MILWAUKEE – Milwaukee Downtown, BID #21 will set the city aglow with the 19th annual Milwaukee Holiday Lights Festival, November 16 – January 1. The six-week celebration begins on Thursday, Nov. 16 with a switch-flipping ceremony at 6:30 p.m. in Pere Marquette Park, 900 N. Plankinton Ave. Featuring spirited performances, musical numbers, warm holiday treats, an incredible fireworks show and the show’s guest of honor, Santa Claus, the program will ignite a season of holiday cheer.
Performers in the Milwaukee Holiday Lights Festival Kick-Off Extravaganza include: local band, Charles Walker Band; ice-carving artist, Art Below Zero; Anita’s Dance Center; Hawaiian pop band, Ocean Rush; jazz singer, Jenny Thiel; soul pop singer, Lex Allen; Milwaukee Bucks Beats Drum Line and Bango. The show will begin at 6:30 p.m. with the official switch-flipping ceremony, simultaneously lighting the holiday décor in Pere Marquette Park, Cathedral Square Park and Zeidler Union Square, as well as downtown’s street-level decorations. Preshow entertainment will begin at 5:30 p.m. and a fireworks spectacular will round out the evening.
Following the ceremony, free Jingle Bus rides presented by Meijer will operate from Pere Marquette Park to take guests past all the newly lit scenes. Tour highlights will include chandeliers suspended above Wisconsin Avenue, plus “Community Spirit Park” at Cathedral Square Park, “Santa’s Polar Palace” sponsored by Zilber Property Group at Pere Marquette Park and “Downtown’s Yule Lounge” sponsored by We Energies Foundation at Zeidler Union Square. Milwaukee Downtown, Business Improvement District #21 is responsible for the procurement, installment and maintenance of these decorations.
After opening night, Jingle Bus rides presented by Meijer will operate from 6 to 8:20 p.m., Thursdays through Sundays, November 17 – December 30. Rides are $2 per person and depart from The Shops of Grand Avenue – Center Court, 275 W. Wisconsin Ave.
To obtain images of the Milwaukee Holiday Lights Festival or arrange interviews, contact Ashley Kast at 414.224.9424 or Ashley@ebadvertising.com. For additional information on the Milwaukee Holiday Lights Festival, visit www.milwaukeeholidaylights.com or call 414.220.4700.
