Crowds flock to downtown Chicago for Magnificent Mile Lights Festival and Parade
CHICAGO (CBS) -- The holiday rush is on. Streets in downtown Chicago were packed with holiday festivities on Sunday as crowds gathered on Michigan Avenue for the annual Magnificent Mile Lights Festival and Parade.
There might have been a chill in the air, but there was also a lot of excitement among the crowd as the lights dazzled along the Magnificent Mile.
Every year, a crowd gathers along Michigan Avenue to see and feel the true holiday spirit at the annual Magnificent Mile Lights Festival and Parade.
Ben Crane and Thomas Wiese came from Orlando to brave the cold and see Chicago in all its holiday glory.
"It's the people, really. It's been electric," Wiese said.
The stars of the show, Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse, kicked off the parade and flipped the switch illuminating the Mag Mile for the holiday season.
Front and center to see it all were 10-year-old Alexxandra Jimenez and 11-year-old Penelope Knutson.
"Mickey and Minnie, ok, their eyes were so real. I loved it," Jimenez said.
"It was so cute, because they were like waving at you, and their eyes were like blinking, and they had the microphone and it sounds exactly like them," Knutson said.
The two girls left in awe by some of the inflatables, including Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.
"I wish I could ride it," Knutson said.
Others were star-struck by the Disney princesses.
"We love the princesses, a big fan of them," Crane said.
For Jenny Laflore and her family, it was a full-circle moment with her kids, after attending when she was younger, and now creating more memories.
"This is a great time just to sit and see all the lights, and the fireworks. Oh my gosh, I'm ready for it to take my breath away," she said.
Ahead of the parade, families got the chance to pretend like they were in a winter wonderland along the Mag Mile, with a snow machine providing the festive atmosphere.
Others took photos with Santa Claus and got to sit in his sleigh.
"They just really have a good time seeing all the lights, and the Santa Claus, and the music, and just getting in the holiday spirit," said Amanda Mendiola, of Naperville, who brought her kids downtown for the parade.
The first weekend of the Christkindlmarket at Daley Plaza also brought crowds out in droves at the corner of Washington and Dearborn, as people lined up to buy German food and crafts. The popular Christmas market is open daily through Christmas Eve, including on Thanksgiving Day.
The city lit up the official Christmas tree in Millennium Park on Friday night. The tree will be up through Jan. 8.
The Millennium Park ice skating rink and the skating ribbon at Maggie Daley Park also are open for the season. The rink at Millennium Park will be open through Feb. 2, and the skating ribbon at Maggie Daley Park will be open through March 9, weather permitting.
If you are headed downtown for the parade, Christkindlmarket, the Millennium Park tree, or any other holiday festivities, pack your patience, because streets are jam-packed and there are many street closures in place throughout the evening.