Downtown Tucson Set Aglow for Holidays
Desert Nights Downtown Lights, powered by Pima County, sets the holidays aglow with five weeks of festivities in Downtown Tucson. With about 60 illuminated buildings, over 150 street trees tightly wrapped with lights, dozens of decorated storefronts and hundreds of events, programs and specials, Downtown Tucson is the place to be during the holiday season.
A downtown business and visitor favorite, the Street Illumination is a sure sign that the most wonderful time of year is approaching. Downtown Tucson Partnership coordinates and raises money each year to adorn the trunks and canopies of over 150 trees with thousands of warm white LED lights. This year, Pima County has stepped up to illuminate the streets early to bring a sense of hope and joy back downtown during this difficult time. In conjunction with (usually) cooler weather, strolling among the downtown lights is the perfect way to enjoy a brisk desert night.
The Building Illumination Program began in 2017 as a unified initiative to illuminate Downtown Tucson’s skyline for the holidays and attract people from all over the region to dine, shop, play and stay in downtown. DTP encourages private and public property owners to purchase uniform warm white LED lights to line the top of their building(s). The result is a striking silhouette of downtown’s skyline visible from Interstate 10, the Catalina Foothills and beyond. This cooperative display falls within the parameters of the City of Tucson/Pima County Dark Skies Ordinance.
DTP transforms downtown’s central gathering space into a must-visit destination for the holidays. Thousands of warm white LED lights vine through the canopies of Jácome Plaza’s tall trees for the ultimate photo op. Jácome Lights includes a giant 11.5 foot tall ornament dazzled in twinkling white LED lights – which you can stand inside. The lighting display attracted thousands of Tucsonans and visitors during the holiday season and during several holiday events in the park like the Parade of Lights and Arizona Bowl Pep Rally. DTP partnered with Visit Tucson for Jácome Lights in 2019.
