FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WOWO) — Fort Wayne’s annual Christmas on Broadway celebration returns Friday, November 20, bringing Santa, a holiday parade, a 40-foot Christmas tree, fireworks and family activities to the Broadway Plaza.

The 22nd annual event begins at 5 p.m. and will once again serve as the unofficial gateway to the holiday season in Fort Wayne.

Junior Achievement of Northern Indiana has been selected as this year’s featured charitable organization. Children involved with Junior Achievement will participate in the parade and help light the massive Colorado Blue Spruce at Broadway Plaza.

The tree lighting is scheduled for 6 p.m., with fireworks and Christmas music accompanying the illumination of the tree.

Organizers Steve Shine and Tom Hardin of Shine & Hardin, LLP, who founded Christmas on Broadway 22 years ago, said the event will highlight Junior Achievement’s work preparing young people for their futures.

Karen Cooper, Chief Program and Operations Officer for Junior Achievement of Northern Indiana, said the organization is honored to be part of a celebration centered on children and families.

“The future of our community and country rests with today’s youth,” Cooper said.

She said Junior Achievement helps young people develop skills, knowledge and confidence that can help prepare them for school, work and life.

The evening’s festivities will begin with the Concordia Lutheran High School Marching Band leading a parade down Broadway.

The nationally recognized band, directed by Jennifer Porath, will perform holiday music along the route.

Following the band will be a 1942 antique firetruck from the Fort Wayne Firefighters Museum carrying Junior Achievement children.

Members of surrounding neighborhood associations will also participate.

The parade will culminate with the arrival of Santa Claus aboard a massive sleigh and reindeer float.

The float stands 10 feet tall and stretches 22 feet long. It was constructed by Mark Gray, owner of Graycraft Signs Fort Wayne.

Santa and his helpers will greet families at Broadway Plaza and hand out Santa hats and candy canes.

Children will also have the opportunity to meet and pet one of Santa’s reindeer.

The parade will begin at Broadway and Creighton and travel to Broadway Plaza in the heart of Fort Wayne’s ’07 neighborhood.

The centerpiece of the celebration will be a 40-foot Colorado Blue Spruce decorated with more than 40,000 colored lights.

When the tree is illuminated at 6 p.m., a fireworks display will accompany the lighting.

Families will have another holiday attraction to enjoy with rides aboard the Polar Express miniature train.

The train will be located in the east-side parking lot next to the Shine & Hardin building. It features an engine, three passenger cars, Christmas decorations and holiday music.

Food and beverage vendors will also be available throughout the evening.

Coterie Pizza will serve pizza prepared in an Italian stone oven. Smoking J’s will offer items including egg rolls, smoked meats and macaroni and cheese.

Travelin’ Tom’s Coffee Truck will offer hot drinks including lattes, cappuccinos, mochas and hot chocolate.

The Fort Wayne Komets will also be represented at the celebration by their mascot, Icy.

The annual WOWO Penny Pitch will begin at 3 p.m. on November 20 at Broadway Plaza.

WOWO’s Casey Hendrickson will broadcast live from the event, with WOWO staff collecting donations from motorists traveling along Broadway.

The Penny Pitch is entering its 79th year and remains one of Fort Wayne’s longest-running charitable traditions.

The event will also receive extensive television coverage.

21Alive will broadcast live from Broadway Plaza beginning at 4 p.m., with the station’s two-hour, 30-minute news block originating from the celebration.

The expanded coverage is designed to allow viewers throughout Northeast Indiana to participate even if they cannot attend in person.

The event’s media sponsors include 21Alive and Federated Media, which owns WOWO, 97.3 WMEE, 1380 The Fan, 98.9 The Bear and K-105.

Chris Fedele, Vice President and General Manager of 21Alive, said the station is proud to provide extensive coverage of the annual celebration.

“Christmas on Broadway” has become known as the gateway event to start the holiday season,” Fedele said.

Ben Saurer, Vice President and General Manager of the Federated Media radio stations, said the event is another opportunity for WOWO and its sister stations to support a long-running Fort Wayne community tradition.

The Christmas tree itself will arrive several days before the celebration.

Mudrack Tree Service will transport the Colorado Blue Spruce to Broadway Plaza on Monday, November 16.

CME Construction built the large stand that will support the tree.

21Alive plans to cover the tree’s arrival live beginning at 5 a.m. during its Morning News. WOWO will also provide radio coverage.

Once the tree is in place, crews from A Yard Apart will spend the week decorating it with more than 40,000 lights and preparing the plaza for thousands of expected spectators.

The event site will be managed with assistance from the Associated Builders and Contractors Indiana Kentucky Chapter under the supervision of Felisha Anderson, Director of Council Management.

The electrical engineering behind the tree’s multicolored lighting displays was designed by Mark Mongold of Kissinger Electric in Columbia City.

A computer center inside the Shine & Hardin building controls the lighting patterns on the Broadway Plaza fountain during the warmer months and will provide lighting displays for the plaza during the holiday season.

Christmas on Broadway also will include a children’s coloring contest.

The Journal Gazette will publish a full-page Christmas tree outline in its November 14 edition, giving children an opportunity to create their own version of the holiday tree.

The top three entries will receive Visa gift cards from Lake City Bank along with prizes from Federated Media and 21Alive.

Entries must be received by Wednesday, December 16.

Winners will be announced Christmas Eve, December 24, during 21Alive’s Morning News, WOWO programming and “Christmas Time with Steve Shine” on 21Alive.

The 2026 broadcast will mark the 41st annual airing of “Christmas Time with Steve Shine,” a local holiday television tradition that has featured community personalities and guests for more than four decades.

This year’s Christmas on Broadway sponsors include the Fort Wayne Komets, Lake City Bank, Bruce Dye, IU Health, Heller Homes, Prairie Farms Dairy, Deister Machine Company, Kelley Automotive, Keith Byers, CME Construction, Mudrack Tree Service, Kissinger Electric and Graycraft Signs Fort Wayne.

Downtown Fort Wayne and the event’s media partners are also supporting the celebration.

Broadway Plaza sits along the Broadway Corridor, between Electric Works to the north and Quimby Village and the Clyde to the south.

The Broadway Corridor includes nine surrounding neighborhoods: Broad River, Creighton-Home, Historic South Wayne, Historic Oakdale, Fairfield, Illsley Place, Williams-Woodland, West Rudisill and the Michigan Avenue Neighborhood Association.

Organizers say the annual celebration is made possible by the continued support of local businesses, community organizations and individuals.

For Fort Wayne families, the evening will bring together the parade, Santa, a live reindeer, a holiday train, food, music, fireworks and the lighting of one of the city’s largest Christmas trees — officially launching the 2026 holiday season on November 20.