Christmas Parade, Arts Festival Brighten Black Friday in Madison

Drip Coffee owner Rupert Jones expects to sell lots of hot chocolate on Black Friday as annual festivities keep the borough's business district bustling before the start of the 35th Annual Christmas Parade.

Drip is one of 16 venues for the Eighth Annual Holiday Arts Festival organized by the Madison Arts & Culture Alliance.

Singer-songwriter Jack Tannehill is scheduled to play the first set at Drip starting at 1 p.m., followed by Christine DeLeon and Michael Aquino.

Other Holiday Arts Festival venues include Poor Herbie's, Blue Purl, On a Roll, Studio Yoga, Investors Bank, Shanghai Jazz, Waverly Green Cabaret, Provident Bank, The Brass Elephant, Rose City Framemakers, Grace Episcopal Church, Shanghai Jazz, Museum of Early Trades & Crafts, Hartley Dodge Memorial, Presbyterian Church of Madison.

(You can see the full festival lineup on the organization's website.)

In addition to festival performances throughout the day, Madison merchants plan to host a Christmas Walk from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m., with merchants offering refreshments to shoppers.

Thousands of spectators are expected to gather to watch the 35th annual Madison Christmas Parade, which steps off at 5:30 p.m., and culminates with Santa Claus lighting the massive tree at Main Street and Waverly Place.

This year's parade doesn't have a particular theme, other than an "old-fashioned Christmas in Madison," Madison Christmas Committee President Carmen Toto Jr. said.

There are approximately 40 different groups marching in the parade, including four bands and dozens of trucks and characters.

Toto's wife, Marie, is the parade MC, and announces from Main Street and Waverly Place.

Toto said they hope to light tree by about 6:15 p.m.