The residents of Chippewa Falls are very serious about their Christmas traditions.

Every year on Black Friday (the day after Thanksgiving) Chippewa Falls is transformed into a Christmas Wonderland. Hundreds of visitors come every year to see the magnificent light displays, noble soldiers, and shining angels in the Christmas Village in Irvine Park.

The volunteers are what makes the Christmas village special. Without fail, the Bridge to Wonderland Parade marches through downtown Chippewa Falls on December 1st every year with about 50 floats assembled by volunteers and sponsored by various local businesses. Participants in the parade dress up in costumes, ride the floats and hand out candy to the families. After the parade, the whole community is invited to Irvine Park to take a walk through the Christmas Village and enjoy the lights.

For the past 27 years, over one hundred volunteers have come together to put up over 60,000 lights and assemble 195 Christmas displays in Irvine Park. The display lasts from Thanksgiving until after New Year’s – the average electric bill for the display is $3,000. Money well spent.