Posted by | Ray Cornelius
Atlanta officially kicked off the holidays last night at the 69th Annual Macy’s Great Tree Lighting. The festivities took place in the parking lot of Lenox Square Mall (in front of the Macy’s store) and was attended by thousands of people waiting to see the 56 foot tall tree light up the evening sky. The event was also televised on WSB TV and was hosted by anchors, Jovita Moore and Zach Klein along with the pre-show hosted by Cadillac Jack of Kicks 101.5.
Craig Campbell
This year’s entertainment included Georgia’s own country music superstar Craig Campbell, who performed a number of his hit songs including “Outskirts of Heaven.” Chart-topping R&B singer-songwriter Aloe Blacc also hit the Macy’s stage and performed his hit single, “Candyman” as well as the Donnie Hathaway‘s classic “This Christmas” and the crowd favorite, “Feliz Navidad.”
Aloe Blacc
Grammy winning singer-songwriter and Broadway actress Michelle Williams, performed a number of holiday tunes including “Oh Holy Night.” The Destiny’s Child singer also paid a visit to young patients at the Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center in the Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta at Egleston earlier in the day.
Macy’s Magical Stars performing
Other performances included the Macy’s All-Star Holiday Choir, the Macy’s Great Tree Children’s Choir and the Macy’s Magical Stars. However, the highlight of the evening was watching Cancer and Blood Disorder patients Maybin Hornick and Abraham Carpenter, “flip the switch” to light up the tree along with Santa Claus. The young patients are part of a long standing tradition of honorary tree-lighters. The evening concluded with an awesome fireworks show.
See more exciting images below:
“Believe” was the theme for this year’s Macy’s Great Tree Lighting
Craig Campbell
Cadillac Jack with Maybin Hornick
Aloe Blacc
Aloe Blacc
Cadillac Jack with “Miss Georgia” Kelsey Hollis
WSB -TV hosts Jovita Moore and Zach Klein
Michelle Williams
Michelle Williams
Michelle Williams
Macy’s Great Tree Children’s Choir
Maybin Hornick and Abraham Carpenter
Thousands came out to partake in the annual holiday tradition
Santa Claus
Santa Claus
Michelle Williams
Michelle Williams
Maybin Hornick and Abraham Carpenter
“flipping the switch” with Santa Claus
The Great Macy’s Tree is 59 foot tall and filled with 45,000 LED Lights
Photo Credits: RayCornelius.com