Christmas is coming and, for two days in November, so is Surrey Tree Lighting Festival & Holiday Market.
For 2024, the 14th annual event is planned Nov. 23-24 at Surrey Civic Plaza, where the Saturday tree-lighting ceremony is set for 6:30 p.m.
Admission is free to see and hear live entertainment on four stages, light displays, photos with Santa, rides and more, daily from noon to 8 p.m.
Last year's event, expanded to two days for the first time, set a new attendance record with weekend crowds of close to 30,000 people, according to city hall.
A visual highlight of the festival is the plaza's 60-foot Christmas tree, which will remain lit until early January 2025.
On University Drive, the festival's "Enchanted Eats" area will include food, snacks and sweet treats from local food trucks, listed on surreytreelighting.ca.
The website also details the entertainment lineup on the Snowflake and North Pole stages, along with Candy Cane Dance Tent and Grand Staircase of City Centre Library.
Presented by Concord Pacific, the festival's grand finale will be a fire-and-light performance by NZR productions, followed by a holiday dance party with DJ Flipout. Other entertainers on the Snow Flake Stage include Kutapira, Spendo, Phat Santa Swing, B-Roll, The Leading Ladies’ Little Big Band, Ahshi, Los Parranderos de Vancouver, Peace Arch Chorus, Cookin’ With Brass, Brent and Tahnee, Down n' Dirty Rockabilly Band and West Coast Harmony Chorus.
The North Pole Stage, presented by Marcon, will showcase The Snow Sisters, Surrey Children’s Choir, holiday singalongs with Belle and Cinderella, Fraser Valley Ballet’s “The Nutcracker,” a Holiday Millionaire Game Show, Tomorrow’s Voices, Karima Essa, Norine Braun and Duane Hanson.
Presented by ML Emporio Properties, the Candy Cane Dance Tent will feature dance demonstrations and battles, and DJs, while the library's Grand Staircase will feature a variety of local performers.
Mayor Brenda Locke calls the Tree Lighting Festival a "cherished tradition" in Surrey that "not only marks the start of the holiday season, but also brings our community together to share in the joy and warmth of this special time.
"I invite everyone to come out, enjoy the festivities and help guard our Christmas tree from its mischievous guest," Locke said in a news release from city hall.
A promo video features a Grinch-like character and highlights of the 2024 festival.
