Lighting of Wake Forest December 3

Area residents are invited to experience the wonder and magic of the holiday season at the annual Lighting of Wake Forest on Friday, Dec. 3, from 6-8:30 p.m. Sponsored by Holding Village and presented by Wake Forest Downtown, Inc. (WFD), the tree lighting will take place in Centennial Plaza, 301 S. Brooks St., the gateway to the Wake Forest Town Hall.

Mayor Vivian Jones is scheduled to light the Town’s 26-foot-tall Christmas tree at approximately 6:15 p.m.

The evening’s festivities will include musical performances by Heritage Middle School’s Patriot Pride Honors Chorus, the Heritage High School Jazz Ensemble, and Project Destiny, a local band comprised of Duke Health Systems employees.

The Lighting of Wake Forest will also feature Santa Claus’ exciting arrival aboard a Wake Forest Fire Department fire truck, a children’s craft activity (sponsored by the Wake Forest Woman’s Club), and “Pictures with Santa” in the Town Hall lobby.

Nomad Beverage Co. will be on-site selling hot beverages, and free cookies will be distributed courtesy of Wegmans (while supplies last).

Guests planning to have a photo taken with Santa Claus must register in advance at https://bit.ly/WFSantaPics beginning Monday, Nov. 29, at 6 p.m. Designed to reduce wait times, each reservation will indicate the time guests should arrive at the line-up to have their photo taken with St. Nick. Pictures can be viewed and downloaded beginning Tuesday, Dec. 7.

Due to time constraints, Santa can only have his picture taken with a limited number of children during the Lighting of Wake Forest. However, WFD will also offer Pictures with Santa by reservation only as part of the Downtown Holiday Open House on Saturday, Dec. 4, from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. at the Cotton Company Event Gallery, 306 S. White St.

Again, anyone planning to have a photo taken with Santa during the Lighting of Wake Forest or the Downtown Holiday Open House must register in advance at https://bit.ly/WFSantaPics beginning Monday, Nov. 29, at 6 p.m.

The Lighting of Wake Forest is free and open to the public. For more information, visit http://bit.ly/LightingWF or contact Downtown Development Program Assistant Lynnette Beadle at 919-435-9416 or [email protected].

For a complete listing of Wake Forest’s holiday events, visit http://bit.ly/WFChristmasEvents.