ATLANTA — Macy’s Atlanta Great Tree returns to Lenox Square for the 72nd consecutive holiday season.
The official tree lighting ceremony, a holiday tradition in Atlanta, will take place on Sunday, November 24 at 7 p.m., not on Thanksgiving night as in past years.
Pre-show entertainment and behind-the-scenes interviews kick off at 6:30 p.m. The event ends with a fireworks finale.
Macy’s Atlanta Great Tree will shine atop Macy’s Lenox Square from Sunday, November 24 through January 7, 2020.
Musical performances announced including actress, singer and Golden Globe nominee, Lea Michele, twelve-time Grammy Award winner, CeCe Winans, and country music star and CMA nominee, Carly Pearce.
“Macy’s is proud to bring this iconic holiday tradition to the Atlanta community for more than 70 years,” said Brian Williams, store manager of Macy’s Lenox Square. “Macy’s Great Tree Lighting is celebrated by generations of Atlantans and we hope these festivities continue to inspire people of all ages to come together and celebrate the joy and wonder of the holiday season.”
For over a decade, young patients of the Aflac Cancer Center and Blood Disorders Center at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta have served as the honorary tree-lighters. Helping to ‘flip the switch’ and illuminate the Macy’s Great Tree this year are Aflac Cancer Center patients, 5-year-old Brooks and 10-year-old Makayla, both of which have been gifted a brand new outfit from Macy’s to wear for the celebration.
THE FACTS:
- The tree reaches 56’ above Lenox Square (44’ tree with a big red LED lighted star on top).
- The tree weighs approximately 7,000 pounds.
- The tree is built in four sections in the parking lot of Lenox Square and then lifted up by a crane to the roof top.
- Each section is bolted together and additional rigging cables are added to secure the tree to the tree platform and roof top.
- The tree shines throughout the holiday over Lenox Square with more than 45,000 multi-colored lights on 490 branches.
- Each branch has LED lights that, together, span more than eight miles draped around the tree.
- It takes a group of 12 people to put up the tree.
- The tree takes two days to install.
- In addition to the two days of installation, a member of the Macy’s special production team spends several days inside the tree maintaining the Great Tree’s electrical components, such as the light strings and electrical connections.
- The tree is recycled and reused to fulfill Macy’s responsibility to reduce the company’s carbon footprint and become a leader in sustainability.
- The environmental friendly tree has been a part of the Great Tree Lighting in Atlanta since 2013.
- The tree is safely stored in two 53’ semi-trailers.
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