Plaza Lighting Ceremony
When the holidays roll around, the Plaza Lighting Ceremony is a nine-decade tradition. In 1925, a single strand of 16 colored lights was hung above a doorway on the Plaza to celebrate the holidays. The number of lights increased annually which then inspired the official lighting ceremony which first took place in 1930.
On Thanksgiving night, tens of thousands of people pour into The Plaza for the local entertainment and to watch the special guest “flip the switch” turning on all the lights which officially ushers in the Christmas season. From Thanksgiving evening through mid-January, they shine nightly from 5:00 p.m. to 3:00 a.m.
Did you know there are over 80 miles of lights with 280,000 multi-colored bulbs, and that Walter Cronkite and Mickey Mouse have been some of the celebrity guests to “flip the switch”?