The 100th Annual Tree Lighting in Washington Square Park
By Anthony Paradiso
THE 40-FOOT BALSAM FIR sourced from Weir Tree Farms in New Hampshire lit up under the Washington Square Arch at the 100th annual tree lighting. Photos by Anthony Paradiso.
The 100th annual Washington Square Tree Lighting took place on Friday, December 11. Hundreds of people braved the cold so they could see Santa Claus, sing Christmas carols, and gather around the Washington Square Arch to watch the 40-foot tree light up.
The Rob Susman Brass quartet, who have played at the tree lighting for the past 38 years, performed holiday music and Christmas caroling was led by Linseigh Green. There was also an enthusiastic performance of ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas by Villager and actor John Rothman, which rallied the crowd before Washington Square Association (WSA) President Trevor Sumner took the stage to count down to the tree lighting.
There’s a reason Sumner decided to stand out in freezing temperatures that Friday night and deliver a speech. The tree lighting is a family tradition. He said, “I grew up right on Washington Square Park north, so I’ve been coming here since I was a little kid. At one point my mother was President of the Washington Square Association and I used to see her up in front doing the tree lighting. So, this has been a family affair for me all my life. Of the 48 years I’ve been alive, I would say I’ve probably done at least 45 of them and it’s just a cherished tradition for me personally and as a community.”
A person in the crowd who wanted to remain anonymous said that Sumner is an absolutely “awesome human being” and they were in attendance to support him and listen to him speak. Ryan, who came with their four-year-old and 11-year-old, said, “it’s nice to be connected to history.” A third person said he was there for his daughter to see Santa Claus and the tree lighting for the first time.
This year, in addition to the tree lighting, the WSA partnered with the House of Yes, a performance-fueled nightclub, to provide on-site entertainment and programming.
“We’ve gone a little bit bigger this year,” said Sumner. “Working with our friends at House of Yes, we had a winter wonderland photo station with Santa, we had a makeup station for kids, we brought back our band who’s been playing for almost 38 years as well as our singer Linseigh Green who’s been doing this for almost a decade. So, it’s really a family affair and quite the tradition. For the past two months we’ve been working with the Parks Department and Will Morrison, who’s the administrator of the park, making sure that the layout works and we’ve got all the right things to be safe and to enjoy this event to its fullest.”
STILT WALKERS DRESSED AS GIANT MONKEYS dance in the center of the crowd at the 100th annual Washington Square tree lighting.
Ilan Tremont from the House of Yes was responsible for the Santa photo booth, the make-up station and the stilt walkers who were dressed as candy canes and giant monkeys.
The tree lighting was sponsored by Wegman’s, NYU and Doug Evans whose sponsorship made it easier for the WSA to be “a little more ambitious.” That paid off based on feedback from families who say they “absolutely loved” the tree lighting.
“They loved the stilt walkers, like that seemed to captivate the crowds,” said Sumner. “One of my favorite images of the night was seeing a child on the shoulders of their parent looking at the super tall stilt walker and trying to hug them which I think was just really special to see and the other was everyone really loved John Rothman’s reading of ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas… I thought his rendition was rousing and full of the anticipation of Christmas and the joy of the season and that was just a great way to kick it off.”
The tree lighting is a symbol of the Greenwich Village community coming together and has gone on for 100 years. Sumner reflected on that history and what it means to the community. “I grew up looking up at this arch and its history. One hundred forty years ago, this was made out of wood and plaster and then they replaced it with this beautiful tuckahoe marble, and you think about what an enduring tradition and symbol this is for our community and for New York City. It’s about coming together in unison, celebrating our togetherness. Family and friends doing so — all in song and in celebration and in the spirit of the holidays… At a time where the world feels more divisive than ever, we need to cherish how we can come together and celebrate the things that matter most to us and it’s our humanity and our togetherness that makes this special.”
ANTHONY PARADISO is a contributing writer and editor. Anthony has written for sports news sites In The Zone Sports Lifestyle & Culture, Bad Dawg Sports and Jersey Sporting News.
