Celebration of Lights Parade
Fireworks & Family Day

The Bardavon in conjunction with the City of Poughkeepsie and the Poughkeepsie River District Business Association present the 20th annual Celebration of Lights Parade and Fireworks. This event kicks off the holiday season in Poughkeepsie as thousands of people attend. This is the 4th and final event in the Bardavon's 4 Seasons of the Hudson Valley Festival.

The parade will commence at 6:30pm on Main Street and Garden Street and proceed to the evening's first Christmas tree lighting on Main, near Market Street. The Celebration of Lights Parade is led by Mayor John Tkazyik and members of the Common Council and will be joined by the Amerscott Highland Pipers, Poughkeepsie Exempt Fireman's Association Color Guard, DARE, Adams Fairacre Farms with Layton Percheron horse drawn hayride,Hudson Health Plan, Miss Hudson Valley, Miss Hudson Valley Teen, Dutchess Jeep & Dodge, Red Knights Motorcycle Club, Roaring Thunder Car Club, Arlington Auto and Tire, Art in Motion Dance Academy, Hudson Valley Girl & Boy Scouts and several Hudson Valley Philharmonic brass ensembles. Also joining in the parade will be performances by Arm of the Sea Theatre and IABAS Traditional Brazilian Band with 200 children from Warring, Morse, Clinton and Kreiger elementary schools. Finally Santa Claus will arrive on a City of Poughkeepsie Fire Engine.

The parade will proceed down Main Street to Clover Street where the parade will conclude at Dongan Square Park for the second Christmas tree lighting. Then at 7:15pm, Poughkeepsie River District Business Association and Legion Fireworks will present the area's only winter fireworks display along Poughkeepsie's waterfront.

Walkway over the Hudson's December Member Moonwalk will be held during the Celebration of Lights event on Friday from 6:00 to 8:30 p.m. from the Poughkeepsie approach only. Admission is $5 per person, free to Walkway Members and Children under the age of 16 who are accompanied by an adult. Hot cider & chocolate will be available for purchase.

Coinciding with the parade and fireworks, and throughout the evening, the River District establishments (Amici's, The Derby, Caffe Aurora, Mahoney's, Milanese, Noah's Ark, and River Station) will offer entertainment, and food and beverage specials. Following the parade and fireworks, the Bardavon will present a screening of the family film classic A Christmas Carol (1951) at 8pm, preceded at 7:30pm with a concert on the Mighty Wurlitzer Organ. The definitive film version of Charles Dickens' classic novel, this British adaptation stars Alastair Sim as Ebenezer Scrooge. All seats $6.

Then on Saturday, December 7th, the Poughkeepsie River District Business Association together with the Bardavon will present the 3rd Annual Family Day & Holiday Scavenger Hunt. The day's entertainment begins at 12 noon and will include the Two by Two Petting Zoo with goats, sheep, rabbits, guinea pigs, and a miniature horse, rides on the Dubois Farm Hayride, Radio Disney games & prizes, kid's entertainers: Uncle Rock & Story Laurie, carolers and face painters, plus Santa Claus and more. Scavenger hunt participation is free, and registration begins at 11am at Caffe Aurora, where registrants will pick up their item card and area map for a Holiday Scavenger Hunt within Poughkeepsie's River District and Little Italy. Prizes will then be awarded randomly from all those who complete their cards, with drawings held at 4pm at The Derby.

Sponsors include: Central Hudson, TD Bank Foundation, Rhinebeck Bank, Dutchess Dodge/Kia, Hudson Valley Federal Credit Union, The Poughkeepsie Journal, Adams Fairacre Farms, Dorsey Gage, Bonura Hospitality Group. WPDH/WRRV/, WDST, WKZE, Pamal, Clear Channel, The City of Poughkeepsie PBA &CSCA, Dutchess Beer Distributors, McCabe & Mack, Hodgkins Agency, Prime Retirement Asset Management, Riverside Bank and Torsone's Funeral Home.

Parking is readily available in City of Poughkeepsie Municipal lots. For further info check out the Bardavon web site at www.bardavon.org or call the Bardavon at (845) 473-2072 or check out Poughkeepsie River District website at www.pokriverdistrict.org.

This is the 4th and final event in the Bardavon's 4 Seasons of the Hudson Valley Festival, a celebration of the arts and culture of the Mid-Hudson Valley, made possible with public funds from the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo's Mid-Hudson Regional Economic Development Council and the New York State Legislature.
 View Celebration of Lights parade video clip click here