Chicago Wintrust Magnificent Mile Lights Festival and Parade returns for 33rd year

CHICAGO (WLS) -- The Wintrust Magnificent Mile Lights Festival and Parade returned for the 33rd year Nov. 23.

This year's holiday event featured a new Chicago River lighting spectacle and the tallest balloon to ever come down the Mag Mile the weekend before Thanksgiving.

The holidays are almost here and the 2024 Wintrust Magnificent Mile Lights Festival will return next month.

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Lights Festival Lane took place from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Pioneer Court, 401 N. Michigan Ave.

The parade traveled south on North Michigan Avenue from Oak Street to Wacker Drive, then east on Wacker to Upper Columbus Drive from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.

There's a bit of magic in the air as we count down to one of Chicago's biggest holiday celebrations!

As many as one million people and over 600 volunteers were expected to witness the largest evening parade in the U.S., and the third-largest parade in the country.

SEE MORE: Magnificent Mile Lights Festival kicks off

The event is headlined by Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse from The Walt Disney World Resort, leading a parade filled with 40 floats; giant helium balloons; marching bands from Hawaii, Alabama, Illinois and Ohio; celebrities; musical performances; Santa Claus and the Wintrust Fireworks Spectacular.

The festival features the illumination of one million lights on over 200 trees along North Michigan Avenue.

Dazzling audiences with a star-studded lineup, the country's largest evening holiday celebration will light up the top of Chicago's iconic Wrigley building with song, featuring Tony Award-winning actress Heather Headley, performing "Thankful"; and Virginia Bocelli, daughter of famous tenor Andrea Bocelli, singing "Over the Rainbow."

This year's festival promises to elevate the holiday spirit with star-studded performances along the parade route:

- Iconic disco group and the Former Ladies of Chic will perform their hits "Le Freak" and "Good Times"

- American soul-influenced funk band Cameo will perform "Word Up!" and "Candy"

- The Wintrust Express will feature 90s Miami bass duo Quad City DJ's performing their major hits "C'mon N' Ride It (The Train)" and "Space Jam" along with the Wintrust Mascot Party, featuring our favorite mascots from various professional Chicago and Milwaukee sports teams and Illinois' own 2024 Olympic Gold Medalists Shemier Little (track and field) and Alexa Knierim (figure skating).

- Enjoy Illinois' float will feature Chicago Blackhawks Official Game DJ Lee Michaels along with The Pack Drumline, from America's Got Talent, and the Enjoy Illinois mascot, Big Lincoln.

- Choose Chicago will highlight the 40th anniversary of House Music with a performance from DJ Chip E.

This year, thanks to a grant from the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity and Enjoy Illinois, guests can experience several new activities for the first time:

- Brand New Illumination: Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse from Walt Disney World Resort will magically illuminate select blocks along the parade route near the Chicago River with new lighting.

- First Muppet Balloons: Standing at 60-feet-tall, super-colossal Santa Kermit will be the tallest helium balloon ever to parade down The Magnificent Mile, marking the first appearance of a Muppet balloon at the Lights Festival. Animal, Kermit the Frog's loveable friend, will also join the parade line up.

- Updated Lead Float: Walt Disney World Resort's lead float with Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse will have updated lighting and a new holiday look. Plus, Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse will stop more frequently along Wacker Drive to engage the crowd as they light each block.

- New Talent for the Parade: Musical celebrities will perform for fans of all ages on parade floats. Talent will be announced soon.

- Live Music on the Lane: Live music will be featured all day from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. in Lights Festival Lane.

- Enhanced Pyrotechnics: Wintrust's grand finale float with Santa Claus will feature a new holiday look with more height and light plus new special effects.

- Iconic Disney characters, including Buzz Lightyear, Woody, Anna, Elsa, Tiana, and Belle, will make special appearances on themed floats

Coming down Michigan to delight all will be everyone's favorite reindeer-Rudolph! Special Olympics Illinois is thrilled to bring Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer to the Wintrust Magnificent Mile Lights Festival again this year. Just like Rudolph, who showed that being a little different makes all the difference, Special Olympics Illinois celebrates the unique abilities of everyone in its community.

The parade will also feature a host of marching bands and special groups from across the country, including:
- Loveland High School Band (Ohio) - 90 members
- Pearl City High School Band (Hawaii) - 100 members
- Greendale High School Band (Wisconsin) - 200 members
- Smiths Station High School Band (Alabama) - 150 members
- Beaver Creek High School Band (Ohio) - 200 members
- Crystal Lake Strikers Drumline (Crystal Lake, IL) - 25 members
- Petoskey Steel Drum Band (Michigan) - Returning thanks to sponsorship from HDR

Attendees should wear holiday sweaters, as the goal is to break the existing world record for the most holiday sweaters at a parade.

Visit TheMagnificentMile.com for more information.

The parade will air on ABC7 Chicago on Sunday, Nov. 24, from 6-7 p.m., with on-demand access throughout the holidays at abc7chicago.com, and will also be syndicated in over 200 markets across the U.S. and Canada, hosted by Cheryl Burton, Ryan Chiavarini, Judy Hsu and Hosea Sanders.

Encore broadcasts will air Sunday, Dec. 1, at 3 p.m.; Sunday, Dec. 8, at 4 p.m.; and Sunday, Dec. 15, at 11 p.m.

The Wintrust Magnificent Mile Lights Festival Parade will be available on demand and stream on abc7chicago.com and ABC 7's Connected TV Apps on Amazon Fire TV, Android TV, Apple TV and Roku.

This is the 16th consecutive year the much-anticipated tradition will be broadcast to Chicago audiences on ABC 7, the most-watched television station in the city. Throughout the holiday season, the special will also be watched in more than 200 U.S. markets throughout the holiday season, reaching nearly 100% of the country plus Toronto, Canada, with encore airings in multiple markets. Check local listings for times.

Members of the ABC 7 Eyewitness News team will be spreading good cheer along Michigan Avenue on ABC 7 Chicago's whimsical float.

About ABC7/WLS-TV Chicago

ABC7/WLS-TV Chicago is the No. 1 local news source and most-watched television station in Chicago. With top-rated daily newscasts spanning decades and the largest social media presence in the market with more than 2.6 million Facebook followers, ABC7 Eyewitness News provides breaking news, investigative reporting, weather, politics, traffic and sports in the multiplatform space toChicago, the suburbs and northwest Indiana. Named Best News Operation by the Associated Press for four consecutive years, ABC 7 Eyewitness News produces "Chicago Proud," a series of features that spotlights everyday heroes in and around Chicago.The station also produces the highest-rated New Year's Eve special in Chicago, holiday kickoff special "The Magnificent Mile Lights Festival," syndicated to a national audience, as well as the award-winning program series "Our Chicago," which showcases the city's diversity and highlights contributions in the Black, Hispanic, Asian, LGBTQ+ communities, among others.Every Friday, Windy City Weekend, entertains while giving Chicagoans everything they need to know about what's happening in the city. ABC 7 is the only Chicago station producing and broadcasting parades representing Chicago's rich cultural history. In addition to producing town halls focused on current social issues, the station has a long and proud tradition of broadcasting political candidate debates keeping Chicago's electorate informed.ABC7's outreach efforts include annual partnerships with the Red Cross for life-saving blood drives, one of the biggest one-day drives in the country and, most recently, spearheading an effort to raise more than $1.5 million for area food pantries.

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