More than one million people will travel to Chicago's Magnificent Mile to start their holiday season during the 22nd annual BMO Harris Bank Magnificent Mile Lights Festival® on Saturday, November 23, 2013. Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse from the Walt Disney World® Resort in Florida will lead a magical evening lighting parade down The Magnificent Mile®, illuminating more than one million lights on 200 trees along North Michigan Avenue.

The beloved holiday tradition signals the beginning of the season for the nation with an action-packed weekend throughout The Magnificent Mile district. On Saturday, November 23, North Michigan Avenue sets the stage for a host of holiday fun. Top musical performers will take the BMO Harris Bank Stage during the afternoon's live concert line-up, such as Jason Mraz, KT Tunstall, and Plain White T's in past years. Starting at 11 am, families are invited to enjoy holiday-themed activities in Lights Festival Lane (Pioneer Court, 401 N. Michigan Avenue) featuring booths from Chicago's finest including John Hancock Observatory, Garrett Popcorn Shops, The Eli's Cheesecake Company, BMO Harris Bank and more.

The day's activities lead up to the much-anticipated lighting parade, the country's largest evening holiday celebration, beginning at 5:30 pm. Grand marshals Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse will appear together for the third year in a row on an awe-inspiring new float as they illuminate the tree-lined Michigan Avenue and lead more than 40 magnificent floats, helium-filled balloons, classic characters from the Walt Disney World® Resort, lively marching bands from across the country and musical performances.

Audiences can expect crowd favorites to return such as Santa Claus soaring above the crowds on the John Hancock Observatory float, the larger-than-life Hubert the Lion balloon from BMO Harris Bank, the world-famous scent of Garrett Popcorn Shop's popcorn infused down the procession route from the shop's float and more.

The BMO Harris Bank Magnificent Mile Lights Festival draws to a grand conclusion with a spectacular fireworks display over the Chicago River created by more than 10,000 handmade fireworks shells from Lumina, Inc.

Special holiday offers and events from area shops, restaurants, hotels and attractions continue throughout the holiday season.  For a complete list of offers and activities, visit themagnificentmile.com or follow The Magnificent Mile on Facebook, Twitter and foursquare. 

About The Magnificent Mile®

The Magnificent Mile® is Chicago's premier destination, offering more than 3.3 million square feet of retail space, 460 stores, 275 restaurants, 23,000 hotel rooms in 60 hotels, unique museums and entertaining attractions to more than 20 million visitors each year. The Magnificent Mile district features world-renowned shopping, dining and hotel accommodations, internationally-recognized events and exceptional urban landscaping with more than 52 unique parkway gardens that reflect the changing seasons and complement the unique architectural beauty of Chicago. For more information, visit themagnificentmile.com or follow The Magnificent Mile on Facebook, Twitter and foursquare.

About BMO Harris Bank

Based in Chicago, BMO Harris Bank N.A. provides a broad range of personal banking products and solutions through over 600 branches and approximately 1,300 ATMs in Illinois, Wisconsin, Indiana, Kansas, Missouri, Minnesota, Nevada, Arizona and Florida. BMO Harris Bank's commercial banking team provides a combination of sector expertise, local knowledge and mid-market focus throughout the U.S. Deposit and loan products and services provided by BMO Harris Bank N.A. Member FDIC. BMO Harris BankSM is a trade name used by BMO Harris Bank N.A. BMO Harris Bank is part of BMO Financial Group, a North American financial organization with 1,600 branches, and a retail deposit base of approximately $180 billion.

###