The City of Fort Worth kicked off its Christmas celebration Sunday night with a tree-lighting ceremony.
The ceremony centered on a 65-foot-tall tree in Sundance Square and featured a “Parade of Lights” in the downtown area.
According to the City, its Christmas tree, which is real, is the second tallest in Texas. It was shipped across the state.
Putting up the Fort Worth Community Christmas Tree has been a tradition for 76 years. Amon Carter started the tradition in 1946.
Though it rained during the ceremony and the temperatures were low, spirits remained high.
About an hour after the lighting, crowds moved to watch the parade. The Parade of Lights has been sponsored by GM Financial for around 40 years.
The parade featured over 100 lighted floats, performers, holiday decor, and live music.
NBC 5 talked with attendee Stacey Losh from Sanger, who was there with her entire family in the front row.
Losh said, “just great family time, memories, something to look back on when the little ones get older and even when I get older, just family time.”
This is the first time in a few years the family has been able to go to the parade. During COVID-19, families like hers were not able to gather in crowds as they can now.
Losh told NBC 5, “we’re excited, especially with COVID, finally being able to do stuff like this again.”
Losh was decked out in Christmas gear, even though it was before Thanksgiving. She said that she usually waits, but since it was a Christmas parade, she had to bust “out the Christmas attire.”
If you missed this parade and lighting, don’t worry — there are more coming up in the Dallas area.
The Dallas Holiday Parade will take place on December 3, from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. at The Adolphus, and is free to the public.
Additionally, there will be a tree lighting ceremony in Klyde Warren Park that same day, December 3, from 3 to 6 p.m. It will feature tons of family-friendly events, such as face painting, photos with Santa and other Christmas characters, games, and live music.