P.O. Box 29212
Greensboro, N.C. 27429
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FESTIVAL OF LIGHTS KICKS OFF HOLIDAY SEASON
GREENSBORO, N.C. – The 26th
annual Festival of Lights celebration will be held Friday,
Dec. 5 from 6-9 p.m. in Downtown Greensboro.
The signature sponsor of the event is the Greensboro News &
Record.
The festival will feature a musical stroll, sponsored by
Gate City Transportation, Mary’s Antiques and ArtsGreensboro, spanning seven
blocks along Elm Street. Over 25
performing groups will be showcased. Downtown
shops, restaurants and galleries will be open throughout the festival area for
patrons to enjoy.
The free Gate City Trolley will shuttle visitors from Center
City Park on the north end of the festival to The Railyard on the south end
from 5:30-9:30 p.m. The trolleys will
run approximately every 15 minutes and will stop in the festival area on Elm
Street and at Hamburger Square Park.
Home State Apparel will sponsor a performance by Paperhand
Puppet Intervention. The group will bring two giant,
holiday themed paper puppets to the streets of downtown. Look up to the sky to see them making their
way down Elm Street.
Guilford Merchants Association will sponsor the Winter
Wonderland located at the intersection of South Elm and McGee Streets. Santa Claus will hear holiday gift requests
from children and families are encouraged to take photographs. The Salvation
Army and 107.5 KZL will provide hot chocolate and marshmallows will be
available for roasting amid a flurry of snowflakes, courtesy of City View
Apartments.
The South End on Elm, located in the 500 and 600 blocks of
South Elm Street, will be filled with holiday cheer and entertainment. The Polar Express will be taking children on
a free ride courtesy of Gate City Transportation. Free
hot beverages, provided by the Greensboro Downtown Residents’ Association, will
be available outside of Elements Gallery.
A highlight of the festival will be the Community Sing-Along
and the lighting of the 38-foot Community Tree contributed to Center City Park
by the Joseph M. Bryan Foundation. The celebration
opens with a performance by the North Carolina A&T Fellowship Gospel Choir
at 5:45 p.m. followed by The Community Sing-Along led by Wally West at 7
p.m. The Community Tree and its
five-foot star will be lit at 7:30 p.m. Center
City Park will also host children’s crafts and a bounce house sponsored by
UnitedHealthcare, as well as souvenir reindeer antlers
provided by the News & Record.
Festival of Lights is partnering with ArtsGreensboro and
Downtown Greensboro, Inc. for the December First Friday event. Dozens of downtown galleries, antique and
retail shops will be open late and will showcase local artists and
musicians. A complete list of
participating venues is available at www.downtownfridays.com.
The seasonal First Friday Indie Market will again be held at the corner of
South Elm and Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive.
The First Friday Open House at the Cultural Arts Center at 200 North
Davie Street will feature holiday music and dancers amid the galleries. Be sure to catch the News 2 Piedmont
Winterfest Ice Rink in its new location at The Railyard. Find
additional seasonal event information at www.DowntownInDecember.org.
The City of Greensboro is a co-sponsor of Festival of Lights
and provides assistance for the installation of holiday decorations on the
light poles downtown.
For more information about the Festival of Lights or to
volunteer, please visit www.festivaloflightsgso.org, www.facebook.com/festivaloflightsgso, follow on Twitter @GrassrootsGSO, or call 336.274.4595.
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