Downtown El Paso will play host to a day filled with holiday entertainment on Saturday, December 5, 2015.
“As part of our commitment to improving the quality of life in our community, the City of El Paso and its partners are excited to expand our holiday offerings this year,” said Bryan Crowe, managing director of the City of El Paso’s Quality of Life departments. “For decades the tree lighting has served as the focal point of our community’s holiday celebration, now the tens of thousands of people who come downtown for the ceremony can enjoy local entertainers, merchants, and vendors as well in the newly completed Pedestrian Pathway.”
Celebration of Lights Holiday Market
Holiday festivities begin at noon as the City of El Paso’s Museums and Cultural Affairs Department hosts its annual Holiday Market in the Pedestrian Pathway north of the Judson F. Williams Convention Center.
Visitors to the Holiday Market can expect a day of shopping and family activities that will get you into the holiday spirit as local artists and craftspeople display their wares until 8 p.m.
The Pathway from Santa Fe Street to Durango Street will be packed with non-stop live entertainment, holiday-themed cooking and baking demonstrations and local foods tastings, food trucks, festive holiday photography with The Photo Bus EP, and more. The weekly Downtown Art and Farmers Market will not be held this Saturday.
evolve Federal Credit Union Celebration of Lights
In the afternoon and evening, the largest event in downtown El Paso will take center stage once again with the evolve Federal Credit Union Celebration of Lights Program. The annual event starts at 4:30 p.m. at Cleveland Square Park, 510 N. Santa Fe Street with the agenda of activities listed below.
4:30 p.m. 1st Armored Division Band
5:00 p.m. St. Anthony’s Seminary Franciscanos Choir
5:30 p.m. Holiday Lighting Ceremony
5:55 p.m. Fireworks Display from Southwest University Park
7:15 p.m. Celebration of Lights Parade
Guest Speakers will be Mayor Oscar Leeser, Major General Stephen Twitty, 1st Armored Division and Fort Bliss Commanding General, Tracy Novak, El Paso Parks and Recreation Director and Ken Walters, President and CEO of evolve Federal Credit Union.
DIGIE to open special hours, Museum of History will provide hot chocolate
During the Celebration of Lights, staff from the El Paso Museum of History will be on hand to take visitors’ photos at the Holiday Photo Booth. These pictures will be added to the museum’s digital collection on the Digital Wall and shared on its Facebook page. The Digital Wall will be open until 9 p.m.
The museum gift shop will be open until 9 p.m. and will offer 10 percent discount coupons for purchases made at the museum store. You can also warm up with free hot chocolate in the museum lobby from 6-7:30 p.m.
Some events televised, streamed live online
Those who can’t make it downtown for the festivities can enjoy them from the comfort of home. The program and the lights parade can be seen live on KVIA-TV’s El Paso – Las Cruces CW in its entirety from 4:30 p.m. through the Holiday Lighting, Fireworks and the Parade. KVIA-TV Channel 7 will carry the festivities live until 6:00 p.m. and you can also view the activities on www.kvia.com
