The East Peoria Festival of Lights is a fantastic drive-thru, featuring floats shaped entirely from lights. Visitors will see Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, a chopper motorcycle float, a 70-foot (21-m) long Clydesdale horse pulling a delivery wagon, Frosty the Snowman, a 95-foot-long (29-m) Chinese dragon, and more. Winter Wonderland lighted displays also include Candy Cane Factory, Lighted Arches and Circus Animals, Ski jumper display, Prehistoric Land, Space Land, Western Town, and others.
East Peoria Festival of Lights has been a local tradition since the 1980s. It kicks off with the Parade of Lights in mid-November with lots of live entertainment and fun activities and then runs from late November until the New Year's Eve. If you come on Monday night, you can get a free dessert from Chick-fil-A East Peoria.
The Festival has a mascot, a wooden soldier named Folepi, whose name means Festival of Lights. Special Events include the Festival of Lights Queen Pageant and Breakfast and Photos with Santa when kids can join the Big Man for a meal and crafts workshop at EastSide Centre. Runners and walkers can enjoy the display during the FOLEPI River Trail Classic that includes a 4-mile (6.4-km) competitive race and a 2-mile (3.2-km) non-competitive walk. This annual Illinois Valley Striders-sanctioned grand-prix event draws runners from throughout the Midwest.
For the tickets and latest updates, please check with the official websites (see External Resources below.) Also, take a look at the map suggesting the best accommodations nearby.
