East Passyunk Avenue lights up for the holidays

On Thursday, Nov. 30, over 1,000 people came out to East Passyunk Avenue for their annual Christmas Tree Lighting.

Santa made an appearance to the delight of the crowd in a bucket truck and used his magic wand to light up the Christmas Tree at the Singing Fountain.

CBS 3 Meteorologist Chelsea Ingram also served as emcee, broadcasting the tree lighting on the evening news.

Speeches were given by PA Senator Larry Farnese and Councilman Mark Squilla.

Pollyodd, a distillery that serves up flavored limoncello, and Fuel, a health conscious local restaurant chain, were also on site serving free samples.

East Passyunk Avenue Business Improvement District (EPABID) Executive Director Pam Zenzola says, “The Christmas Tree Lighting at the Singing Fountain kicks off an entire month of merrymaking on East Passyunk. We had over 1,000 people come out to ring in the holidays with us  — we couldn’t be more thrilled. This was the first time we had a real live Christmas Tree in modern history and the 17-foot Frasier Fir is absolutely stunning. Thanks to everyone for making it a great night in South Philly.”

The tree lighting was presented by both EPABID and Passyunk Avenue Revitalization Corporation. It kicks off “Deck the Avenue” — a month-long serious along East Passyunk Avenue that features recurring events like Shopping Saturdays and Wish List Wednesdays. 

Were you at the Christmas Tree Lighting? Check out our photos by Kory Aversa.