EAST PEORIA, Ill. — East Peoria’s Festival of Lights Parade returns for a 38th year this weekend.
It brings thousands of people to Central Illinois. Spectators come from all over the Midwest, even other countries.
The Festival of Lights Parade begins at 5:45 p.m. Saturday, stepping off at E. Washington Street and Dolan Lane. The parade route continues along Washington Street, turning left at the intersection with Camp Street.
The floats will turn right from Washington onto Taylor Street and continue along Taylor in front of Central Junior High School, ending at Taylor Street and Springfield Road at the U.S. Post Office.
East Peoria Spokesperson Jill Peterson says to get the best views, get there early.
“Don’t park on the street on the parade route, and don’t put your chairs on the street…put your chairs on the sidewalk or on the grass. We want people to please watch their children, they do get very excited and can dart out in the street when they see the cartoon characters…we will have Batman and some Star Wars characters,” Peterson says.
There will be about 30 floats in this year’s Festival of Lights Parade. Peterson says they don’t put all of the floats in the parade every year.
“We try to mix it up, so people see different things. One thing we are very excited about, is the return of the U.S.S. East Peoria. It’s out of space dock, after three years of being repaired,” Peterson says.
The U.S.S. East Peoria has been rebulbed, repaired and put on a trailer for the first time.
The Toy Train float, carrying the replica of the “Great Christmas Light Fight” trophy, new last year, also returns to the Festival of Lights Parade this year.
Spectator parking for the Festival of Lights Parade will be available at the Festival Building, located at 2200 E. Washington Street; East Peoria Community High School, Fon du Lac Park District Administration Building near the intersection of Washington Street and Veterans Drive; and at Central Junior High School on Taylor Street.
If you can’t make it to the parade, Folepi’s Winter Wonderland drive-through display opens Thanksgiving night, November 24 and runs nightly through January 2.
For more information, click HERE.
Below is an interview with WMBD’s Julia Bradley and Jill Peterson with the City of East Peoria.
