(12.6) The holiday season kicks into high gear this Friday with the City Hall tree lighting ceremony, followed by music, caroling, and illuminations. This year the rink will not be part of this celebration as they are just finishing up the renovation project — tentative opening date, December 20 — but other activities, installations, and activations have been planned around nearby streets and in the Biltmore Park. (Please note that Three Nights of Light begins on Thursday — see below.)
The tree lighting event will kick off with performances by two youth choirs. Santa will join the celebration with a parade that culminates with the lighting of the tree. Following the lighting ceremony, Chachi Carvalho will take the stage as the headliner from 6:15 to 7:30pm. After the show, cast members from Trinity Repertory Theater’s A Christmas Carol will lead the crowd in caroling past an illuminated light experience by The Avenue Concept on Eddy Street and down Westminster Street to the Holiday Market at Grant’s Block. DWRI Letter Press will also be on site throughout the event, leading family-friendly activations.
The tree lighting is part of the weekend-long celebration, Three Nights of Lights, which returns to Providence on December 5, 6 and 7 with ice sculptures at Biltmore Park, a partial WaterFire lighting in Memorial Park (Saturday), holiday markets and illuminated murals and installations throughout the city.
Catch the MASARY ‘Sound Sculpture’ presented by FirstWorks, an interactive sound and light instrument in Biltmore Park on Friday, December 6 beginning at 4:45pm. And don’t miss The Avenue Concept’s Illuminated Avenue, featuring curated exhibits, party stations, illuminations and storytelling on Thursday, December 5 and Friday, December 6.
The event is free and open to the public and includes numerous performances and activities for celebrants of all ages and abilities. And of course you can always catch a bite to eat and a drink at your favorite restaurant, bar, or bistro.
Free, Tree Lighting, 5:30pm, Friday, December 6, City Hall, 25 Dorrance Street, (directions)