Several downtown streets to close for this weekend's 'Light Up Louisville'

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Several streets will be closed for the 56th annual Light Up Louisville celebration this Saturday, Dec. 6.

The entire city is invited to take part in the festivities this weekend. A number of streets will be closed for the event, and there will be no parking on several others. Some restricted parking areas in downtown Louisville are already in effect.

A complete list of closures can be found below:

Download PDF

The event kicks off at 3 p.m. at Jefferson Square Park, at the corner of Sixth and West Jefferson streets, in downtown Louisville and continues until 9 p.m.

This is the third time the city scheduled the event for the first Saturday in December, instead of Black Friday. Officials said pushing the event back allows city employees more time to spend the Thanksgiving holiday with their families.

Festivities include family-friendly activities such as shopping at the Mistletoe Market, holiday food, cocktails, live entertainment on two stages, photos with Santa, a trackless train ride, the Lots of Lights parade and free activities for kids.

Santa will be on hand and flip the switch, launching the start of Light Up Louisville and the lighting of the famous downtown tree. The festivities end with a light projection show.

Light Up Louisville producer Wayne Hettinger — the man also in charge of Thunder Over Louisville every year — said the changes will also help give families a break on Black Friday.

"Over the years we realized that Black Friday has become such a huge thing for people," Hettinger said. "So we were looking at moms fixing dinner on Thanksgiving, and then the next day on Black Friday they're going shopping, then coming home and getting the kids and trying to drag them downtown to see Santa Claus, and it's like why don't we take a look at that and move off a week. And in the process it gave everybody involved — and I'm talking hundreds of people — a chance to finally have Thanksgiving."

This year's Christmas tree — a 40-foot Norway spruce donated by the Louisville Airport Authority — is in place and ready for the event at Jefferson Square Park. It made its way through Louisville Nov. 19 from a family on Silver Oaks Court. Louisville Parks will decorate the tree for Saturday's lighting.

Light Up Louisville is free to attend.

To learn more, click here.

Multi-year project on Highway 44 in Bullitt County will be a 'nightmare,' drivers say

Will Stein's mom recalls moment new UK head coach called to say 'I'm gonna be a Wildcat'

CRAWFORD | Good Will Hunting: Stein steps forward to crack the Kentucky football code

'Go to war' | Parents push back as JCPS discusses plan to close or consolidate schools