January 24th, 2020
The Kiwanis Holiday Lights Board of Directors is pleased to announce an all-time-high of $65,000 will be donated to the 69 non-profit organizations that assisted with the event this past year.
“The combination of driving traffic and those who chose to park and walk through Kiwanis Holiday Lights because of this year’s mild December temperatures contributed to a higher number of nightly visitors than in past years,” said Scott Wojcik, Kiwanis Holiday Lights President. “Visitors really enjoy walking through the displays when temperatures allow and they can spend time taking in the sights at their own pace as well as visiting Santa, exploring the interactive displays and enjoying the warming house and concessions,” he said.
Additional statistics include:
- Over 160,000 people attended the 33-day event in 2019 (an average of nearly 4,900 attendees per night)
- 12 tons of food was donated to 19 regional food shelves
- The event remains completely volunteer led and operated
- All set-up was completed over 10 days during the five weekends prior to opening
- All tear-down was completed in 2.5 days in early January
- $65,000 will be donated back to the 69 non-profit groups that provided 12,000+ hours contributing to set-up, tear-down and evening volunteer help during the event. Remaining proceeds will go to help offset expenses and to improve the event in future years.
- 100+ Greater Mankato businesses participated as cash or in-kind sponsors, showing continued support for the annual event
- The opening parade and lighting ceremony for the 2020 Kiwanis Holiday Lights season will be November 27, 2020.
The Impact of Kiwanis Holiday Lights Since Its Inception in 2012
- 108.7 tons of food has been collected for area food shelves
- $432,000 has been donated to the non-profits who have provided volunteers
- Over 1,160,000 people have visited the event to date.
About Kiwanis Holiday Lights
Kiwanis Holiday Lights was established in 2012 by members of the Kiwanis Club of Mankato. The Kiwanis Holiday Lights mission is “Create a celebration of Holiday Lights for the Greater Mankato Area that builds on past traditions and promotes the communities we serve, while raising non-perishable food donations for those in need.” The free event is held each year in Sibley Park in Mankato, MN. Cash and food donations are accepted each night.