The first weekend in December is always full of fun around Belleville as Winterfest is celebrated. This year that is Friday November 30 and Saturday December 1.
The event kicks off Friday 6:00 PM with an Animal Magic show at the Fourth Street Square.
Saturday is jam packed with various events!
The morning begins with The Jingle Bell 5K Run starting at Horizon Park. This is an annual fundraiser for the Van Buren Education Foundation. 1K kids run blasts off at 9:45 and 5K begins at 10:00. Haven’t registered yet? No problem! On site registration begins at 8:30. The event is full of festive fun including costume awards. This year even features a new route down Main Street!
After the race, head down to Fourth Street square for another opportunity to see Animal Magic at 11:00.
Between 12-3, Santa will be at Moving The Mitten at 337 Main for free photo opportunities captured by Timeless Images by Susan. How cool is that?! Free professional photos and in plenty of time to include in your Christmas greetings.
A soup contest will be happening at Fourth Street at 1:00
Carriage Rides will be available for purchase between 3:00-5:30 at Roys Street
The annual lights parade will kick off from Belleville High School parking lot at 6:00. It makes it’s way down Columbia, to Five Points and then turns onto Mainstreet. The big jolly man in Red typically brings up the rear of the parade, riding high on top of a fire truck.
And to close out the evening will be fireworks set off from the Denton Road bridge over the lake at 9:00. That makes for excellent viewing from Horizon Park. It’s important to keep in mind that this show is dependent on the weather and has often been postedponed in the previous years due to poor weather conditions.
I hope all these opportunities will encourage you to bundle up and head downtown to join in on the fun.
