6th Annual Light Up Night to Ring in Holiday Season in Downtown State College

Downtown State College will transform into a winter wonderland once again on Thursday for Light Up Night to kick off the holiday season. 

The Downtown State College Improvement District’s sixth annual event will take place from 5 to 8 p.m. at the Martin Luther King Jr. Plaza on South Fraser Street, the 100 block of South Allen Street and the Allen Street Gates. 

The annual tradition will feature free trolley rides, hot refreshments, live entertainment and festive activities, including live reindeer, light displays and photos with Santa, to name a few. 

Local businesses, such as The Corner Room, Bill Pickles Taproom, Way Fruit Farm and Duck Donuts, are partnering with the DSCID to offer complimentary food and beverages. Lion’s Foundation and Kish Bank will host a free hot cocoa and popcorn station in MLK Plaza, with The Makery providing a free holiday craft and Duck Donuts offering free samples.

“Light Up Night continues to be one of our most joyful traditions,” DSCID executive director Lee Anne Jeffries said in a release. “We’re thrilled to bring the community together once again for a night filled with celebration, connection and holiday spirit.”

This year, for the first time the Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts will host the KristKIDL Market on Calder Way, a children’s makers market where local youngsters will showcase and sell their handcrafted goods to support the next generation of makers.

The DSCID and the Borough of State College are also introducing a new initiative this year called “Stories of State College.” The community project aims to celebrate a variety of holiday traditions, and community members can stop by the Stories of State College table to share a favorite holiday memory or family tradition.

Families are encouraged to help local charities by bringing new toys for Toys for Tots or non-perishable food for the YMCA Backpack Program. Children who donate before 7 p.m. will be entered for a chance to help Santa at the annual tree lighting, a tradition that has served the community for nearly 30 years.

The event will close at the Allen Street Gates, where Santa, along with the selected child, will “light up” the downtown evergreen tree, marking the official start of the holiday season in downtown State College.

DSCID welcomes attendees to park in the Beaver, Fraser or Pugh Street garages, where three-hour parking validations will be provided at the event.