Kicking off the holiday season with Dickens of a Christmas

LAFAYETTE, Ind. (WLFI) - Hundreds filled the sidewalks of downtown Lafayette Saturday for the 15th annual Dickens of a Christmas.

"This is my first Dickens," J.P. Tapp said. "It's pretty interesting. People seem like they're out here having a good time. I kind of want to get on the carriage ride because that looks fun."

"I'm having a lot of fun," Frank Fiarito said. "We bought some fudge and it was really good and then the art thing right there is really cool."

While everyone was celebrating the kick off to the holidays Michael Manzini, owner of Marquis Dolls downtown, was having a special celebration of his own.

"We are celebrating Charles Dickens, the anniversary of Charles Dickens' 200th birthday and we have just lots of Charles Dickens memorabilia that's been in my family for years and it's really on display for the first time," Manzini said.

Downtown Lafayette was transformed into Victorian England for the event with carolers, carriage rides, and characters acting out the popular scenes of A Christmas Carol. But some visitors said it doesn't feel like the holiday season.

"It's very nice," Jake Vandeventer said about the weather. "It's weird to sing Christmas songs if you can see the signs that say it's 65 degrees out."

The holiday season is officially kicked of with the flipping of the switch to light up the Courthouse Dome, Riehle Plaza, Big Four Depot, and the Community Tree.