Holiday in the City: Bringing Holiday Spirit to Downtown Springfield

The Grand Illumination on Nov. 28 kicks off Holiday in the City – a five-week celebration of the holiday season in Springfield. Kristina Jarrell, downtown events programmer for Greater Springfield, estimates the event draws in anywhere between five and eight thousand people. 

“It’s something that people come from far and wide to be here for,” she says. “We light the whole downtown is lit up with lights, and it’s the parade, and it’s Santa, and the ice skating rink. It’s a very Hallmark moment.”

Roads between Columbia and High Street are shut down and most of the activities happen around City Hall, the Esplanade Fountain Square and Foundation Avenue. 

Festivities start at 5 p.m. as the ice skating rink, ferris wheel, and food trucks open. Jarrell says they’re also bringing in a new surprise ride for this year’s Grand Illumination. Santa’s Parade begins at 6 p.m., followed by the Grand Illumination at 6:30 p.m. and a fireworks and drone show at 7 p.m. 

During the parade, Santa will arrive on a firetruck and light the community Christmas tree. The tree is donated by a local resident each year. This year, it was donated by Jerry Numbers. Jarrell describes it as a “beautiful, 40-foot, greeny-blue spruce.” Through donated labor, CNS Tree Services, Dan’s Towing and Kapp Construction work together to harvest, move and set up the tree downtown. 

After Santa lights the tree, he’ll be waiting at the Heritage Center’s Enchanted Forest from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. to meet and take pictures. 

If the unpredictable Ohio weather is too much, the State Theatre is also offering a special live performance by The Weekend Effect starting at 7:30 p.m. There is a $5 cover at the door. 

All of this is just the beginning of Holiday in the City. The following five weeks are jam-packed with holiday events, cheer, and special activities. 

The ice skating rink at City Hall Plaza, which costs $5 per person, will remain open Thursday through Sunday until Jan. 4, including for a special Christmas Eve skate. The Enchanted Forest: A Winter Wonderland at the Heritage Center, which is free to visit, will be open on Thursdays and Saturdays until Dec. 20. 

SantaCon takes over Mother Stewart’s Brewery on Dec. 13 from 3-10 p.m., followed by Todd Stoll’s “A Swinging Big Band Holiday” on Dec. 14 from 7-10 p.m.

More information on Holiday in the City events can be found on Greater Springfield’s social media pages.