The lighting of the Macy’s Great Tree at Lenox Square Mall will take place Thanksgiving night from 6 to 8 p.m. A pre-show concert featuring behind the scenes interviews and exciting performances by the evening’s entertainers will begin at 6:15, and the event will be capped off with the annual fireworks finale set to holiday music.
This year’s celebration features performances by American Idol Season 5 runner-up Katharine McPhee; country singer and songwriter Chuck Wicks; platinum selling R&B artist Bobby V; and Atlanta native Austin Renfroe. For more than six years, young patients of the Aflac Cancer Center and Blood Disorders Service of Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta have served as the honorary tree-lighters. This year, Aflac Cancer Center patients Audrey Arrowood and Pharaoh Halley will do the honors.
“The lighting of the Macy’s Great Tree has been a special part of Atlanta’s holiday celebrations for more than 60 years,” says Michael Krauter, Macy’s President and Regional Director of Stores. “This year’s event promises to be a spectacular evening filled with great performances and the spirit of the holidays. It’s the perfect way to kick off the season.”
This year’s tree is a 6 ton, 62-foot tall, white pine, dressed in 100 Macy’s stars and 100 white snowflakes, along with 1,200 multicolored metallic basketball-sized ornaments. The tree will have 50 flashing strobe lights, 400 internally lit ornaments, 4,000 11-watt bulbs, 8.2 miles of electrical wiring, and will be topped with a spectacular color changing Macy’s star. More than 100,000 people are expected to attend the lighting, which will also be broadcast live on Channel 2 News, and attendees are encouraged to take MARTA as parking is limited.
