Thousands of holiday lights will be coming to Downtown DeLand and the surrounding area as the City of DeLand and MainStreet DeLand Association launch the inaugural Winter Wonder DeLand.
Winter Wonder DeLand presented by AdventHealth and Cookies LLC is a month long celebration of the holidays where residents and visitors can enjoy the holiday lighting displays and the holiday ambience in downtown DeLand and also support the city’s local merchants and restaurants.
Downtown areas that will be adorned in lights this year include Chess Park, Pioneer Park, Indiana Avenue and Georgia Avenue. Oversized ornaments will also be making appearances in sections of downtown. Parts of Earl Brown Park will also be lit up for the month of December.
And, of course, our famed toy soldiers will be returning to patrol several intersections throughout downtown.
“This is a great example of our community coming together and investing in our town,” said Mayor Robert F. Apgar. “We invite people to bring their families to our city to view the lighting displays and other holiday decorations. While you are here, please be sure to support our local merchants and restaurants.”
The city and MainStreet DeLand plan to expand Winter Wonder DeLand over the next several years to make Downtown DeLand a premier destination for the holidays.
Winter Wonder DeLand will officially begin on December 3 to coincide with the annual lighting of the Christmas tree outside DeLand City Hall and MainStreet DeLand’s holiday wreath in Pioneer Park. Santa Claus will visit both locations that evening. Santa will also be riding our antique fire truck to visit neighborhoods over the course of several evenings during December. These events will also complement the various other holiday events in the city.
The annual DeLand Christmas Parade presented by the Rotary Clubs of DeLand is also coming back on December 4 following a one year hiatus. Then on Sunday December 5, the DeLand Indie Market will return to Artisan Alley.
The following weekend on December 10, DeLand Parks & Recreation will launch a new event called, “A Walk Through Christmas at Earl Brown Park”. This event will transform Earl Brown Park into a European-style Christmas market where guests will be able to view different holiday scenes and be able to enjoy festive treats.
The holiday lights in Downtown DeLand and Earl Brown Park will remain in place until the beginning of January.
Winter Wonder DeLand is a public-private partnership that has been made possible this year by a number of sponsorships. Presenting sponsors include AdventHealth and Cookies LLC. Other major sponsors include Duke Energy, City Sanctuary Church, MainStreet Community Bank, DaVita, Café DaVinci, Conrad Realty Company, GFL Environmental, Persimmon Hollow Brewing Company and Paul, Elkind, Branz, Paul – Attorneys at Law.
We are still seeking other sponsors to join in supporting Winter Wonder DeLand this year and to sustain it for future years. Businesses or entities interested in partnering as a sponsor of the event, please contact Community Information Manager Chris Graham at 386-872-0821 or via email at grahamc@deland.org.
– Chris Graham
