Work was underway this weekend on building a 67-foot tall artificial tree in the plaza of the Long Beach Terrace Theater Downtown.
The 9th annual Downtown Christmas tree lighting ceremony and festival will return to the Terrace Plaza at 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 28.
The tree will eventually glow with 500,000 lights that illuminate Downtown every night during the holiday season.
The lighting ceremony will include live music, local food trucks, photos with Santa, and even a Christmas train ride, plus lots of places to take a holiday selfie.
This will also be the first time Mayor Rex Richardson flips the switch in his new role. The tradition began eight years ago with former Mayor Robert Garcia, who is now a member of Congress.
Since its founding, the tree lighting event has been one of the city’s most popular holiday celebrations, rivaling the Belmont Shore Christmas Parade that’s set for Dec. 2, the following Saturday.
You can see photos from last year’s celebration here.