Rising from the ashes, the Altadena Christmas Tree Lane Association’s Winter Festival is gearing up for a record crowd today as it celebrates its 105th anniversary of lighting a near mile of deodar cedars along Santa Rosa Avenue, a.k.a. Christmas Tree Lane.
The iconic street escaped major damage from the Eaton Fire in January, allowing residents and visitors a bit of joy in a terrible year for the foothill community.
The event starts at 3 p.m. today in the parking area of the Altadena Library at Mariposa and Santa Rosa avenues, with the lighting ceremony set for 6 p.m. The festival is free except for food and drink.
Traffic will be blocked on Santa Rosa Avenue until 9 p.m., so revelers can safely admire the lights on foot. That’s the only time organizers recommend walking the near one-mile route because there are no sidewalks.
Parking is going to be an adventure, since the association is expecting a record crowd of around 15,000 people, said Mikayla Arevalo, the association’s volunteer coordinator and communications director. Arevalo suggests parking on residential side streets, and plan for a bit of a walk to the festival.
Last year the event drew an estimated 12,000 people, she said, but they are expecting more like 15,000 this year because of the outpouring of interest and support for the community since the fire.
Christmas Tree Lane traditionally draws visitors from all over the region who enjoy the nostalgic simplicity of driving under a quiet canopy of branches and lights. And this year, after the fire destroyed so much of Altadena, people want to support the community, she said, “and they also want to come out and celebrate.”
The Disney Co. is showing its support by creating a special Disney Voluntears Village with lots of festive Christmas decor, free activities and even a few appearances by unnamed Disney characters, Arevalo said. Disney offered to create the village this year because it had so many employees who were affected by the Eaton fire, she said.
As usual, Santa Claus will be visiting again, to listen to everyone’s Christmas wishes (expect a line of people waiting to greet him), and many organizations are setting up booths to describe the services they offer to the community.
Part of the appeal of Christmas Tree Lane is it’s simplicity, Arevalo said. There are no special effects, music or flashing lights, just a quiet nostalgic drive through what feels like a sparkling forest.
The 135 venerable deodar cedars that line Santa Rosa Avenue were mostly unscathed by the Jan. 7 fire, although the high winds that propelled the blaze damaged several branches and the strings of lights that still hadn’t been removed. Volunteers have been working since October creating new 15-foot strings of lights and hanging them by hand onto the trees along the nearly one-mile route.
Admission is free, but the association accepts $40 memberships online ($20 for seniors or students) to offset its costs.
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