The talent lineup for the 85th Lighting of the National Christmas Tree will offer a diverse program of holiday music, including traditional songs, with dashes of Texas swing, Latin rhythms, and a little Motown.
Artists include one of country music’s most promising young stars, Rissi Palmer; multiple Grammy winner Jon Secada; and popular Nashville singer/songwriter Phil Vassar. Washington-based dance troupe Step Afrika! will perform, and the U. S. Army Chorus’s SFC Steve Cramer will appear as Santa Claus, rounding out the show will be 4-year-old singer Kaitlyn Maher, who came to national attention as one of the ten finalists in this year’s “America’s Got Talent” competition. The United States Army Band “Pershing’s Own,” under the baton of Colonel Thomas Rotondi, Jr. will be this year’s featured service band, with The Enterprise High School Encores from Enterprise, Alabama providing vocal support to the guest artists as well as solo performances of holiday favorites.
Lighting of the National Christmas Tree Ceremony
The tree lighting ceremony begins each year’s National Christmas Tree Program. Nationally known entertainers and a military band add to the celebratory evening in which the President brings a message of peace to the nation and the world. The culmination of the evening is the illumination of the National Christmas Tree.
National Christmas Tree Program Activities
Seasonal displays include a Yule log and a large-scale model train. The National Christmas Tree Railroad, a local model train club, will provide model trains that surround the base of the National Christmas Tree. The trains will run from 11:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. daily through January 1st.
In what becomes the "Pathway of Peace," the National Christmas Tree and 56 smaller trees--one for each state, five territories and the District of Columbia--serve as the event focal point. All 57 trees will be lit each evening at dusk until 11:00 p.m. and will be lit each night through January 1st. Sponsoring organizations in each state provide the tree decorations and each decoration is encased in a protective plastic globe to shield it from the weather.
National Christmas Tree Nightly Performances
Musical entertainment, featuring musical performances by volunteer choirs and dancers, will be held nightly on the Ellipse stage.
Weeknight performances will be performed between 6:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Weekend performances will be performed between 4:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Free, no reservation required. Click Here for performance information.
