Near-record attendance seen at Folepis Winter Wonderland in East Peoria [Video]

EAST PEORIA (25News Now) – Lights continue to shine brightly in East Peoria where the 40th anniversary edition of Folepi’s Winter Wonderland is drawing near-record attendance.

Festival organizers said more than 20,000 vehicles have driven through the dazzling displays since the festival opened Friday, Nov. 29, keeping the event on track to reach 25,000 vehicles before all the lights go out on Sunday, Jan. 5.

Organizers attribute better than expected attendance this year to several factors, including enhanced marketing efforts, new floats, and special promotions.

“For us, the numbers we are seeing are an uptick compared to last year, and we think that’s due to the 40th year, the marketing, the new floats, and adding more coupons on weeknights,” said Kory Brown, Festival of Lights Chair. “Having Santa there also brought in extra traffic we wouldn’t normally see.”

Winter Wonderland is open nightly, including New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day, running until …