Downtown Dowagiac will be lit from Front Street to Depot Drive Friday night, as a massive procession of illuminated floats, vehicles and walkers take to the streets for the Dowagiac Candlelight Christmas Parade.

The annual nighttime parade will kick off at 7 p.m., with the route going down Front Street before winding down Division and turning onto Depot Drive. Pre-parade festivities begin at 6:15 p.m., which include performances by the ACTION Chorale and Positively Dance, as well as the introduction parade Grand Marshal Jim Allen.

The Greater Dowagiac Chamber of Commerce is once again organizing the event, which caps off the chamber’s annual Christmas Celebration, which included the city’s open house weekend and Small Businesses Saturday last month. Co-chairing the planning committee for the parade are Chamber Program Director Vickie Phillipson and President Kim MacGregor.

“There will be lots of food and beverages on site, the weather looks outstanding and we will more than 100 units participating,” MacGregor said. “We are really looking forward to it.”

MacGregor will also co-host the parade, alongside Steve Arseneau, director of the Dowagiac Area History Museum.

A combination of returning favorites and new faces comprise this year’s parade lineup, including fire engines from several local departments, K-9 units from both the Dowagiac Police Department and Cass County Sheriff’s Office and the Dowagiac Chieftains and Cassopolis Rangers marching bands.

The unique evening parade has become a stalwart tradition for many area families, with the event always drawing hundreds to line the streets of downtown, MacGregor said.

Downtown businesses are more than willing to accommodate the crowds, with many offering extended hours or refreshments to spectators.

“Not only does it help our downtown businesses — who will have plenty of people stopping by throughout the evening — but also those outside the central business district, as many of them are participating in the parade,” MacGregor said. “It is free exposure you just cannot beat.”

Around 50 volunteers are pitching in to assist with the parade, helping with the lineup and ensuring that spectators remain a safe distance from the roadway.

Those wishing to watch the parade from inside their vehicles are welcome to park alongside one of the lots on Depot Drive, MacGregor said.

“We always have a good time, and it will be a lot of fun,” she said, encouraging people to attend the parade. “It will be worth your while to come and see.”

The chamber will also host the drawing for its raffle on the two-year lease of a 2016 Equinox LT, provided by C. Wimberley, prior to the kickoff of the parade.