South Bend Holiday Light Parade

Downtown South Bend's Holiday Light Parade sends floats, bands, dancers and walking units down Jefferson Boulevard, and every entry must be lit up in some way, whether with Christmas lights or glow sticks. The parade is organized by Downtown South Bend, a nonprofit whose board includes downtown business owners and residents, the University of Notre Dame and city officials. It's a short, roughly 45-minute show.

Our take: Make a night of it with dinner downtown before the short evening parade.