Area kicks off December with holiday celebrations

LAFAYETTE, Ind. (WLFI) - The first weekend of December in Greater Lafayette will bring two major holiday events for you to enjoy.

Dickens of a Christmas (a downtown arts, crafts and music festival) will run from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and the annual Christmas Parade starts at 2 p.m. Sunday at 10th and Main streets, ending at Riehle Plaza.

“There’s a reason Lafayette-West Lafayette is called the Christmas Capital of the Midwest,” Greater Lafayette Commerce program manager Erin Nelson said. “ We earn the title every year on the first weekend of December.”

Preparations begin with holiday lighting installation.

“Without the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW), downtown Lafayette would be dark each December,” Nelson said.

While no one is sure when this volunteer task began, IBEW records show it was already a tradition way back in 1950, and probably began some 65 years ago.

In the 15th annual Dickens of a Christmas, visitors can enjoy watching wood carving, quilting, chair caning and more crafts. Traditional pyansky, Ukrainian egg decorating will happen at Something Special of Lafayette, and dozens more artists and crafters will demonstrate their work along the streets of downtown Lafayette.

Restaurants are also offering specials and carriage rides will be available. Plus, a Holiday Farmers Market will be open on Fifth Street.

At 5:45 p.m., a Community Sing will be held at Riehle Plaza and the lights on the courthouse will be turned on.

The Lafayette-West Lafayette Christmas Parade has a new route this year, all along and only on Main Street.

The theme this year is American Made Christmas, and the Grand Marshal is Marine Cpl. Matt Bowman.

Parking is free in the two downtown Lafayette parking garages that day, and there will be portable restrooms stationed throughout downtown.

A major sponsor of the events is Wabash National.