Detroit Christmas Tree Lighting Takes Place Friday, Nov. 17

DETROIT (WWJ) - The city of Detroit is ready to usher in the holiday season with the 14 th annual tree lighting in Campus Martius Park.

The ceremony begins at 5 p.m. Friday, Nov. 17  and is free to the public.

Officials will light the 60-foot-tall Michigan-grown Norway Spruce, which is wrapped in more than 19,000 twinkling energy-efficient LED lights and decorated with sparkling ornaments, just before 8 p.m.

Enjoy a magical evening of stage and rink performances to kick off the holiday season in the city! Headliners include U.S. Olympic Medal figure skater Jeremy Abbott and "Detroit's Queen of Blues" Thornetta Davis, with a special guest appearance by Grammy Nominated R&B and Motown Star KEM.

The official Rink Opening Party kicks off at 9 p.m. with a live concert from Jessica Hernandez and The Deltas. Other activities will include carriage rides along Woodward Avenue, The Salvation Army Family Fun Tent, photos with Santa, free hot chocolate from DTE Energy Foundation, and much more.

In response to the anticipated crowd of more than 40,000, there is a larger main stage on Monroe, and a state of the art sound system and LED video wall.

The tree lighting ceremony will be broadcast live on WXYZ-TV from 7 to 8 p.m. It will also be livestreamed online.

For more Winter Magic information, visit downtowndetroitparks.com.