Some along the parade route said they were excited for another year of Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse flipping the switch to light up the Mag Mile.

The holiday rush is on. Streets in downtown Chicago were packed with holiday festivities on Sunday as crowds gathered on Michigan Avenue for the annual Magnificent Mile Lights Festival and Parade.

The day of festive fun culminates in what organizers say is the largest evening parade in the U.S., marking the beginning of the holiday season in Chicago.

Chicago's holiday season has unofficially arrived, with the city's Christmas tree being lit Friday as a weekend full of holiday events begins.

The 53-foot Colorado blue spruce donated by the Holden-Shaddick family in Logan Square will be wrapped with thousands of lights.

Michigan Avenue got a whole lot merrier on Friday night. Mayor Brandon Johnson was among the onstage VIPs as thousands of gathered onlookers stood shoulder to shoulder in crowds that stretched down Michigan Avenue at Millennium Park for the lighting of Chicago’s official Christmas tree.

Saturday night marked a fun night of holiday festivities in downtown Chicago from the Wintrust Magnificent Mile Lights Festival to the fireworks show on the Chicago River.

COOK COUNTY - Chicago ’s cherished holiday tradition, the Christkindlmarket, is back for the season, offering locals and visitors a chance to celebrate the holidays with German-inspired festivities. The market, which opened this week, is operating at two locations: Daley Plaza in Chicago and River Edge Park in Aurora.

Thousands came to downtown Aurora for the Winter Light Fest on Friday which featured a parade, a drone show and the lighting of the city’s Christmas tree.

People flooded downtown Chicago Saturday night for the annual Magnificent Mile Lights Festival Parade. For 15 years, former Texas schoolteacher Kayla Morris put every dollar she could save into a home for her growing family.