Mayor’s Tree Lighting Returns to Penn Square on Black Friday, Featuring Light Up Lancaster Celebration

The City of Lancaster’s annual Mayor’s Tree Lighting will take place Friday, Nov. 27, from 5 to 8 p.m. in Penn Square. This year’s celebration marks Mayor Jaime Arroyo’s first tree lighting as mayor and will feature live entertainment, food trucks, local vendors and the lighting of the city’s Christmas tree.

“I’m really looking forward to celebrating my first Mayor’s Tree Lighting as mayor alongside my family and our community. This is such a special time of year, and I can’t think of a better way to kick off the holiday season!” said Mayor Arroyo.

Santa Claus will make a special appearance, arriving in Penn Square aboard a fire truck escorted by the Lancaster City Bureau of Fire. The tree lighting will follow. This year’s tree is a 25-foot-tall Norway spruce donated by a resident of New Holland.

The evening’s entertainment will include performances by Fulton Theatre, Synergy Dance and THEM The Collective, along with music from DJ Vinny. Following the tree lighting, a live parranda will lead attendees from Penn Square to Bert & The Elephant, with music and celebration continuing along the way.

Food trucks will be on-site, including Cool Beans Brew, Nil’s Funnel Cakes and Phusion.

Lancaster Central Market will also have extended hours, and attendees can warm up with cookies and hot cocoa in the lobby of the Lancaster Marriott at Penn Square.

The celebration will also feature the illumination of more than 15 historic buildings as part of Phase One of Light Up Lancaster, an architectural lighting project led by Lancaster City Alliance and the Lancaster Downtown Investment District Authority. The project brings new architectural lighting to buildings along King and Queen streets, West Orange Street and Penn Square, highlighting the city’s historic architecture and bringing new light to downtown after dark.

Street closures will be in effect for the event. No parking will be permitted on the first block of North Queen Street beginning at 10 a.m., and the street will close at 11 a.m. No parking will be permitted on the 100 blocks of South Queen and East and West King streets beginning at 1 p.m., and those streets will close at 2 p.m. All streets are expected to reopen after the event, around 10 p.m.

The Mayor’s Tree Lighting is presented by Penn Medicine Lancaster General Health, with additional support from Freeburn Motorcycle Attorneys, Lancaster County Motors, Ephrata National Bank, Willow Valley Communities, Capital Blue Cross and the Lancaster Marriott at Penn Square.

For more information about the Mayor’s Tree Lighting, visit visitlancastercity.com.

To learn more about Light Up Lancaster and view the project map, visit lancastercityalliance.org/light-up-lancaster.