Light Up Appleton is a family festival in the city of Appleton coinciding with the unofficial start of the winter holiday shopping season. Many retailers in downtown Appleton remained open late, and street vendors and other concessionaires sold food, hot beverages, treats and promotional items. The downtown was decorated with Christmas lights, angels over the intersection, trees, among other holiday decorations.
Light Up Appleton is also a time for holiday music, including many choirs and street performers throughout the event. Lighted pixies danced around the plaza, community members enjoyed horse-drawn wagon rides, watched live ice carving, and walked the avenue for the window and sweet treat walk. For our contribution to the event, members of the Appleton Fox Cities Kiwanis donated the use of a real sleigh and helped families with sleigh ride photos while also helping kids decorate Christmas sugar cookies as an official “treat stop”.
As a marketing and economic catalyst, programming like Light Up Appleton supported downtown businesses through the holiday season and continued to heighten significance of supporting local businesses Our club saw this as a great opportunity