GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. -- A two-month-long winter festival billed as the Midwest's largest is getting underway in downtown Grand Rapids.
It features more than 100 free events and activities, plus outdoor art installations. The event is produced and managed by Downtown Grand Rapids Inc.
The opening event titled, "Glow it Up" will run tonight from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. There will be a 1/3rd-mile luminary walk from the south sidewalk of the Grand Rapids Public Museum leading to Ah-Nab-Awen Park. The walk includes gathering at the Singing Tree at the south GRPM lawn, then leading over to the carousel to Rainbow of Isotopes at the front lawn, and then over to Tropical Tundra Projection under the Gillett Bridge, before ending in front of Starry Night in the ANA stage area.
An event called Circus Wonderland at Calder Plaza runs from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. is set for Saturday from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. That will feature stilt walkers, LED performers, fire breathers and aerialists, according to the World of Winter website. There also will be art installation walking tour on Saturday beginning at 5 p.m., starting at Rosa Parks Circle.
Some pre-festival architectural walking tours took place earlier this week. Today, an event called "Scavenger Hunt: WOW Edition" kicked off. That runs through March 5. You have a chance to win prizes if you complete the various scavenger-hunt missions. The hunts usually take one to two hours to complete.
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