Chicago Prepares To Light One Million Lights At The BMO Harris Bank Magnificent Mile Lights Festival®

CHICAGO, Nov. 1, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- The BMO Harris Bank Magnificent Mile Lights Festival^® invites visitors to two days of free, family fun to celebrate the start of the holiday season—November 16 & 17—culminating in an unforgettable tree-lighting parade.

On Saturday evening, November 17, grand marshals Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse from Walt Disney World^® Resort help illuminate more than one million lights along North Michigan Avenue, from Oak Street to the Chicago River!

Beginning on Friday, November 16 from 4:00 to 8:00PM, Lights Festival Lane (401 N. Michigan Avenue) offers a range of holiday-themed activities. BMO Harris Bank invites visitors to an expanded BMO Harris Kid's Zone tent, featuring face painting with holiday designs and a special fast lane for BMO customers. Family and friends can get their photo taken with fun props which will be printed and available to share via social media. Kids can enjoy a decoration station for their photos.

"Just like every year, BMO Harris looks forward to coming together with our partners to kick off the start of the holiday season with all our communities across Chicagoland," said Justine Fedak, Head of Social and Sponsorships Marketing, BMO Financial Group. "There are so many family-friendly activities planned and such good holiday energy that make this festival like no other; it's truly one of my favorite events in Chicago."

The fun continues Saturday, November 17 from 11:00AM to 4:00PM. Stop by the National Association of Realtors booth for a visit with Santa Claus. Warm up with complimentary treat size bag of the Garrett Mix^® at the Garrett Popcorn booth; or legendary tacos and Mexican Hot Chocolate from Pink Taco. Don't forget dessert: decorate a free slice of cheesecake from The Eli's Cheesecake Company with whipped cream and fun candy toppings.

Stop by the Subaru display to get your photo taken with Mrs. Claus and help yourself to some holiday themed giveaways (while supplies last). Be sure to check out the all-new 2019 Subaru Ascent and Forester vehicles while you're there.

Live musical performances return to the BMO Harris Bank Stage starting Saturday, November 17 at 11:30AM with singer-songwriter Cailee Rae. The lineup also includes Cozi Zuehlsdorff, star of the recently-released Disney DCOM Freaky Friday, presented by Southwest Airlines^®.

A limited number of wristbands are available for artist meet-and-greets throughout the day.

Saturday's festivities lead up to the much-anticipated tree-lighting parade, the country's largest evening holiday celebration. The parade begins at 5:30PM as grand marshals Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse join classic characters from Walt Disney World^® Resort, including Woody and Jessie from Toy Story and Timon and Rafiki from The Lion King; and more than 40 magnificent floats, helium-filled balloons, and six marching bands from around the country.

Crowd favorites return to the route, including the larger-than-life Hubert the Lion balloon from BMO Harris Bank; and popular Chicago team mascots Benny the Bull, Tommy the Hawk, and more.

Celebrity appearances along the parade route include YouTube sensation, Alex Aiono; Louis York, the creation of multi-Grammy nominated songwriting and production duo Claude Kelly and Chuck Harmony; and American vocalist, YaDonna West.

Santa Claus soars down the route on a float from Greeley and Hansen to officially signal the start of the holiday season. The Lights Festival draws to a grand conclusion with a spectacular fireworks display over the Chicago River.

The nationally-televised event will be hosted by ABC 7 Eyewitness News Anchors Alan Krashesky and Cheryl Burton on Saturday, November 17 from 6 – 7 PM CST on ABC 7 Chicago and 7.2, with anchors Janet Davies and Judy Hsu capturing the magic from the street. The broadcast opens with a performance from Cody Simpson & The Tide; and closes with a performance from DCapella, Disney Music Group's new a cappella singing sensation.

The Lights Festival parade will also be streamed LIVE on abc7chicago.com and will then be available on-demand. The broadcast will air in more than 90% of markets around the United States throughout the holiday season, with repeat airings in multiple markets. Viewers can find their local broadcast times at TheMagnificentMile.com or check their local listings to relive the magic.

The Lights Festival is also the perfect time to start holiday shopping! Seasonal promotions and holiday events from area shops, restaurants, hotels, and attractions continue into the new year. 

For more information, visit TheMagnificentMile.com; and follow The Magnificent Mile on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

About BMO Harris Bank
BMO Harris Bank provides a broad range of personal banking products and solutions through nearly 600 branches and fee-free access to over 40,000 ATMs across the United States. BMO Harris Bank's commercial banking team provides a combination of sector expertise, local knowledge and mid-market focus throughout the U.S. For more information about BMO Harris Bank, go to the company fact sheet. Banking products and services are subject to bank and credit approval. BMO Harris Bank N.A. Member FDIC. BMO Harris Bank is part of BMO Financial Group, a highly diversified financial services provider with total assets of CDN$765 billion (as of July 31, 2018), and more than 45,000 employees.

About Walt Disney World^® Resort
Walt Disney World^® Resort is a contiguous, nearly 40-square-mile, world-class entertainment destination featuring four theme parks (Disney's Animal Kingdom^® Theme Park , Epcot^®, Disney's Hollywood Studios^® and Magic Kingdom^® Park; two water adventure parks (Disney's Blizzard Beach Water Park and Disney's Typhoon Lagoon Water Park); 36 resort hotels (26 owned and operated by Walt Disney World^®, includes nine Disney Vacation Club resort properties); two full-service spas; Disney's Wedding Pavilion; ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex; and Disney Springs with one-of-a-kind shopping, entertainment and waterfront dining.  Located in Lake Buena Vista, Fla., 20 miles southwest of Orlando, Walt Disney World^® Resort opened Oct. 1, 1971. Open daily, year-round.

About Southwest Airlines Co.
In its 48th year of service, Dallas-based Southwest Airlines Co. continues to differentiate itself from other air carriers with exemplary Customer Service delivered by more than 58,000 Employees to a Customer base topping 120 million passengers annually. Southwest became the nation's largest domestic air carrier in 2003 and maintains that ranking based on the U.S. Department of Transportation's most recent reporting of domestic originating passengers boarded. In peak travel seasons, Southwest operates more than 4,000 weekday departures among a network of 99 destinations in the United States and 10 additional countries. Southwest has announced its intention to serve Hawaii, subject to requisite governmental approvals.

Book Southwest Airlines' low fares online at Southwest Airlines or by phone at 800-I-FLY-SWA. Visit the Southwest Newsroom at swamedia.com for multi-media assets and other Company news.

About The Magnificent Mile^®
The Magnificent Mile^® is Chicago's premier destination, offering more than 460 stores, 275 restaurants, 60 hotels, unique museums and entertaining attractions to more than 20 million visitors each year. As one of the Great Avenues of the World, The Magnificent Mile district features extraordinary shopping, critically-acclaimed dining, world-class hotel accommodations, seasonal event campaigns and exceptional urban landscaping with more than 52 separate parkway gardens that reflect the changing seasons and complement the unique architectural beauty of Chicago. For more information, visit TheMagnificentMile.com or follow The Magnificent Mile on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Link to photos: https://spaces.hightail.com/space/4cd3MCuJTd  

SOURCE The Magnificent Mile Association

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http://themagnificentmile.com/