Fort Worth's annual lighting of the city's Christmas tree in Sundance Square will take place Saturday, Nov. 22.
The city took delivery of a 58-foot tall blue spruce from Michigan on Monday. Mayor Betsy Price and city councilwoman Ann Zadeh are said to have hoisted the tree off a flatbed truck, presumably using a crane, and guided it into place at Sundance Square Plaza.
City workers will spend a week adorning the tree with 6,000 LED lights and a Nutcracker motif before it's to be lit before a crowd of onlookers Saturday night.
Free entertainment begins at 4 p.m. Saturday with live music, stilt walkers, jugglers, balloon artists, holiday face painters, and photo opportunities, Sundance Square officials said. The tree will be lit at 6 p.m.; Santa Claus is expected to visit with children under the tree about an hour after the lighting.
Green Mountain Energy, who is sponsoring the tree, said the lights will be powered by 100 percent renewable energy that will offset the emissions associated with bringing the tree to Texas from Michigan. After fulfilling its holiday destiny in Sundance Square, the tree will be recycled into mulch.
The tree lighting and the annual Parade of Lights, which in years past were held on the same night, were separated in 2013 to allow more families to attend the tree lighting. The Parade of Lights is always held annually in Sundance Square on the Friday after Thanksgiving.
