Radio City Christmas Spectacular®

Furry Friends and Fun Facts!

The Rockettes are a staple when it comes to Christmas. They are most famous for their starring role in America’s favorite holiday show, Radio City Christmas Spectacular. For almost eight decades the Rockettes have been dancing their way into the hearts of millions by showcasing their amazing talent and spreading the spirit of Christmas. And for the very first time, they are bringing it all to Austin, Texas, with a little help from some special four-legged friends.

The famous dancers will be accompanied by six sheep, two camels, and one donkey named Sarah. The animals are a part of the traditional holiday scene, “The Living Nativity.” The animals claim the Hedrick Exotic Animal Farm in central Kansas as their home, which has been working with the Radio City Christmas Spectacular since 1994. The animals bring a special kind of excitement for people of all ages. Children are amazed by the show’s animal cast, truly making it a one-of-a-kind experience. When the animals are not performing in the #1 live holiday show, they live on one of the farm’s many pastures or tour the country visiting various fairs and celebrations.

The farm is owned and operated by Joe and Sondra Hedrick. The farm began out of their love for exotic animals, but this hobby soon turned into a full-time business. Joe and Sondra’s operation includes the working farm and Hedrick’s Promotions, Inc, a supplier of petting zoos and other animal fun. In 1992, Hedrick Animal Farm opened its gate to the public to meet, feed, and pet the animals. According to proud-owner Sondra Hedrick, “More than 800 animals from giraffes to chickens call it home, including some 300 goats, 30 camels and 20 zebras.” While on the farm, all the animals are taken care of by a full-time trained staff that insures each animal receives individual care regarding nutrition requirements, housing needs and human companionship.

In addition to the one-of-a-kind animal stars, here are some other fun facts that make Radio City Christmas Spectacular so spectacular!

• 2,500 pounds of “snow” will fall upon the audience during the 18-city run.
• Nineteen adorable teddy bears star in the tribute to Tchaikovsky’s “The Nutcracker.”
• The Rockettes will perform more than 300 eye-high kicks in each show totaling 31,500 eye-high kicks during the tour.
• Each Rockette must change costumes eight times during each show and in a few of the changeovers, they have as little as 78 seconds to change their costume.

Make sure you don’t miss out on all the snow, animals, and eye-high kicks that the Rockettes have in store for the show on December 30-31!