WHAT:
The Wintrust Magnificent Mile Lights Festival® is back to launch the holiday season the weekend before Thanksgiving, featuring Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse from Walt Disney World® Resort, illuminating North Michigan Ave.
WHERE:
- Lights Festival Lane: Pioneer Court, 401 N. Michigan Ave., Chicago
- Parade: South on North Michigan Ave. from Oak St. to Wacker Dr.
- Fireworks Display: North Michigan Ave. and the Chicago River
WHEN:
- Saturday, November 22, 2025
- 11 am–4 pm CST: Lights Festival Lane
- 5:30 pm–7:30 pm CST: Parade and Wintrust Fireworks Spectacular
COST: FREE | All activities are free and open to the public
WEBSITE: TheMagnificentMile.com
CHICAGO, IL — The Wintrust Magnificent Mile Lights Festival® returns for its 34th year with an all-new celebration of creativity, community, and holiday spirit under the theme “Chicago Shines Bright.” The weekend’s festivities will illuminate Michigan Avenue on Saturday, November 22, with a full day of family-friendly activities leading up to the iconic evening parade. This year’s event is brought to you by title sponsor, Wintrust Financial Corporation, and presenting sponsors Enjoy Illinois and Chicagoland Kia Dealers.
This mile-long, day-to-night celebration is the largest evening parade in the country and the third-largest parade overall. Headlined by Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse from Walt Disney World® Resort, the parade will feature dazzling floats, giant helium balloons, marching bands, celebrity appearances, live performances, Santa Claus, and the breathtaking Wintrust Fireworks Spectacular.
The festival also marks the official start of the holiday season with the lighting of one million lights on more than 200 trees along North Michigan Avenue, a Chicago tradition that shines far beyond the city limits.
MUSICAL PERFORMANCES
This year’s Lights Festival will feature an exciting lineup of Chicago talent and musical favorites performing along the parade route:
- Plain White T’s – Chicago’s own GRAMMY-nominated band, best known for their global hit “Hey There Delilah,” will perform live during the parade and give a free, acoustic performance earlier in the day at Lights Festival Lane.
- DJ White Shadow – GRAMMY-winning producer, songwriter and Chicago native will debut a new float designed as a celebration of Chicago music featuring live dancers and performers.
- Club Nouveau - American synth-soul group popular in the late 1980s and early 1990s known for the popular song “Lean on Me.”
- 5x GRAMMY-nominee and Chicago's power-pop children's music band Justin Roberts and the Not Ready for Naptime Players will open the Lights Festival Lane musical stage at 11 am and perform live during the parade.
- Performance by Voices of Liberty from EPCOT® at Walt Disney World® Resort – renowned a cappella group performing in their Dickens-inspired holiday attire
The parade will also feature outstanding performers and top marching bands from across the country, including:
- Leo High School Choir – The acclaimed Chicago-based high school choir that made a run on America’s Got Talent
- Petoskey Steel Drum Band, Petoskey, MI (Sponsored by HDR)
- South Shore Drill Team, Chicago, IL (Sponsored by Fairmont Chicago Millennium Park)
- Crystal Lake Strikers Drumline, Crystal Lake, IL (Sponsored by Serve Robotics)
- Uniting Voices Chicago, Chicago, IL – 90 members (Sponsored by Wintrust)
- Cirque Experience, Chicago, IL (Sponsored by Navy Pier)
- Greendale High School Band, Greendale, WI – 200 members
- West Seneca Marching Band, West Seneca, NY – 72 members
- Anderson High School Marching Highlanders, Anderson, IN – 81 members
- Hartselle High School Marching Band, Hartselle, AL – 100 members
- Libertyville High School Marching Band, Libertyville, IL – 103 members
PARADE HIGHLIGHTS
- Disney Favorites – Walt Disney World Resort® once again ushers in the holiday magic, bringing beloved characters and spectacular floats to celebrate “The Most Magical Place on Earth” along North Michigan Avenue.
○ Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse – Dressed in contemporary holiday outfits, Mickey and Minnie will appear atop a float celebrating the holidays at “The Most Magical Place on Earth”.
○ Goofy and Stitch – Goofy, in a festive holiday sweater, and Stitch, dressed as Santa, will ride atop the Holiday Garden float.
○ Woody and Buzz Lightyear – The Toy Story duo ride aboard a bright red wagon overflowing with toys from Santa.
○ Anna and Elsa – The royal sisters, dressed in their holiday outfits inspired by Olaf’s Frozen Adventure, will glide in a frosted carriage. - Matthew Hoffman – The Chicago artist behind the global You Are Beautiful movement has custom-designed a “Chicago Shines Bright” sweater for this year’s parade. He will join the celebration alongside participants wearing the sweaters, spreading messages of positivity, creativity, and community. A few lucky fans along the parade route will receive a free sweater.
- Enjoy Illinois’ Big Lincoln giant helium balloon – This brand-new balloon will make its debut, bringing a larger-than-life version of Illinois’ favorite son to the parade route.
- Gingerbread Boy, sponsored by Museum of Ice Cream, and Oliver the Nutcracker also make their festive debut.
- The all-new 2026 Kia Carnival Hybrid and Sorento leading the way for Santa’s arrival
- Grand Finale – Santa Claus arrives aboard Wintrust’s Grand Finale float, followed by the Wintrust Fireworks Spectacular over the Chicago River at approximately 7:15 p.m.
LIGHTS FESTIVAL LANE
From 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., families are invited to enjoy a full day of free, festive fun at Lights Festival Lane in Pioneer Court (401 N. Michigan Avenue). The outdoor celebration will feature live entertainment, music and family-friendly activities leading up to the parade.
