Long Beach’s 8th Annual Christmas tree-lighting event will once again return to the Terrace Theater Plaza in Downtown at 5 p.m. on Dec. 5, with hundreds of thousands of lights, a fireworks display, a visit by Mr. & Mrs. S. Claus, musical performances and plenty of photo opportunities.

The centerpiece of the celebration will be Mayor Robert Garcia lighting a new, 67-foot Christmas Tree — 17 feet taller than the tree in past years and now rumored to be even taller than the tree at Disneyland.

Beyond the Terrace Plaza festivities, the event hosts at the Long Beach Convention & Visitors Bureau promise a new walking tour taking people from the plaza up Pine Avenue and the Promenade, as well as down to the waterfront to the boardwalk. Additionally, a holiday-themed scavenger hunt will be available for various Santa hats hidden around the Plaza.

Since its founding the tree lighting event has joined the Belmont Shore Christmas Parade — which returns on Dec. 3 — as one of the most popular public events of the holiday season in Long Beach.