put together, Medina said.
"It doesn’t get any better than this," he said, looking on as the horses click-clacked down the street, about a dozen visitors in tow.
Jack and Maureen Wicks have been coming to Light the Village for about 11 years, since they first moved to Gainesville from Maryland. The only difference between this year and years past, they said, was the larger turnout.
To this day, they said, their favorite part of the festival is watching young families enjoy themselves.
Maureen, 67, said it’s important for people to understand the real meaning behind the holiday season and not to be overcome with consumerism.
"Christmas should be L-O-V-E instead of S-A-L-E," she said.
Contact Martin Vassolo at mvassolo@alligator.org and follow him on Twitter @martindvassolo
