The 2nd Annual Jacksonville Festival of Lights returns this week, along with a plethora of holiday events in and around Jacksonville through the end of the year.
The Festival of Lights will again be lighting up the Morgan County Fairgrounds beginning this Friday night.
Jacksonville Area Convention and Visitors Bureau Executive Director Brittany Henry says the light display will have a different look this year and some slight adjustments have been made to the schedule.
“Hours are a little different from this year to last year. They are doing Thursday and Sunday from 5 to 8 pm, and Fridays and Saturdays from 5 to 9 pm. They will have special extended hours on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day from 5 to 9 pm.
The cost is very affordable, it is ten dollars per car for up to eight passengers, twenty dollars for vehicles between nine to 15 passengers, and there was a bus that went through last year, so it is fifty dollars for a bus to drive through. So if you have a large group they can definitely accommodate you.”
Henry says there is also a brand new event happening at the fairgrounds during the Festival of Lights. “There is also a new Rudolf Fun Run that will happen in conjunction with the Festival of Lights. That will kick of on December 15th from 5 to 6:30 pm. It will be located at the Morgan County Fairgrounds. There is a five dollar entry fee, but that includes snacks, a photo op with Santa, and a lot more under the grandstand where the run comes to an end.”
Henry says the Festival of Lights has quickly added to an array of holiday offerings in Jacksonville, which she says has had a big impact on both the economic and tourism for the city. “We noticed last year there were a lot of people regionally that drove over to experience the light show, and when they were done they were sticking around Jacksonville and doing some fun things in town.
So for us, not only are we looking at that it is a growing tradition for Jacksonville and our community members, but we’re also looking at the impact from a visitor perspective that it gives people a chance to hop in the car, come take a day trip to Jack, explore the Festival of Lights, but then also get downtown to our beautiful lit up square.
We’ve got a lot of amazing lit-up window displays that will be happening. Jacksonville Main Street has been promoting those with a contest. But then we also have a lot of great shopping. It’s a great destination to get a lot of those Christmas and holiday gifts taken care of.”
Henry says from Pinkmas, to the Santa House and more carriage rides around the square are just some of the events adding to a packed schedule of events each week in downtown Jacksonville now through the new year.
For more information on the Jacksonville Festival of Lights, look them up on Facebook or call 217-291-5722.
You can also find more information on all the holiday happenings downtown via the Jacksonville Main Street Facebook and website, as well as area events via the Jacksonville convention and Visitors Bureau web and social media sites.