The inaugural combined event would replace the Veterans Park and Downtown Business Association’s separate tree lightings.
A proposal to merge the Holiday Tree Lighting at Veterans Park with the Culver City Downtown Business Association’s tree lighting for this year’s event was presented at a meeting of the Parks, Recreation, and Community Services (PRCS) board on Tuesday. The proposition has the event on Thursday, Dec. 5 at the newly built Culver Steps in Downtown Culver City.
A significant factor in the creation of this proposal was the competition that went on between the two original events. With the Vets Park lighting happening on the first Thursday of December and the Downtown Business Association’s event happening on the first Friday of December, each event competed for entertainment and crowds.
This is something that both events are hoping to avoid in this newest iteration of the event. The Thursday date was chosen because of the traffic that comes with a Friday night in downtown. There is no official time set for the event, but the general consensus was that it would begin in the early evening.
The event would be an open party with a variety of different forms of entertainment, including a full live stage. The idea of bringing in a portable ice-skating rink was also deliberated, with more information to be released as the event draws closer.
Taking public transportation is encouraged by the city and event organizers, as parking is one of the concerns that arose among the talks of the event. The new Culver Steps parking structure should be available to the public, though normal fees and rates will still apply as of the publishing of this article.
Another point that was brought up was the lighting of the tower at Veterans Park. It is something that the city hopes to keep going, though the amount of preparation, cost, and the time frame it takes to order the necessary equipment. The PRCS board suggested a singular party event at Culver Steps with a simultaneous lighting in downtown and at Vets Park.
The idea’s payoff isn’t as ideal as grand as originally conceived because the tower at Veterans Park is not visible from the Culver Steps, but it was still an idea that seemed to be worth continued contemplation.
