Marking three decades of celebration, the Downtown Brookings Festival of Lights will take place Dec. 5. A parade, Santa Claus, the Mayor’s Holiday Tree Lighting and other activities will provide plenty of festive cheer to an expected crowd of over 5,000 attendees.
The Children's Museum of South Dakota will serve as this year’s parade Grand Marshal. “The Children’s Museum has become a cornerstone of our community, inspiring play for all ages over the last 15 years,” said Kirsten Gjesdal, executive director of Downtown Brookings. “We’re proud to honor this organization as an acknowledgement of their dedication to encouraging creativity and connection in kids and families across the region.”
The museum is offering admission for a freewill donation toward their Access Initiative from 5-7pm, and families are encouraged to come in to play and write letters to the North Pole.
“Being named Grand Marshal means a lot to us! Our mission is to spark imagination and play for everyone,” said Kerrie Vilhauer, the museum’s director of marketing and communications. "The museum is a place where we can be together, connect, spark imagination, and play in a world that needs that more and more. Being able to celebrate our community and play together is a great way to start the holiday season.”
The festivities will kick off at 4 p.m. with holiday activities at Downtown businesses and organizations. At 5 p.m., visits with live reindeer will begin outside the Children’s Museum of South Dakota. Next, the Mayor’s Holiday Tree Lighting will take place at 6 p.m. outside the Brookings Activity Center.
The parade will launch at 7 p.m. from First Lutheran Church, its usual starting point, but then will follow a reverse route from previous years: south on Fifth Avenue, then west on Third Street and finally north on Main Avenue. Attendees will see another parade-related change this year. Candy and trinkets will not be handed out along the route, due to safety concerns over the last few years.
Attendees can enjoy delicious hot chocolate, activities at Downtown shops, letters to and photos with Santa and more than 40 floats. None of this would be possible without the support of this year's sponsors: Meyer Orthodontics, First Bank & Trust, Bowes Construction Inc., Children’s Museum of South Dakota and designArc Group.
“We’re building on the momentum over the last few years as we ramp up for this 30th celebration,” Gjesdal said. “We have more floats participating than ever, plus lots of fun surprises around the neighborhood leading up to the parade. We hope everyone will come out to spend a joyful evening with us and make Downtown Brookings a part of their holiday tradition.”