Downtown Milwaukee beams with festivities
during Holiday Lights Festival Nov. 16-Dec. 31

THE EIGHTH annual Milwaukee Holiday Lights Festival draws kids of all ages downtown Thursday, Nov. 16 through Sunday, Dec. 31. The festival includes thousands of glowing lights, animated light displays in three downtown parks, dozens of decorated storefronts and rooflines, and a convenient Jingle Bus tour.

The festival kicks off at 6 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 16, in Pere Marquette Park.  This dynamic program includes great entertainment, live music, and a thrilling fireworks show, all leading up to the simultaneous flip switching of the holiday lights in Pere Marquette Park, Zeidler Union Square and Cathedral Square Park.  Along with the entertainment, fest-goers receive complimentary Jingle Bus rides from Pere Marquette Park, hot cocoa and coffee, cookies, and free coloring books and crayons.

Each year the three downtown parks are transformed into a winter wonderland, complete with animated light sculptures and thousands of glowing lights. This year, themes rename the parks for the holidays:

• Community Spirit Park/Cathedral Square Park at N. Jefferson and E. Wells Sts.

Over 30 area schools will adorn Community Spirit Park with ornaments reflecting their chosen holiday themes. These trees will surround a 50-foot tree of ever-changing red, amber and green lights.  New this year, all lights in “Community Spirit Park” will be converted to energy efficient LED lights. 

• Fairytale Dreams Park/Pere Marquette Park at W. State and Old World 3rd Sts.

Toy soldiers, a holiday wizard, an animated fountain scene with swans, a castle spectacular, a frog transforming into a dashing prince and a unicorn are featured. And what fairytale would be complete without the princess finding her prince?

• Holiday Circus Fun Park, Zeidler Union Square, W. Michigan between 3rd & 4th Sts.

Highlights include a giant animated carousel display, an elf shooting from a cannonball, an elephant sculpture dressed with holiday flair, a snow boy tightrope walker scene, a snow boy swinging from a trapeze scene, a holiday clown on a drum, and a giant red teddy bear. 

To view the three festival parks, storefront decorations, roofline lighting, and park and harp lamp decorations, tour the festival’s kaleidoscope of color aboard the convenient Jingle Bus.  For $1 per person, this Coach USA bus will take visitors on a 40-minute narrated tour throughout downtown.  A Public Service Ambassador also will be on board to acquaint visitors with downtown attractions. The Jingle Bus operates Thursdays through Sundays, Nov. 16 through Dec. 30, 6-9 p.m. The last Jingle Bus departs at approximately 8:20 p.m.  The Jingle Bus will not operate Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve, or New Year’s Eve.

New highlights of this year’s street-level decorations include new LED lighting, double wreaths with blue and white lights on Wisconsin Avenue’s harp lamps, refreshed skywalk signage, and a halo of white lights hovering above the intersection of Old World Third Street and Wisconsin Avenue.  Other Milwaukee Holiday Lights Festival lighting attractions include roofline lighting and the downtown window and door display contest.

For more information on the Milwaukee Holiday Lights Festival visit www.MilwaukeeHolidayLights.com or call 414-220-4700, ext. 30.

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