Detroit gears up for 19th annual tree lighting at Campus Martius Park
(CBS DETROIT) - Mark your calendars: It may be almost 70 degrees outside but it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas in Detroit.
The Downtown Detroit Partnership and DTE Energy Foundation will kick off this year's holiday season with the 19th annual Detroit Tree Lighting, held at the award-winning Campus Martius Park from 5 p.m. to midnight on Nov. 18.
The Detroit tradition will center around a 65-foot Michigan-grown Norway spruce decked with ornaments and illuminated by thousands of shimmering LED lights, after a countdown by Santa.
The tree lighting will include a performance by Darren Criss, a Golden Globe and Emmy Award-winning singer and songwriter who was in the T.V. show "Glee." Criss currently stars in American Buffalo on Broadway.
Mariah Bell, a former Olympian figure skater and the 2022 U.S. national champion, will also be hitting the ice. Several musical groups are set to perform on stage including Detroit Youth Choir and The Spartan Discords.
There will also be plenty of holiday shopping and other festive activities such as horse-drawn carriage rides, food trucks and ice skating at The Rink at Campus Martius Park presented by Visit Detroit.
The event is open to the public. You can find more information here.