A series of holiday lighting celebrations across the city will begin on Nov. 23 and culminate with the lighting of Boston’s official Christmas tree on Boston Common on Thurs., Dec. 3.
The festivities kick off on Monday the 23rd from 5 to 6 p.m. with the illumination of 50,000 blue lights along the trellis at Christopher Columbus Park on the waterfront. The official tree, a 46-foot white spruce donated by Henry and Pat Knol of Nova Scotia, will arrive on the Common on Nov. 24, at 11 a.m.
Other celebrations include the lighting of the ship at Martin’s Park in South Boston on Sat., Nov. 28, from 5 to 6 p.m., and the Copley Square Tree Lighting on Mon., Nov. 30, from 5 to 6 p.m.
The main event on Dec. 3 will run from 6 to 8 p.m., with the lighting scheduled for approximately 7:55 p.m. WCVB Channel 5 will broadcast the celebration live beginning at 7 p.m.
This year’s event marks the 55th year that Nova Scotia has donated a tree to Boston, commemorating the friendship between the two communities following Boston’s assistance after the 1917 Halifax Explosion.
The festivities conclude with the lighting of trees along Commonwealth Avenue Mall and Charlesgate Park at 8:15 p.m. on Dec. 3.
All events are free and open to the public. More information is available at boston.gov/holidaylights.
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