Preparations Underway For Jerseyville Downtown Country Christmas, Bright Nights 2026
Santa Claus will arrive by helicopter during family-friendly Christmas festival with food, activities and more in downtown Jerseyville; holiday lighting displays across town will run through Dec.
Jerseyville’s Downtown Country Christmas and Bright Nights bring holiday activities and lights
JERSEYVILLE – The Downtown Country Christmas Festival is returning soon to Jerseyville with free holiday fun for families, followed by festive Bright Nights displays across the city through the end of 2026.
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The Downtown Country Christmas Festival is held each year on the Saturday after Thanksgiving. This year’s event is set for 1 to 5 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 28, 2026 at City Center Plaza, located at E. Pearl St. and N. Jefferson St. across from the Stadium Theater.
Beth McGlasson, president of Downtown Country Christmas Festival Inc., shared more exciting details about this year’s Downtown Country Christmas Festival and Bright Nights celebration on Our Daily Show on Riverbender.com.
With festive Bright Nights displays coming to Rotary Park, Lions Club Park, Dolan Park and the Jersey County Courthouse lawn, McGlasson said: “We light up the city for the holidays.”
The holiday displays will be lit from 5-11 p.m. each night from Nov. 28 to Dec. 31, 2026. The large-scale drive-thru display at Dolan Park features a 22-foot animated and lighted tree, while Rotary Park across from McCarry’s Dairyland will have an all-new “sweet shop” themed display this year.
The festival itself on Saturday, Nov. 28 features a full lineup of family holiday fun. From 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., a craft bazaar and vendor fair is taking place at the Holy Ghost gym at 310 N. State St., followed by a free 11 a.m. showing of the holiday movie Klaus at the Stadium Theater, located at 117 E. Pearl St.
Santa Claus will arrive by helicopter at 1 p.m. at Jersey Community High School before coming to City Center Plaza for free photos with families. Several other free activities kick off from 1 to 4:30 p.m., including inflatables, balloon art, face painting, hay rides, games, an ornament-making station and much more, with more details on the official event page on Riverbender.com.
“The festival is fabulous because it is free, and that’s especially important now,” McGlasson said. “You do have to sign a waiver and get a free wrist band – no cost, kids just get a free wrist band – so we can keep track of how many guests we have.”
Other free activities include an ugly sweater contest at 3 p.m., a presentation of the Kringle Award at 4:45 p.m. and the lighting of the official Jerseyville Christmas tree at 5 p.m. McGlasson said the Kringle Award is presented to “someone in our community that really embodies the spirit of Christmas in their giving efforts.”
Starting at 5:15 p.m., “Rudolph’s Red-Nosed Parade” will begin at the corner of East Prairie and Jefferson Streets before heading north along Jefferson and ending in the Jersey Community High School parking lot.
A few paid activities are also available throughout the day, including food trucks serving a variety of food at the festival from 12 to 5 p.m.
Rhonda Allen of Allen Greenhouse will sell live wreaths at the corner of State and East Pearl Streets from 12 to 4:30 p.m. Wade Family Farms will sell live Christmas trees on the lot between Medford Food Mart at 216 N. State Street and Heneghan, White, Cutting & Roentz Insurance at 200 N. State St.
This year also marks the second annual Best Business Holiday Window Contest, bringing festive window decorations to the downtown Jerseyville business district for residents and visitors to enjoy.
“Anybody who’s looking to get a jump on their Christmas shopping, you definitely want to come to Jerseyville that day and do some shopping,” McGlasson said. “If you’ve never been to Jerseyville, it’s an adorable town, they have lots of nice little shops up there … it’s just a fun place to spend the day.”
For more details on this year’s Downtown Country Christmas Festival and Bright Nights celebration, see the event page on Riverbender.com or the official event website or Facebook page. The full interview with McGlasson is available at the top of this story or on Riverbender.com/video.
This Featured Article is sponsored by Downtown Country Christmas Festival Inc. To get your business or organization featured on Riverbender.com, contact us at sales@riverbender.com.
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