Floats, holiday lights and the big man in red will all appear Friday night as part of Naperville’s annual Holiday Parade of Lights, ushering in the holiday season.
Hosted by the Rotary Club of Naperville in partnership with the Downtown Naperville Alliance, the parade steps off at 7 p.m. Nov. 28 at Centennial Beach and follows a route east down Jackson Street, north on Webster Street and west on Van Buren Street, ending at Naper Elementary School.
Pre-parade entertainment featuring groups singing Christmas and seasonal favorites begins at 6:30 p.m. at the broadcast stage at Webster and Jackson streets, Rotary Club President Mike Calabrese said.
Naperville resident Missi Craddock, a top 15 finalist in the Miss for America pageant held in August, serves as the parade’s grand marshal, joined by Naperville Mayor Scott Wehrli and his wife, Linda.
“There will be multiple entertainment groups that are in the parade,” Calabrese said. “There will be representatives from a lot of youth groups. There’s going to be animals in the parade — there will be horses, there will be dogs.”
The parade lineup boasts nearly three dozen entries and should bring out as many as 2,000 attendees, depending on the weather, he said.
“It just depends on the whim of the particular year. But the parade route is generally filled. There are always hundreds of families surrounding the stage, dancing along with the music,” Calabrese said.
Among the highlights are the floats bedecked with lights and decorations, he said.
“We like it to be a surprise as people see them but there will be a number of floats. They’re always very festively decorated and rigged for sound so that the performers will be heard well,” Calabrese said. “Of course, Santa and Mrs. Claus will be in the parade.”
The primary focus of the event is family entertainment but it’s also the largest fundraiser of the year for the club, with net proceeds from sponsorships and donations going to local nonprofits, he said.
The Rotary Club of Naperville has run the parade since 2021, taking over for Little Friends. The group relies on “literally hundreds of volunteers,” Calabrese said.
“A lot of the folks who are marching in the parade throw candy and toys and things, which are always fun for the kids,” he said. “We’ve had local businesses hand out coupons in the past. Everyone comes away with something, other than just the entertainment.”
There are people who contact the club ahead of time asking when the parade is being held while others happen to be downtown and just stumble upon it, he said.
“You never know who’s going to show up but everyone who does is happy they did,” Calabrese said.
The parade lasts about an hour and parade-goers are encouraged to grab dinner or drinks at downtown establishments afterwards and stay for shopping, he said.
“It’s the signature event that you can come to to kick off the holiday season,” he said. “It gives you your (shot) of Christmas right out of the box.”
For more information, go to napervillerotaryparade.org.
Annie Alleman is a freelance reporter for the Naperville Sun.
