by Noella Noelophile®
(Photo courtesy of Downtown Sacramento.)
It’s almost that time.
Tomorrow evening, Wednesday, November 23rd, the Annual Holiday Tree Lighting is happening in downtown Sacramento!
This is going to be a celebration, all the way around.
At 5:00 tomorrow evening, lead-in performances start, on K Street between Front and Second.
The talents of the Sacramento City College Chorus and Sacramento Gay Men’s Chorus will start off the festivities. Then, at 6:00, get ready to “ooh” and “aah” as the 65-foot-tall Christmas tree officially comes alive with lights!
(Photo courtesy of Downtown Sacramento.)
But that won’t be the conclusion of the program.
At 6:30, visitors get treated to a special performance of Old Sacramento Waterfront’s nationally-recognized “Theatre of Lights”!
“Theatre of Lights” happens on the balconies above K Street. Lighting, choreography and special effects combine with a dramatic reading of Clement Clarke Moore’s “A Visit From St. Nicholas”. Elements of Old Sacramento history, humor and a crowd-favorite villain, Jack Frost, make this a uniquely-Californian Christmas celebration. And rumor has it that there may be some snow in the forecast!
(Photo courtesy of Downtown Sacramento.)
Admission is free, to the tree lighting, vocal performances and 20-minute “Theatre of Lights” performance.
And what better way to welcome the season, afterwards, than supporting Sacramento’s independent businesses as you browse the local shops or enjoy a meal in one of the downtown restaurants?
Last year, I had the pleasure of interviewing Stage 9 Productions’ Troy Carlson, creator of the “Theatre of Lights” show. You can hear his story, of creating and producing “Theatre of Lights”, here.
(Photo courtesy of Downtown Sacramento.)
And while there’s only one “Theatre of Lights” performance happening tomorrow evening, following the debut tree lighting, two performances will be offered, Thursdays through Sundays with the exception of Thanksgiving Day, with pre- and post-show Christmastime entertainment.
Merry Christmas and Happy Thanksgiving, Sacramento! Oh, and try not to boo “Jack Frost” too hard.
Given the season, he may just have a chance for redemption.
Downtown Sacramento kicks off the Christmas season tomorrow evening at 5 with their lead-in performances, followed by the official “Holiday Tree Lighting” at 6, on K Street between Front and Second. Then, at 6:30, the 20-minute lighting extravaganza, “Theatre of Lights”, will be presented. This will be the only performance of “Theatre of Lights” tomorrow evening. However, every Thursday through Sunday, from now through Saturday, December 24th, two “Theatre of Lights” performances will be offered, at 6:00 pm and 7:30 pm. There will be no performances scheduled on Thanksgiving Day. The season’s final performance of “Theatre of Lights” will be offered on Christmas Eve, Saturday, December 24th at 6 pm. All performances are free and will include pre- and post-show Christmas entertainment.