Today, Mayor John Tory welcomed the City of Toronto’s official 17.67-metre (58-foot) Christmas tree to Nathan Phillips Square. It will be decorated over the coming weeks as the City prepares for the 55th annual Cavalcade of Lights later this month.
The tree arrival has long signaled the start of the holiday season in Toronto. The tree was delivered on a flatbed truck from Baldwin, Ontario and is being lifted into place with cranes. It takes approximately four hours to install the tree. The tree will require three days to settle before it can be decorated with more than 300,000 energy-efficient lights and 500 ornaments. The Christmas tree does not need watering. It will remain on display throughout the holiday season and will then be recycled.
The City looks forward to sharing the magic of the holiday season with the Cavalcade of Lights. This year’s event will be different from previous years. It will feature the tree lighting on Nathan Phillips Square, along with an enhanced lighting installation available for viewing online throughout the holiday season, to encourage physical distancing. The event will not include fireworks. Additional details will be announced on Tuesday, November 23 here.
The City looks forward to ringing in 2022 with a safe and engaging New Year’s Eve celebration on Friday, December 31. Further details will be announced in the weeks ahead.
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“I’m happy to see the City of Toronto’s official Christmas tree arrive to mark the start of the holiday season. Watching the Christmas tree arrive in Nathan Phillips Square and seeing crews working to decorate for the Cavalcade of Lights is another sign of the progress we are making fighting COVID-19. I can’t wait to see the tree lit up later this month and hope it will help fill people with the spirit of the holidays.”
– Mayor John Tory
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