The event will last for five weeks, and will be from Nov. 26 through New Year’s Day, starting with the Grand Illumination of Downtown on the first night.
“The response we received to last year’s creation of a ‘winter wonderland’ in downtown was incredible. After consulting with downtown merchants and other community stakeholders our committee decided that the correct approach to building the event into a destination-level attraction would be to expand the existing footprint of the event while aligning other holiday events under the Holiday in the City banner,” said Chris Schutte, VP of Marketing and Communications with the Greater Springfield Partnership, in a press release.
As announced on Facebook, the committee will be moving into “phase 2″ of the plan of lighting the downtown area, after the success of the previous year’s event. This will include adding “hundred of thousands” of lights in areas from the Esplanade to Columbia Street in Springfield, and adding audio features further north along shops on North Fountain Street. Other lighting elements will be added to the core block and City Hall Plaza.
This year’s events will include the AuroraMax light show, SantaCon at Mother Stewart’s Brewery, Mannheim Steamroller Christmas at the Clark State Performing Arts Center, and Christmas with the Celts presented by the Springfield Arts Council.
Santa is also scheduled to visit a number of downtown locations including the Springfield Public Library, Springfield Museum of Art and the Heritage Center Museum, among others.
Other events will be announced as the season approaches.
“Our committee couldn’t be more excited to build on that success and deliver a great holiday experience for our community,” said Schutte.
Additional information can be found at: https://www.facebook.com/holidayinthecityspfld.
The event is funded through by local businesses, community foundations and individual donors.
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