Magnificent Mile Light’s Festival Parking Guide

Reserve Gold Coast & River North Parking Now!

The Magnificent Mile Light’s Festival is Chicago’s premiere holiday event. On Saturday, November 23, despite the cold temperatures, Chicagoans will bear the cold weather for the largest evening celebration in the country. The festival is the perfect family outing and will be a memorable evening. Be prepared to be dazzled as the city will sparkle with more than 1 million lights.

What to Know

Chicago’s Festival of Lights can be extremely crowded. The secret to an enjoyable experience for the entire family is to reserve your parking ahead of time. You don’t want to be left circling the block to find to find a parking spot. Remember, even if a garage is full, by reserving parking with SpotHero, you’re guaranteed a spot.

Schedule

  • 5:30pm until 7:00p – Tree-Lighting Parade – North Michigan Avenue, from Oak Street to Wacker Drive
  • 6:55pm Fireworks Spectacular – North Michigan Avenue and the Chicago River

New For 2013

This year, expect a bigger, brighter and bolder celebration for the Magnificent Mile Lights Festival. There will be new talent, booths, floats, balloons and more.

Get ready to literally see stars with special appearances from:

  • Megan Nicole – a 20 year old pop sensation and superstar-in-the-making, Bad Boy/Interscope Recording Artist
  • Grace Phipps – Young actress who’s appeared in original Disney movies and has had recurring roles on the “Vampire Diaries” and “Baby Daddy”
  • Laura Marano – Musician and Actress and can be most recently seen on the Disney Channel comedy series “Austin & Ally”
  • Deborah Gibson – The original “Pop Princess” has been an entertainer for more than 25 years. Deborah is a singer, song writer, actress, and dancer, truly embodying what it means to be an entertainer

Street Closures:

2013 MAIN STREET CLOSURES:
Closed from 3:30 pm – 8 pm
– Oak Street (State Street to Michigan Avenue)
– North Michigan Avenue (Oak Street to Wacker Drive)
– Upper Wacker Drive (Michigan Avenue to east turnaround)

ADDITIONAL STREET CLOSURES:
Closed from 7 am to 7 pm
– Upper Illinois Street (Michigan Avenue east to the InterContinental Chicago Magnificent Mile’s side entrance) 

Closed from 10 am – 6 pm
– Clark Street (East curb lane only Oak Street to Delaware Street) 
– Delaware Street (Dearborn Street to Clark Street, north curb lane only) 
– Oak Street (Clark Street to State Street) 
– Dearborn Street (Delaware Street to Maple Street) 
– Walton Street (State Street to Clark Street)

Closed from 4:30 pm – 10 pm
– Columbus Drive (Curb lanes from Wacker Drive to Randolph Street, hard closure from 6 p.m. – 8 p.m)

Helpful festival link:

 

Don’t forget the festival makes holiday shopping a lot easier. There’s extended shopping hours at participating stores so you can get a head start on your holiday shopping. Reserve Michigan Avenue parking now to shop til you drop before the parade.