The city of Aurora will officially welcome in the holiday season on Friday with the annual Winter Lights Fest from 6 to 9 p.m. downtown.
A parade led by Santa and Mrs. Claus will begin at 6:30 p.m. at Downer Place and Water Street and head west on Downer Place to River Street. The Christmas tree-lighting ceremony will follow at the GAR Memorial Hall, 23 E. Downer Place, where Mayor John Laesch will join Santa and Mrs. Claus and lead the crowd in a countdown to flip the switch and illuminate the city’s new holiday tree.
“After the tree lighting, the downtown Aurora sky will be brightened by a drone light show along the banks of the Fox River,” a press release from the city about the event said. “After the drone show, Stolp Avenue, between Downer Place and Galena Boulevard, will be filled with food vendors, roaming costumed characters and musical entertainment at Millennium Plaza.”
Sam Loveland, communication coordinator for the city of Aurora, said the Winter Lights Fest has been going on for “at least 15 years and has become an annual tradition.”
“People come to expect the tree lighting, the parade, Santa. Each year the Events Department steps it up,” she said. “We’ve got a drone show, Stolp Avenue is going to be alive with characters and inflatables and there’s going to be a trackless train and photo ops.”
At the GAR Memorial Hall location, free photos with Santa will be available immediately following the drone show.
Loveland said that downtown businesses “would be doing a window decorating contest” adding that “a map for people will be available to kind of go and explore that part of downtown.”
The contest, she said, “fell off for a couple of years and had been headed by the Events Department and has been taken over by the Economic Development Department.”
“More than a handful of businesses are decorating their windows in a snowflake theme and this week … a panel of judges will be walking around and deciding on the winner and that winner will be announced at the Winter Lights Fest parade,” she said. “We also have a handful of city-owned buildings and windows that will be decorated through Aurora Public Art.
“We will put out a map for folks to see where they can go and catch all the decorated windows to sort of guide them through downtown,” Loveland added. “It’s another fun, kind of artistic endeavor to amplify our businesses downtown and hopefully bring people down to see those businesses.”
Businesses with decorations include McCarty Mills Taproom, Offbeat Vintage and Society 57, along with about nine others. Check https://www.aurora.il.us/Recreation-and-Amenities/Events/Special-Events/Winter-Lights for map information.
Loveland said Winter Lights Fest normally draws about 1,000 people and that the good weather predicted for Friday would likely bring more.
“We run between 6 and 9 p.m. and most families arrive early for the tree lighting and parade,” she said. “Then, we spread downtown as the night goes on. We’ve got food trucks and a DJ playing music, and it sort of has the atmosphere of First Fridays – businesses are open and they have specials running and it’s definitely the start of seasonal festivities in Aurora.”
David Sharos is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.
