The holiday season kicks off at Pere Marquette Park

The holidays are officially here, and to celebrate Milwaukee kicked off the season with a bang at Pere Marquette Park last night. Downtown was bustling with traffic and the park was at full capacity with families waiting for the light switch to be turned on by the guest of honor, Santa Claus.

A non-stop holiday variety show entertained the crowd as Spider George & The Web opened the evening and served as the house band. Performers included the Holy Redeemer Sanctuary Choir, Robin Adkins, Jenny Thiel, and dancers from Studio VIA. An impromptu sing-a-long in the audience of “Feliz Navidad” welcomed Santa to the stage.

The ice block that housed the light switch was thick and took Santa a little time to pick his way through the ice. After some encouragement from the crowd, the switch was flipped lighting up the decorations at the park and fireworks lit up the downtown Milwaukee sky.

Following the show, complimentary hot chocolate and cookies courtesy of Cousins Subs and PNC were given out as children waited patiently to meet Santa. Families took this time for holiday portraits in front of the light displays while others rode the Jingle Bus to Zeidler Union Square and Cathedral Square Park to view their lights and decorations.

Milwaukee’s downtown parks and streets will be illuminated through December 31^st. The Jingle Bus operates Thursdays through Sundays from the Shops at Grand Avenue, 275 W. Wisconsin Avenue, for $1 per person. More information can be found at www.MilwaukeeHolidayLights.com.