Niantic's 25th Annual Light Parade and Winterfest Is Today

This year's Light Parade in Niantic promises to be an especially big event and you can expect to see a number of Waterford groups, including Waterford Youth Services participating.

This will be the 25th year that East Lyme has celebrated the holidays with a Winterfest and Light Parade and the event has grown each year. It's being held on Saturday, rather than Sunday, this year and starts early with a Winterfest at 2 p.m., featuring a Chili/Chowder Cook-off, Vendors, Magicians, and other outdoor and indoor entertainment.

A fireworks display will kick off the Light Parade at 6:30 p.m. The first seven single white fireworks at the beginning of the display are in honor of the fallen at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. Please give a warm welcome to 92-year-old East Lyme resident and WWII Pearl Harbor Veteran Floyd Welch, who will be following the National Guard at the beginning of the parade.

The Light Parade will wend its way around downtown Niantic. Main Street from Columbus Avenue onto Pennsylvania Avenue to Grand Street will be closed starting at 6:00 p.m. For the first time, Main Street will remain closed after the parade until 10:00 p.m. as floats will reassemble on Main Street allowing everyone to have a closer look at the entries.

Instead of rushing off and getting stuck in traffic, the town is hoping people will stick around and enjoy the festive atmosphere of Niantic and its many restaurants

The weather forecast bodes well for Saturday's event. Although the day will start out with showers and possibly even a little snow this morning, this afternoon should be sunny and this evening mostly clear. Bundle up though, because the high temperature won't reach much beyond 41 degrees and temperatures will drop to a frosty 25 degrees overnight.