Jordan Alwood
If you were looking for some festive ways to get in the spirit for the holidays, we’ve got you covered. This month we have the Tree Lighting followed by Theatre of Lights at the Old Sacramento Waterfront! We’d love to tell you all about it and treat you to a FREE festive holiday activity that’s perfect for all ages. To see the full schedule of Theatre of Lights click HERE. To see a sneak peek of the Waterfront decorations click HERE.
Holiday Tree Lighting
Sacramento’s favorite holiday tradition is back! Kick off our annual Theatre of Lights extravaganza with the annual Holiday Tree lighting ceremony at Old Sacramento Waterfront. The fun begins at 5 p.m. at Front and K streets with live performances. Then at 6 PM, the tree lighting will commence!
Organizers said this is the tallest tree they have ever had on display at the waterfront. It’s the same size as the tree at the State Capitol and is 65 feet tall, weighs about 12,000 pounds, and is about 40 years old.
It took a crane operator two hours to get the tree standing and positioned between Front and Second Streets. Volunteers and local businesses have spent the last two weeks decorating the tree with 24,000 lights, 550 icicles, 400 strobes, and other specialty lights from Stage Nine Entertainment.
When the clock strikes 6 PM, you can watch the cheer and excitement rise from the crowd as the entire Waterfront is lit up by gorgeous lights. It truly is a magical scene and kicks off the holiday season in just the right way.
Theatre of Lights
Theatre of Lights is a free holiday lighting extravaganza at the Old Sacramento Waterfront produced by the Downtown Sacramento Partnership. The nightly performances are Thursday through Sunday from Thanksgiving Eve – Christmas Eve (no show on Thanksgiving) featuring a live-action retelling of Moore’s 1823 poem — “A Visit from St. Nicholas,” more popularly known as “’ Twas the Night Before Christmas.”
The highlight of the 20-minute production is a live dramatization on the balconies above K Street, complete with a special appearance by Jack Frost, and the lighting of the 60-foot Christmas tree by St. Nick himself. Discover how early pioneers experienced the calamities — and revelry — that befell the new city in the 1850s, the sounds of the fires, floods, and parties will surround the audience as the 150-year-old building facades light up with color.
Conceived and created by Stage Nine Exhibitions’ Troy Carlson, Theatre of Lights brings together some of California’s finest talents in the field of light and sound: BP Productions, Associated Sound, and Emmy-nominated voice actor Bill Farmer, the voice of Disney’s Goofy.
This event is happening from November 23rd through December 24th.
Schedule for November 23rd:
5 PM Pre-show performances
6 PM Tree lighting ceremony
6:30 PM ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas performance
Happy Holidays!
No matter where you spend the holidays or how you celebrate, we hope it’s full of love and fun. Cheers!