by Max Marbut
Staff Writer
The 24th Annual Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony at the Landing begins at 7 p.m. Friday in the courtyard.
For 21 years, the Landing selected a natural tree and funded its transportation to Downtown’s riverfront entertainment and retail center, where it was erected and decorated.
This year marks the third in a row for the energy-efficient artificial tree that stands 56 feet tall. It has been decorated with 78,454 LED lights and more than 240 ornaments that will debut when the display is first illuminated Friday evening.
Music for the ceremony will be provided by the chorus and orchestra from Douglas Anderson School of the Arts beginning at 6:30 p.m. Jacksonville’s own national recording artist and “American Idol” finalist Phil Stacey is also on the entertainment lineup.
The Roar of the Jaguars has been invited and a special guest will light the tree this year. The evening will conclude with one of the largest fireworks shows of the year starting about 8 p.m. A half-hour live broadcast of the ceremony will begin at 7:30 p.m. on Ch. 30.
New this year is the installation of even more lights in the Landing’s courtyard that will be programmed as part of the light show. There also are many more decorations in and around the Landing.
“We have twice as many lights as we had last year. It took us a week-and-a-half to decorate the property,” said Blakeley Ainsworth, Landing public relations and marketing coordinator. “Unless the stores had some hiding in the back, we bought every red bow in Jacksonville.”
The tree is programmed for a 10-minute synchronized light show set to a medley of holiday music. The light shows begin following the ceremony and continue daily until New Year’s Eve at 6 p.m., 7 p.m., 8 p.m. and 9 p.m. Sunday-Thursday and every hour from 6 p.m.-midnight Friday and Saturday.
“The Lighting Ceremony kicks off the holiday season,” said Landing General Manager Janice Lowe. “After the tree is lit, we’ll begin a monthlong schedule of daily and evening performances by local schools, churches and dance groups.”
At 7 p.m. Saturday, the annual Jacksonville Light Parade will feature dozens of boaters and their decorated vessels along the St. Johns River.
This year’s parade will make two laps from Metropolitan Park along the Northbank past the Landing to the Fuller Warren Bridge and then circle back to the Southbank, traveling under the Main Street Bridge and past the Navy Memorial Statue to the Duval County School Board Building.
Families are encouraged to bring chairs, blankets and picnics to the riverfront.
After the parade, a fireworks display will be shot from barges in front of the Landing, the Hyatt and Metropolitan Park. The signature “waterfall” fireworks will cascade off the Main Street and Acosta bridges.
For light parade details, visit www.makeascenedowntown.com.
356-2466