Downtown Indianapolis is beautiful during the holiday season. The air gets cold and the street lights are decorated. Even horse and carriage rides are decorated. Sip coffee as you wander from store to store during your holiday shopping. All the holiday traditions of downtown Indy begin with the lighting of the circle.
The Circle of Lights, the traditional Indianapolis lighting of the Soldiers and Sailors Monument, known to some as the world’s tallest “Christmas tree,” takes place every year after Thanksgiving in downtown Monument. Circle. Live entertainment begins at 6 p.m. M. In the circle, and the illumination of the monument takes place at approximately 7:45 p.m. M. The televised show runs from 7 to 8 p.m. M.
During the Circle of Lights®, the Indiana Soldiers and Sailors Monument is covered in 4,784 colored lights, 52 strings of garlands and is surrounded by 26 larger-than-life toy soldiers and sailors and 26 peppermint sticks. The colored lights are hung from top to bottom, creating a giant Christmas tree effect.
A lucky boy is chosen each year from a coloring contest to help turn the switch with Santa and the mayor. The stage for the show features a Santa’s Workshop theme complete with toy soldiers and sailors, mint sticks, ornaments, elves in the workshop, and a host of toys. The stage is centered around a countdown box.
Entertainment is provided by local artists who must audition in the summer for a spot on stage. The show also often features famous local artists like Sandy Patty.
Also on Monument Circle during the Christmas season is the Santa Mailbox. During the season, children can send letters to Santa and receive a reply with a self-addressed, stamped envelope. The mailbox is decorated with pictures of Santa and Rudolph and is also a popular tradition. If your kids want to send a letter to Santa, make sure you get it before mid-December. The mailbox is then deleted.
Head to Carson’s department store after lighting to take a “Selfie with Santa.” Our circle of lights Santa will find his way back to Carson from 8-10pm
This is a free event. During the holiday season, millions of tourists will visit the Indiana Soldiers and Sailors Monument. Travelocity named the Circle of Lights® one of the top five “must-see Christmas trees” in the nation. If you visit Indy this holiday season or if you are lucky enough to live in or near Indianapolis, be sure to visit the tree sometime during the holiday season. The circle of lights remains on during the first week of January.
