The Big, Bright Light Show

01 / The story of this place

Make time for these

Back in 2006, the small Oakland County city of Rochester decided to wrap its downtown buildings in lights from roofline to sidewalk. The first year used half a million bulbs; today more than 1.5 million points of light outline the storefronts along Main Street. The lights glow every evening from 5 p.m. to midnight, Thanksgiving week through mid-January, and the show has caught national attention from the Wall Street Journal to Parade. Walk Main Street, duck into a shop or a cozy restaurant, and soak it all in.

1. More than 1.5 million points of light
2. Storefronts wrapped in color along Main Street
3. Lit nightly from 5 p.m. to midnight
4. Downtown shops, cafes and restaurants under the glow