Downtown Indy Inc.’s Circle of Lights presented by IBEW 481 – Indy’s most time-honored holiday tradition – returns Friday, Nov. 26, the day after Thanksgiving. The celebration will once again be a live, in-person event on Monument Circle, as well as a made-for-TV special on WTHR Channel 13. The in-person event on Monument Circle will include live entertainment, holiday presentations and festive food and beverages, culminating with the arrival of Santa and the flip of the switch shortly before 8 p.m.
Musical acts, chosen from the Tom Wood Talent Search, are intended to get viewers in the holiday spirit. Additionally, the entertainment will feature The Doo Band. Plus, for the first time, the Christ Church Cathedral’s Choir, Choristers, and Coro Latinamericano will grace the Circle of Lights stage. Also, representing the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra’s Yuletide Celebration, we will be joined onstage by T.3 – a trio of tenors who wowed audiences on America’s Got Talent with their giant sound and pitch-perfect harmonies. Following those acts, Santa will help flip the switch with 12-year-old Jacob Williamson, chosen through the AES Indiana Coloring Contest, illuminating Monument Circle. And new this year, the lighting of the Monument will be accompanied by a Grand Finale with fireworks and true revelry, presented by the 2022 College Football Playoff’s Indianapolis Host Committee.
“The Electrical Workers of IBEW 481 are thrilled to be the presenting partner of Circle of Lights again,” said Jeff Wheeler, IBEW 481 business manager. “With these challenging times, we wanted to make sure that the Circle of Lights would be a bright light for this year’s holiday season, no matter what. Hundreds of men and women of IBEW 481 volunteer their time year after year for this great tradition and we wouldn’t have it any other way.”
Without hesitation, the electrical workers and volunteers of IBEW 481 continue the tradition of decorating the Soldiers & Sailors Monument with 52 garland strands with 4,784 LED colored lights, strung from the top of the Monument to its base. The Monument will be surrounded with 26 larger-than-life toy soldiers and sailors and 26 peppermint sticks. The lights on Monument Circle will be illuminated Friday night, Nov. 26.
Monument Circle also showcases new lighting exhibits, video projections and holiday music every day and evening as part of the multi-million dollar Shining A Light on Arts and Culture program on the Circle. Each evening, a special seasonal video presentation plays celebrating the season’s religious holidays, along with the nightly “Signature Salute” honoring Indiana military veterans. These immersive video-mapped displays put Monument Circle visitors in the middle of a captivating, socially distanced snow globe!
“We are so glad to be back live and in-person on the Circle,” said Downtown Indy, Inc. president Sherry Seiwert. “We are so thankful for IBEW 481 and its dedication, care and craftsmanship shared year after year to install the lights and present the Circle of Lights for the entire community to enjoy. Both the live celebration and TV broadcast by our WTHR Channel 13 partners will be wonderful. We hope to see folks enjoying the Circle and Downtown all season long.”
Sightseers will be able to take in this brilliant spectacle throughout the holiday season, lit until Dec. 30. Travelocity named the Circle of Lights one of the top five “must-see Christmas trees” in the nation. USA Today also listed the Circle of Lights® as one the “10 Best Holiday Attractions.”
Circle of Lights® is an official program of Downtown Indy, Inc. which focuses on development, management, activation and marketing to advance Downtown as a great place to live, learn, work and play. We’re the People Behind the Place. Visit www.downtownindy.org for more information.
Motorists advised of local street closures over Thanksgiving weekend
Downtown Indy Inc.’s Circle of Lights presented by IBEW 481 will shut down the following streets on Nov. 26 from 7 a.m. to midnight:
Meridian Street from Ohio to Washington streets; Market Street from Pennsylvania to Illinois streets; Monument Circle and all its spokes.
New closures also planned include:
* From 4 to 9 p.m. on Nov. 26, Washington Street from Pennsylvania to Illinois and Meridian Street from the Circle to Maryland Street to create a pedestrian zone.
* On Sunday, Nov. 28, Touchdown Town for the Colts vs. Buccaneers game will shut down West South Street between West Street and Capitol Avenue from 5 a.m. – 6 p.m.
* Bridge construction will require a full closure of Saint Clair Street for pile driving operations through December 3. The detour follows 10th Street. The north sidewalk is closed for safety, so the south sidewalk will be available to pedestrians.
* Market Street is expected to close under the interstate from now through Nov. 24, weather permitting, for structure demolition. It will reopen for the Thanksgiving weekend and close again from Nov. 29 to Dec. 17. The detour for vehicles, bicyclists and pedestrians follows Washington Street.
* Eastbound Ohio Street will be fully closed to traffic at College Avenue until Dec. 1, weather permitting. All eastbound Ohio Street traffic will be redirected to New York Street via College Avenue for the duration of this closure.
* Multiple streets are experiencing lane closures through October 2022 due to construction surrounding Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
* Missouri Street from I-70 to South Street
