At this time of year in the community’s event calendar, you may be wondering, what now? Winter is coming (or maybe it’s here already), Market on Main is over, Spooktacular has passed and it feels like ages until Parade of Lights. Luckily, the next set of happenings Downtown (Tree Lighting, Small Business Saturday, Parade of Lights, Spirit of Christmas, Santa & Mrs. Claus, and Free Carriage Rides) are all connected by one well-loved tradition – The Holiday Lights.
Every year from The Downtown Tree Lighting (Saturday, November 23) through the second week of February, Downtown Grand Junction glows a little more than normal. According to Rob Davis, City of Grand Junction Forester and Open Space Supervisor, about 100,000 bulbs are strung through 63 trees between Main and Colorado.
Right now, about six to eight forestry staff members working to get the lights up daily, and takes about 5-6 weeks to complete the task.
“The biggest challenge of the process is the intricate limb wrap installation technique on some of the larger trees along Main Street. [They] requir[e] the use of bucket trucks and experienced Forestry staff members working up to 3 days to finish an individual tree,” Davis said.
Downtown lighting is a great way to get more people involved in nightlife and also welcomes all people on downtown streets.
“Lighting the trees on Main Street creates a unique sense of place downtown, and this beautification draws people to the area in the evenings helping to activate the street and the businesses in the central core of Grand Junction,” Davis said.
The holiday lights are a true example of partnership between Downtown and the City of Grand Junction, and creates a vibrant, fun, (and certainly well-lit!) destination during the holiday season for shopping, dining, and all the events that occur within the district and official City Park. If you see a Parks employee working on the lights, we encourage our community members to extend a ’thank you’ for their hard work in making this happen each year.
If you haven’t yet experienced the holiday lights Downtown, or if you’re already in the process of planning a set of evenings to gather your friends and family to do just that this holiday season, visit downtowngj.org or follow us on Facebook and Instagram for the latest updates.