{"id":146363,"date":"2025-11-25T21:37:59","date_gmt":"2025-11-26T02:37:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/?p=146363"},"modified":"2025-11-25T21:37:59","modified_gmt":"2025-11-26T02:37:59","slug":"the-magic-returns-allentowns-beloved-tree-lighting-ceremony-shines-bright-december-6-with-ppl-powering-the-season","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/?p=146363","title":{"rendered":"The Magic Returns: Allentown\u2019s Beloved Tree Lighting Ceremony Shines Bright December 6 with PPL Powering the Season"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>Allentown, PA \u2013 November 25, 2025 \u2013\u00a0<\/strong>The heart of downtown Allentown will come alive with twinkling lights and hometown pride as the Allentown Chamber of Commerce, in partnership with the City of Allentown and PPL, presents the 2025 Downtown Allentown Tree Lighting Ceremony: Powering the Season with PPL on Saturday, December 6, 2025, at the ArtsPark from 4 PM \u2013 6 PM.<\/p>\n<p>For generations, this celebration has marked the official start of the holiday season in Allentown, a night where neighbors gather, and the city glows a little brighter. This year\u2019s event promises an unforgettable evening filled with live music and dance performances, a whimsical Polar Express Experience, a sing-along with Queen Elsa, Allentown School District performance groups, free hot cocoa for all by the Salvation Army, and free photos with Santa.<\/p>\n<p>The celebration is free and open to the public; welcoming residents and visitors alike to share in the warmth of the season.\u00a0\u201cThe Tree Lighting is a moment that reminds us of what community feels like,\u201d said Brittney Ciardi, Senior Vice President of Allentown Initiatives for the Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber, \u201cWhen that tree lights up, so does Allentown.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In partnership with the Lehigh Valley Marine Corps Toys for Tots, the event will also feature a toy giveaway to bring holiday cheer to local children. Toys will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis, ensuring that the spirit of giving shines as brightly as the tree itself.<\/p>\n<p>This year\u2019s Tree Lighting will shine even brighter thanks to PPL, whose commitment to Allentown helps make this celebration possible. As the event\u2019s official lighting partner, PPL will once again \u201cpower the season,\u201d illuminating the tree that marks the start of the city\u2019s holiday festivities. PPL lineworker Isabella May will serve as this year\u2019s honorary \u201cChristmas Elf,\u201d joining the countdown to light the tree. Her role highlights the people behind the power who keep our community connected.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPPL is proud to help light the season for Allentown,\u201d said Christine Martin, President, PPL Electric Utilities. \u201cThis year\u2019s Tree Lighting will shine even brighter thanks to our team\u2019s commitment to the community. As the official lighting partner, we\u2019re honored to \u2018power the season\u2019 once again and illuminate the tree that marks the start of the city\u2019s holiday festivities. We\u2019re especially excited to have PPL lineworker Isabella May serve as this year\u2019s honorary \u2018Christmas Elf\u2019 and join the countdown, highlighting the people behind the power who keep our community connected.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>A highlight of the evening will be the return of the 5th Grade Essay Contest, hosted by the Chamber and PPL. Open to Allentown School District students, the competition invites young writers to reflect on the theme\u00a0<em>\u201cWhy Do You Love Allentown?\u201d<\/em>\u00a0The winning student will take the stage alongside Mayor Matt Tuerk to lead the countdown and flip the switch, illuminating the city and officially ushering in the holidays.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis event is such a wonderful way to bring the community together and celebrate the season,\u201d said Jessica O\u2019Donnell-Gower, Executive Vice President of Affiliated Chambers for the Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber. \u201cFrom the Allentown School District students and performers to families visiting Santa, it\u2019s a joyful night that truly captures the spirit of Allentown and the magic of the holidays.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>As the countdown begins and the lights cascade across the park, downtown Allentown will once again remind everyone that the season\u2019s true magic is found in connection and shared joy.<\/p>\n<p><strong>WHEN:\u00a0<\/strong>Saturday, December 6th<\/p>\n<p><strong>TIME:\u202f\u00a0<\/strong>4:00 p.m. &#8211; 6:00 p.m.<\/p>\n<p><strong>WHERE:\u00a0<\/strong>ArtsPark, 24-32 N 5th St, Allentown, PA 18101<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>TREE LIGHTING SCHEDULE OF ENTERTAINMENT:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>4:00-4:03 \u2013 Brittney Ciardi Starts Program<\/p>\n<p>4:03-4:45 \u2013 Local performances and entertainment<\/p>\n<p>4:55 &#8211; Santa arrives on PPL F150<\/p>\n<p>5:00-5:10 -\u202fTree lighting with Mayor Matt Tuerk, Santa\u202f, and ASD Students<\/p>\n<p>5:15- 6:00 &#8211; Local performances and entertainment<\/p>\n<p>6:00 &#8211; Program Ends<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>PRESENTING SPONSOR:\u00a0<\/strong>PPL<\/p>\n<p><strong>SPONSORS:\u202f<\/strong>City of Allentown, Butz Family of Companies, La Mega Radio, Lehigh Valley Health Network, Lehigh Valley Phantoms, Salvation Army\/ Marine Toys for Tots Foundation, GIANT,\u00a0and ASR Media.<\/p>\n<p><strong><em>About the Chamber:<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0<em>The mission of The Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce is to improve the economy and quality of life in the Lehigh Valley Metropolitan Area.\u00a0We accomplish this through business-to-business networking events and marketing products, affinity programs and exclusive, money-saving member benefits, training programs, government affairs initiatives and public policy advocacy, and community development enterprises.\u00a0With nearly 5,000 members who employ more than 200,000, the Chamber is the largest in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, and in the top ten nationwide.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Information provided to TVL by:<br \/>\nBrittney Ciardi<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Allentown, PA \u2013 November 25, 2025 \u2013\u00a0The heart of downtown Allentown will come alive with twinkling lights and hometown pride as the Allentown Chamber of Commerce, in partnership with the &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/?p=146363\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">The Magic Returns: Allentown\u2019s Beloved Tree Lighting Ceremony Shines Bright December 6 with PPL Powering the Season<\/span> <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":146364,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[69],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-146363","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-in-the-valley"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/ppl-tree-lighting-25.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/146363"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=146363"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/146363\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/146364"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=146363"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=146363"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=146363"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}