Attendees danced to live music and took carriage rides along M.A.C. Avenue, pulled by a pair of horses. Children and adults petted and fed a reindeer near Fountain Square.

Food stand owner John Coram, who owns Johnny Secreto’s specialty spice blends and sauces, said the festival is an outstanding idea to help bring people together.

“I thinks it’s outstanding for the community to come together to enjoy good music, good food and buy potential Christmas gifts for family and friends,” he said.

Sara Beer, who makes and sells her own granola, called Spoonful of Granola, said the festival definitely benefits the business, as it features a different variety of people than the farm markets held during the summer.

“It just brings out different people and gets the business name out there a little bit better,” she said. “I think it does a great job in terms of keeping local businesses (relevant) in the holiday.”

Sean Lawrie, an East Lansing resident, said the city has a nice mash-up of college students and families and that it’s good for everyone to come together as a community.

“(It’s) nice to have events like this to bring the communities together,” he said. “Bottom line is (that it’s the) spirit that counts.”

Graduate student Ryan Price said he came to Winter Glow to check out some of the attractions and stands.

“Anything that’s going on in East Lansing I want to see it and be a part of it,” he said.