PHOENIX — Santa Claus is coming to town on Wednesday, and he’s bringing something special with him.
For the 24th straight year, the Outlets North Phoenix will kick off the holiday season with the arrival of Arizona’s tallest freshly cut Christmas tree.
The 70-foot-tall white fir will arrive at the shopping center, located just west of Interstate 17 at 43rd Avenue and Anthem Way, at 6:30 a.m., along with Santa, who will be riding in a Daisy Mountain Fire and Medical fire engine.
The 20-foot-wide tree will be lifted into place by a crane at 7:45 a.m., weather permitting.
More details about Outlets North Phoenix Christmas tree
The tree comes from the Shasta-Trinity National Forest in northern California, about 750 miles away from its future home in north Phoenix.
It will be decorated with more than 1.5 miles of LED lights (totaling about 10,000 bulbs), 5,000 ornaments and bows and a 3-foot-tall copper star.
A 10-person team will spend more than 120 hours over the next two weeks adorning the tree with the decorations.
In order to keep the tree fresh through the holiday season, it will be placed in a 7-foot-deep well and sprayed with about 120 gallons of fire retardant.
Additionally, the tree will be held in place by six wires to make sure it doesn’t get blown over if it gets windy outside.
When will the Outlets North Phoenix Christmas tree be lit?
The Outlets North Phoenix will host a lighting ceremony for the tree on Nov. 15 at 5 p.m.
The ceremony will include a free concert with performances from local artists Drew Ryn, a former “American Idol” contestant, and Jules, a former contestant on “The Voice.”
Adding to the holiday excitement, children will be able to visit Santa at his cottage near the shopping center’s food court starting on Nov. 14. The jolly old elf will then be available for visits every day until Christmas Eve. More information, including hours, can be found on the Outlets North Phoenix website.
The post Arizona’s tallest Christmas tree to arrive at north Phoenix shopping center Wednesday appeared first on KTAR.
