Milwaukee announces details for Holiday Lights Festival
MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) – Milwaukee’s downtown will beam brightly November 15 through January 1 as more than a half million lights and dozens of animated displays are set aglow for the 20th Annual Milwaukee Holiday Lights Festival.
The annual display of lights includes themed installations in three parks—“Community Spirit” at Cathedral Square Park, “Candy Cane Cove” at Pere Marquette Park and “Santa’s Lighted Lodge” at Zeidler Union Square—as well as street decorations along three downtown thoroughfares, including an 18-block stretch of lights along Wisconsin Avenue.
The Festival will officially begin on Thursday, November 15 at 6:30 p.m. during the Milwaukee Holiday Lights Festival Kick-Off Extravaganza in Pere Marquette Park. The show features live music, dance acts, thrilling feats and a visit from Santa Claus. A fireworks ceremony will top off the night. Free cookies, hot cocoa and Jingle Bus rides will be made available to the thousands of guests in attendance. Pre-show entertainment will start at 5:30 p.m.
Throughout the Milwaukee Holiday Lights Festival, families can view all the decorated sights aboard the Jingle Bus. The 40-minute tour, narrated by Milwaukee Downtown’s Public Service Ambassadors, is a no-fuss way to see the magic of downtown. Tours will depart from the Plankinton Clover Apartments located at 161 W. Wisconsin Ave., from 6 p.m. to 8:20 p.m., Thursdays through Sundays, until December 30. Rides are just $2 per person, cash only, and parking is available in the attached structure for $3. The Jingle Bus will not operate on Thanksgiving.