Lowell - Alive. Unique. Inspiring. : 2012 City of Lights

2012 City of Lights

Kick off the Holiday Season In Style!

2012 City of Lights Parade & Holiday Celebration
Saturday, November 24, 2012
11 AM - 8 PM
downtown Lowell

Ring in the holidays in downtown Lowell and join us for this year's City of Lights Parade and Holiday Celebration! Take the afternoon to stroll the city streets and enjoy live performances, holiday shopping, photos with Santa, AND the crowd favorite, our Annual Hot Chocolate Competition! The daytime fun leads to the nighttime extravaganza -- The City of Lights Parade and City Hall Lighting -- which marks the City's official start to the holiday season!

> FREE parking from 10 AM - 12 midnight at the John & Market Street Garages
View a map of garage locations and information on street closures.

> Get in on the action -- be a City of Lights Sponsor!
Contact Deb Belanger at the Greater Merrimack Valley Convention & Visitors Bureau at dbelanger@merrimackvalley.org or 978-459-6150, ext. 115.

2012 CITY OF LIGHTS EVENTS - as of November 17, 2012
Our event schedule will be updated in the weeks ahead -- please visit this page for updates!

Street Performances, Family Fun & Holiday Shopping with the COOL Bus
12 Noon - 4PM throughout Downtown Lowell
Stroll downtown and enjoy street performances with the Gentlemen Songsters and Lowell's own FreeVerse! youth poetry group throughout the day! Hop on the Cultural Organization of Lowell's COOL Bus and visit the following local art gallery and museum gift shops where you'll discover one-of-a-kind handcrafted gifts only available here in the Mill City:
Western Avenue Studios
Brush Gallery & Artists' Studios
Zeitgeist Gallery
New England Quilt Museum
American Textile History Museum
Lowell National Historical Park

All Aboard" Tour of Lowell on The Trolley Express!
Departs from the Boott Cotton Mills Museum, 115 John Street
We are sorry, but all reservations for this event are currently SOLD OUT.

Holiday Express Village *
10AM - 4PM | New England Quilt Museum, 18 Shattuck Street
*Please note: Standard museum admission applies. | See the New England Quilt Museum's Holiday Express Village, a panorama of quilted houses and shops and a working model train! Open for viewing during regular museum hours from Nov. 24 - Dec. 31.

5th Annual Hot Chocolate Competition*
12 Noon - 4 PM | Select locations TBA
* Please note: Cost is 25 cents per 4oz sample | Take a tour of downtown Lowell and stop in to participating businesses for Lowell's 5th Annual Hot Chocolate Competition! Just 25 cents buys you a delicious sample of hot cocoa of all flavors and concoctions -- be sure to vote for your favorite! Ballot forms will be available at the following participating locations:
Brew'd Awakening Coffeehaus (61 Market Street)
The Coffee Mill (23 Palmer Street)
Cravings (65 Merrimack Street)
Pure Fro-Yo (108 Merrimack Street)
Time Out Cafe and Eatery (72 Merrimack Street)

Children's Shopping Day at the Pollard Library
12 Noon - 4PM | Pollard Memorial Library, 401 Merrimack Street
The library invites all children ages 4 to 14 to shop for the holidays with the help of friendly library volunteers, while their guardians & parents enjoy exploring the resources of the library. Children can browse and select among hundreds of donated, gently-used items that range from $1 to $5 and get help name-tagging and gift-wrapping each purchase before heading home to celebrate the holiday season. All proceeds will fund the library's discount museum pass program and other engaging library initiatives sponsored by the Friends of the Pollard Memorial Library.

Photos with Santa *
1:30 - 4PM | M/A-COM Federal Credit Union, 83 Merrimack Street
* Please note: Cost is $2 per photo | Come get your holiday family photo taken with the star of the North Pole himself!

Kids Magic Show with Peter O’Malley
12:30 PM, 1:45 PM and 3 PM | Lowell Five Bank, 34 John Street
Magician Peter O’Malley draws a crowd every year at Winterfest — this year marks his first appearance at City of Lights! Enjoy a FREE interactive magic show with Peter, perfect for kids and families!

Recycled Rhythm Music Family Show with “Vic and Sticks”
2PM - 2:45PM | UnchARTed Studios, 66 Merrimack Street
Enjoy this one-of-a-kind LIVE interactive show with "Vic and Sticks," a great musical duo who've performed at some of the region's top fairs and festivals! Come see their show at UnchARTed Gallery, one of Lowell’s newest art spaces! One performance only, FREE admission.

4th Annual Festival of Wreaths
2PM - 7PM | Lowell Masonic Center, 79 Dutton Street
Enjoy a beautiful display of handmade wreaths and shop an array of arts & crafts created by local artisans. Come vote for your favorite wreath and even enter a raffle to win your choice! Raffle drawing takes place at 6 PM. Hosted by Community Teamwork, Inc.

City of Lights Parade and City Hall Holiday Lighting
2012 Parade Grand Marshall: Mark S. Cochran, President and CEO of Jeanne D'Arc Credit Union
4:30PM - 6:30PM | Parade route starts on Jackson Street
Get your spot along the parade route, from Jackson Street to City Hall. Enjoy live music from the area's best marching bands and see a variety of brilliantly decorated floats from over 60 participating groups! Don't miss the official holiday lighting of downtown Lowell and City Hall at the end of the parade!

FREE Holiday Choral Concert
6:30PM | St. Anne’s Church, 8 Kirk Street
Finish the evening with a variety of Christmas songs with the St. Anne’s Choir.

College Hockey: River Hawks vs. Princeton
4PM | UMass Lowell Tsongas Center, 300 Martin Luther King Jr. Way
ECAC team Princeton University visits the Tsongas Center to take on the River Hawks! Visit www.tsongascenter.com for details.

... BEFORE CITY OF LIGHTS!
See TLC's "Cake Boss" on Friday, November 23 at 7:30 PM
Buddy Valastro Live! Homemade for the Holidays Tour
Lowell Memorial Auditorium, 50 E. Merrimack Street
Buddy Valastro, star of TLC’s “Cake Boss,” brings a special live holiday show the entire family will enjoy. Visit www.lowellauditorium.com for details.

_________________________________

SPECIAL THANKS TO OUR 2012 CITY OF LIGHTS SPONSORS!

Event Sponsor