Festival of Lights
Festival of Lights
East Peoria’s Annual Festival of Lights celebration is by far our most popular group tour event! An ABA (American Bus Association) Top 100 Event in 2005, 2006 and 2007, this winter wonderland is observing its 24th year. Read on for details...
For a two-day group itinerary during the Festival of Lights, click here!
Light up your night at the East Peoria Festival of Lights (FOLEPI). The 24th annual Festival of Lights is a one-of-a-kind holiday spectacular. With more than two million lights in the Festival, the beauty will be sure to mesmerize you and your family.
The Parade of Lights kicks off the Festival of Lights at 5:45 p.m. on Saturday, November 29th, 2008. This one-night event features a parade of 40 lighted floats that will cruise down the streets of East Peoria along a three-mile route. The parade begins and concludes with fantastic fireworks displays.
The festival continues when you journey through FOLEPI’s Winter Wonderland. This special attraction is open December 5th-December 31st (Closed December 25th). The Winter Wonderland features two miles of captivating beauty as cars and motorcoaches drive through a glowing park with an electricity bill of $50,000! Parade floats and animated displays continually entertain as motorists travel down the drive. There’s even a luminous reindeer that just might leap over your vehicle! Our new laser show spectacular will leave you in awe featuring space floats flying into cosmic battle.
Hours: Admission:
5-10 p.m. Sunday-Thursday $10 per car
5-11 p.m. Friday-Saturday
Treat your family to a breathtaking nativity scene at the Narrated Nativity. As you witness the five elaborately detailed, life-size structures, you can listen to 1610 AM on your car radio for a two-minute narration - making the scene come to life. The Narrated Nativity is open from December 5th-31st.
Come to RiverFront Park for Folepi’s Freedom Park! This family attraction will feature Christmas decorations, lighted displays, and parade floats. The Freedom Park will be open from dusk to 10 p.m. from December 5th-31st.
New to the Festival of Lights, the Spirit of Peoria paddlewheeler offers the Festival of Lights Holiday Cruise on the scenic Illinois River. The dinner or matinee features a hot homemade buffet, two-hour cruise and musical entertainment from River Christmas.
Matinee Cruises
November 29
December 6
December 13
Matinee Cruises board at noon and return at 2:30 p.m. Cost is $34 for adults and $17 for children.
Dinner Cruises
December 5
December 6
December 12
December 13
Dinner Cruises board at 6 p.m. and return at 8:30 p.m. Cost is $38 for adults and $19 for children
For tour dates and prices please email Cheryl Bockhold-Sloan at cbsloan@peoria.org
Hot air balloon rides returning to Festival of Lights!
The evening hot air balloon rides were so popular at last year’s Festival of Lights they are returning for another year.
The tethered balloon will rise 80 feet in the air. (Rides will not be available in windy or any type of rainy or inclement conditions, and announcements will be made on www.cityofeastpeoria.com.) Reservations are required.
The balloon’s basket is handicapped accessible and can carry five adults. Children must be accompanied by a parent or guardian. The pilot’s discretion will be used to determine who may enter the basket. The rides will last approximately eight to 10 minutes.
Our Festival of Lights features additional entertainment options, such as Eastlight Theatre’s productions. Eastlight Theatre is a nonprofit regional community theater only five minutes from the Par-a-Dice Riverboat Casino. The air-conditioned theater seats over 1000 and features the best Midwest and Chicago professional entertainers. This holiday season, enjoy Eastlight Theatre’s production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. This Andrew Lloyd Weber’s smash Broadway musical has been a Festival of Lights tradition for 17 years.
Cost is $16 for adults and $6 for children.
For tickets, call 309-699-SHOW or visit www.EastlightTheatre.com.
Matinee Shows at 2 p.m. Evening Shows at 7:30 p.m.
December 7 December 5-6
December 14 December 10-13
There are many other events surrounding the Festival of Lights, including the:
FOLEPI Open Golf Outing
o A 4-person golf scramble on an 18-hole course
o Quail Meadows Golf Course in East Peoria, dates TBA
Festival of Lights Queen Pageant
o A pageant and scholarship competition
o November 8th at 10 a.m. at the Par-a-dice Hotel Ballroom in East Peoria
Cruise With The Queens
o A cruise on the Illinois River with the past and present Festival of Lights Queens
o December 13th at 6 p.m. on the Spirit of Peoria Riverboat
Festival of Lights Craft Show
o November 28th-29th from 12-9 p.m. at the FOLEPI Building in East Peoria
FOLEPI River Trail Classic
o An event featuring a competitive run and non-competitive walk on the River Trail of Illinois
o November 29th at 8:30 a.m. at the River Trail of Illinois in East Peoria
Get Lit New Year’s Eve Fun Run
oA non-competitive run/walk through FOLEPI’s Winter Wonderland on New Year’s Eve
o December 31st at 11:50 p.m. at FOLEPI’s Winter Wonderland
Happy Holidays from the Peoria Area Convention and Visitors Bureau!
The Festival of Lights is one of the largest volunteer-run light festivals in the United States. This is an event the whole family can enjoy for the holiday season. The festival runs from December 5 - December 31, 2008. The festival adds new floats and events every year so each year is a new and exciting experience.
For detailed information on the East Peoria Festival of Lights, call (800) 365-3743 or visit http://www.cityofeastpeoria.com/
