41 years ago, East Peoria Festival of Lights organizers wondered if anyone would attend a nighttime outdoor parade in November. What was conceived as a one-time event is now the 41st Annual Parade of Lights, kicking off the East Peoria Festival of Lights, at 6:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 22. 

The Festival of Lights will officially start when the Parade of Lights floats glide along East Peoria streets. The Parade will start at East Washington Street and Dolans Lane. It will continue along Washington Street, turning left at the intersection with Camp Street. The floats will turn right from Washington onto Taylor Street and continue along in front of Central Junior High School, ending at Taylor Street and Springfield Road at the U.S. Post Office. 

The parade will have more music this year because Mix 106.9 is the official Parade of Lights music provider. Speakers on parade floats will be tuned to Mix 106.9, and the station will play commercial-free holiday music during the parade until 8 p.m., allowing parade spectators to listen outside or inside their vehicle on the radio. 

Those wanting to watch from the comfort of home can view the parade broadcast live exclusively on WMBD-TV and streaming live on CIPROUD.com. 

Parade Street Closures 
Springfield Road will be closed to all traffic from its intersection with Taylor Street to North Main Street from 5:45 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 22 until 2 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 23. Access will be open to the CVS Pharmacy and Long John Silver’s/A&W restaurants located at Springfield Road and North Main Street. The closure is necessary for parking of parade floats before moving them to Folepi’s Winter Wonderland drive-through display. 

Taylor Street and the roads along the Washington Street route of the Parade of Lights will be completely closed to traffic at 6:15 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 22. 

Parade Spectator Parking 
Parade spectator parking will be available at East Peoria Community High School, 1401 E. Washington St.; Fon du Lac Park District Administration Building near the intersection of Washington Street and Veterans Drive; and Central Junior High School on Taylor Street. Spectators who park at the junior high school and anywhere along Taylor Street will need to have their vehicles remain parked until the Santa Claus float has passed by, marking the end of the parade. 

Handicapped parking will be available along Taylor Street in areas designated with handicap signage. Vehicles must have a handicapped sticker, license plate, or dash card. Overnight parking will be permitted if vehicles are properly tagged. A limited number of handicapped parking spots are available. 

A downloadable map of the parade route is available on folepi.org. 

Six days after the parade, the floats can be viewed from the warmth of individual vehicles at the Folepi’s Winter Wonderland drive-through display, which opens Friday night, Nov. 28, and runs nightly through Jan. 4. 

For more information, visit folepi.org, or find East Peoria Festival of Lights on Facebook and Instagram.