- Free Concert by Plain White T’s (1pm) - Chicago’s own GRAMMY-nominated band will perform a free, acoustic concert.
- Justin Roberts and the Not Ready for Naptime Players will kick-off the morning with a live set at 11am
- Leo High School Choir will perform for fans at 2pm
- Performance by Voices of Liberty from EPCOT® at Walt Disney World® Resort
- 'Twas the Night Before...by Cirque du Soleil – The acclaimed production is returning to The Chicago Theatre this holiday season and will bring special performances to Lights Festival Lane, showcasing the incredible acrobatics and festive energy that makes it a holiday favorite.
- Free, Festive Activities – Guests can take part in free activities such as Wintrust Photos with Santa, free Eli’s Cheesecake slice decorating with the Chicago High School for Agricultural Sciences, sweet sips and merry moments courtesy of Dunkin’, and more.
PARADE ROUTE
As many as one million parade-lovers and holiday revelers from throughout Chicagoland and around the country visit the North Michigan Avenue district annually to enjoy the parade and festival. The parade steps off from Oak Street on Michigan Avenue at 5:30 pm, traveling south to the Chicago River and then turning east on Wacker Drive, ending at Columbus Drive. Guests will line the east and west sides of North Michigan Avenue and the south side of Wacker Drive.
MAKE IT A WEEKEND
Extend the holiday magic by turning The Wintrust Magnificent Mile Lights Festival® into a full weekend getaway. Discover special hotel packages, savor festive dining experiences, and explore can’t-miss attractions. Find exclusive offers, seasonal experiences and more by downloading The Magnificent Mile Holiday Guide at themagnificentmile.com. Here are a few highlights to consider:
- 360 CHICAGO: Take in twinkling skyline views from 94 floors up, complete with holiday décor, seasonal cocktails, and unforgettable photo moments.
- Harry Caray’s Tavern, Navy Pier: Kick off the holiday season as Santa arrives by boat on the iconic Seadog by City Cruises, before heading to Harry Caray’s Tavern for festive brunch specials and photo ops in the cozy Lakefront Lodge pop-up.
- Fairmont Chicago Millenium Park: Enjoy a magical stay at Fairmont Chicago, where glowing lobby bars, beautiful holiday décor, and exclusive seasonal offers put you just steps from all the festive excitement.
- Shops at North Bridge: Step into Sweet Home Chicago at The Shops at North Bridge – a vibrant, immersive pop-up on the Magnificent Mile celebrating the spirit of Chicago with sweets, local flavor and Instagram-worthy moments.
HOLIDAY SEASON
New!! The holiday spirit continues with the first annual Magnificent Mile Holiday Shopping Week which will take place December 6–14, offering exclusive promotions, festive in-store experiences, and seasonal surprises throughout the district. For nine days, visitors can explore special holiday events, limited time offers and can’t miss moments all along The Magnificent Mile.
WATCH FROM HOME
The parade will air on ABC7 Chicago and stream on abc7chicago.com Sunday, November 23rd, from 6-7 p.m., with additional local airings on December 7th and 14th, and on-demand access throughout the holidays at abc7chicago.com. It will also be syndicated in over 200 markets across the U.S. and Canada, hosted by Cheryl Burton, Ryan Chiaverini, Judy Hsu, and Hosea Sanders.
MEDIA + SOCIAL CHANNELS
Digital Toolkit (link)
Official Hashtag: #WintrustLightsFest | Facebook: The Magnificent Mile (Facebook.com/MagnificentMile)
X: @TheMagMile | Instagram: @TheMagMile | Website: TheMagnificentMile.com
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ABOUT THE MAGNIFICENT MILE ASSOCIATION
Producer of The Wintrust Magnificent Mile Lights Festival®, The Magnificent Mile Association is a private, non-profit membership organization with a mission of preserving, promoting, and enhancing one of Chicago’s most unique neighborhoods. The organization represents 700 members, including retailers, hotels, restaurants, popular attractions, and commercial, institutional, and residential properties. For more information, visit www.themagnificentmileassociation.com.
ABOUT WINTRUST
Wintrust is a financial holding company with $69.6 billion in assets whose common stock is traded on the NASDAQ Global Select Market. Guided by its “Different Approach, Better Results®” philosophy, Wintrust offers the sophisticated resources of a large bank while providing a community banking experience to each customer. Wintrust operates more than 200 retail banking locations through 16 community bank subsidiaries in the greater Chicago, southern Wisconsin, west Michigan, northwest Indiana, and southwest Florida market areas. In addition, Wintrust operates various non-bank business units, providing residential mortgage origination, wealth management, commercial and life insurance premium financing, short-term accounts receivable financing/outsourced administrative services to the temporary staffing services industry, and qualified intermediary services for tax-deferred exchanges. For more information, please visit wintrust.com.
ABOUT Walt Disney World Resort®
Walt Disney World Resort® is a world-class entertainment and recreation destination featuring four of the most popular theme parks from around the globe, two thrilling water parks, nearly 29,000 hotel rooms, a sports complex, four golf courses, and Disney Springs—a metropolis of shopping, dining, and entertainment. Since 1971, Walt Disney World has focused on delivering legendary guest service and one-of-a-kind experiences that make it the largest and most visited theme park destination in the world, where families create magical memories. Guests can learn more about planning their Walt Disney World vacation at DisneyWorld.com.
Attachments
- Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse from Walt Disney World® Resort
- THE WINTRUST MAGNIFICENT MILE LIGHTS FESTIVAL® - Photo credit Vito Palmisano
Beth Heller BH Consulting beth@bethheller.com Ellen Farrar The Magnificent Mile Association efarrar@themagnificentmile.com
