The signature winter holiday festival in Minneapolis returns this year to Loring Park, where food, music and fireworks are among the attractions.
Holidazzle is a free Thursday-through-Sunday affair and kicks off on Nov. 25, the day after Thanksgiving, until Dec. 23, the Friday before Christmas.
Opening night will include fireworks, the first of five dates to have them. Several holiday movies are also scheduled, ranging from "Miracle on 34th Street" to "A Charlie Brown Christmas" and "Frozen."
Among the other attractions: outdoor ice skating, bonfires and warming houses, a wide range of local food and drink, and vendors selling various gift items, should visitors to Santa need ideas about what to request.
Holidazzle began as a light-filled holiday parade along Nicollet Mall and remained that way for more than two decades until 2013. It was modeled in 2014 after a classic European Christmas village and moved to downtown's Peavey Plaza.
The pop-up festival moved to Loring Park last year on the west edge of downtown, dropping its unpopular $6 entrance fee, swapping wooden market stalls for white tents and emphasizing local vendors. Ice skating was added.
Posts on the Holidazzle Facebook page last year noted a lack of holiday lighting, and it appears that organizers have responded. "More dazzle will be seen within the Holidazzle footprint … through twinkle lights and uplighting," a type of illumination set at ground level that adds ambience.
Holidazzle is staged by the Minneapolis Downtown Council in partnership with the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board. For more information, visit holidazzle.com.
