Tahoe City Shines Bright this Holiday Season!

The Holiday season is upon us here in Tahoe City.  This time of year is full of traditions; from putting up the Christmas tree, baking cookies, and enjoying time in the snow. Tahoe City itself is a holiday tradition for those that come up to celebrate this special time of year with their loved ones. One of our favorite holiday traditions here on Tahoe City is the annual lighting of the trees. During this special time of year, our mountain community shines brighter than ever! Locals and visitors enjoy dazzling displays and breathtaking arrangements as they walk through town decorated with thousands of lights. You can’t help but get in the holiday spirit!

The Downtown Lighting Program is now in its 12th year here in Tahoe City. This town-wide tradition has grown bigger and brighter each year with more and more trees being lit throughout the town. This year we have over 45 trees lit with close to 12,000 feet of light. Each year, the lights turn on in November and shine bright through April. Downtown Lighting adds undeniable charm to Tahoe City all winter long.

The Downtown Lighting program was created to draw visitors to Tahoe City in the winter months when the days are short and the snow is coming down. Our goal has always been to create an inviting and warm feeling in downtown to remind our visitors that Tahoe City is vibrant all year long! The lights also help locals and guests have a cozy and safe wintertime experience strolling through downtown Tahoe City. The shimmering and sparkling trees are like a big warm hug as you walk through town. 

In 2019, Tahoe City Downtown Association took a step toward sustainability with the help of our local utility company, Liberty Utilities – Tahoe, Starlight Enterprises and many other sponsors. The Downtown Lighting Program has successfully upgraded to 100% LED lights, and now we are hoping to build upon that within the downtown corridor.

This year we were able to secure a $50,000 grant from the  North Lake Tahoe Resort Association Tourism Business Improvement District Zone 1 Committee. This generous grant allows TCDA to expand our lighting program to increase character trees throughout town, creating a cohesive plan to light perimeters of downtown businesses, as well as create Canopy lighting at areas that we are trying to activate within town. We are looking to expand this into the summer months, by lighting up the downtown corridor and creating “space” via lighting in high traffic spots such as Heritage Plaza.

A TBID is a mechanism for funding tourism promotion and economic development activities that are designed to increase revenues for the assessed businesses. TBID dollars will be managed by the North Lake Tahoe Resort Association (NLTRA) with oversight from the NLTRA Board of Directors and corresponding committees.

The TBID will be operated in accordance with a Management District Plan (MDP) and representatives of businesses paying the assessment will be asked to participate on NLTRA’s Board and committees. For more information about the TBID, please visit NLTRA.org and download the TBID Education Packet. For an overview video on how the TBID will work, watch here. To learn about the evolution of North Lake Tahoe’s TBID, watch here.

These LED lights help us use less than 25% of the energy of the previous incandescent lights.  The replacement of incandescent lighting with LEDs will save approximately 673,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity over the life of the bulbs. That is an energy-saving equal to the electricity used by about 1150 homes each year. That means thousands of dollars in electrical bill savings! We are proud to be taking this step toward sustainability made possible through a generous rebate program sponsored by Liberty Utilities. 

The Tahoe City Downtown Association is grateful for all of our partners, sponsors, and donors that have contributed to the Downtown Lighting Program this year but we still need YOU! 

Do you love to see Tahoe City aglow in twinkling, welcoming lights?

Does it tug on your heartstrings just a little to see our favorite mountain town sparkling? 

 

Do you have a soft spot for our “cute” downtown?

If the answer to any of these is “YES” the TCDA needs YOU!

Please help us fund Downtown Lighting this winter season!  Downtown Lighting is funded by grants, sponsorships, and donations from generous organizations and individuals, like you.  Thanks to your support, our downtown can sparkle all winter long. Please help us keep the lights on!

Please show your support for town-wide winter lighting by donating today. 

Thank you to this year’s sponsors and donors! North Lake Tahoe Resort Association, Liberty Utilities, Tahoe City Public Utility District, Placer County, Tahoe City Rotary Club, Kiwanis Club of North Lake Tahoe, Truckee Tahoe Airport District, Tahoe City Marina, Tahoe Dave’s, Tahoe Fit, Pete ‘N Peter’s, Todd Gordon Mather Architect, Pomin’s Tahoe Hot Tubs, Kila Properties,  Ogilvy Consulting, Tahoe Art Haus & Cinema, SnoHoe and The Store.

TCDA is also grateful to those businesses that have lit the trees at their businesses and to everyone that contributes to the beauty and brightness of our town!

Let’s keep America’s favorite mountain town twinkling.

Special Thanks to NLTRA and the TBID Zone 1 Committee for their support of this project.