Kiwanis Holiday Lights Announces $110,000 Donation to 71 Nonprofits and 2025 Statistics

The Kiwanis Holiday Lights Board of Directors has approved $110,000 in donations to the seventy-one area non-profits that assisted this past year. “Although we started off slow this year with some bad weather, the generosity of an anonymous donor allowed us to set a record in giving.” said Scott Wojcik, Kiwanis Holiday Lights President. “We are already looking forward to year fourteen with more lights, displays, and hopefully more donations.”

Additional statistics include:

• Over 160,000 people attended the free event in 2025.
• The event remains completely volunteer driven.
• All set-up was completed over 10 days during the five weekends prior to opening.
• All tear-down was completed in two and half days in early January.
• $110,000 will be donated back to the non-profit groups that assisted with set-up, tear-down and evening volunteer help during the event.
• Seventy-one non-profit groups participated, providing 11,000 volunteer hours with 2,500 volunteers participating.
• For the thirteenth year, visitors were encouraged to vote on their favorite non-profit tree this year. Winners were:

• • • 1^st place – LEEP – $300 prize.
    • 2^nd Place – Lifeworks Services- $200 prize
    • 3^rd Place – MAYBA – $100 prize

• Over 2,500 children visited Santa, and each received a Kiwanis Holiday Lights coloring book.
• 63 Greater Mankato businesses participated as cash sponsors and 30 Businesses were in-kind sponsors, showing continued support for the annual event.
• 2 tons of food was collected for twenty-two area food shelves.
• The opening night parade was presented by Wahpekute Lodge- Order of the Arrow.

• • The winner of the float contest was Mayflower Kato Moving and Storage.
• Over two million energy-efficient LED lights glowed brightly throughout the event.
• Forty-five area restaurants donated food to help feed the volunteers during the event, as well as during set-up and tear-down.
• The opening parade and lighting ceremony for the 2026 Kiwanis Holiday Lights season will be November 27^th, 2026.

THE IMPACT OF KIWANIS HOLIDAY LIGHTS SINCE ITS INCEPTION IN 2012

159 tons of food has been collected for area food shelves.

$900,000 has been donated to the non-profits who have provided volunteers.

Over 2.11 million people have visited the event to date.

Over 25,000 volunteers from over 145 nonprofit organizations have participated

Over 225 businesses have been involved as sponsors, volunteers, or in-kind donors.