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ALTADENA, Calif. () — Altadena’s historic Christmas Tree Lane will glow again Saturday, a hopeful milestone in the community’s recovery from the Eaton Fire.
Widely regarded as the nation’s largest and oldest outdoor holiday lighting display, the tradition dates to 1920 and relies entirely on volunteers who spend months stringing lights with ropes and pulleys.
Starting Saturday, more than 20,000 lights will flicker back on along the trees lining nearly a mile of Santa Rosa Avenue, near the fire’s burn scar.
For much of its 105-year run, Altadena’s Christmas Tree Lane has gone dark only in moments of true crisis — during World War II and amid the 1970s energy crisis. After the Eaton Fire, organizers briefly debated whether this would be another such year.
Organizers expect a larger-than-usual turnout for Saturday’s 6 p.m. kickoff. The ceremony will feature several new touches, including a moment of silence for the 19 Altadena residents who died in the disaster. Longtime volunteer families will help flip the switch alongside L.A. County Supervisor Kathryn Barger, who represents Altadena in the 5th District.
When the lights return Saturday, visitors may notice the display shining brighter than before. A donation from the Walt Disney Co., which employs many Altadena residents, funded thousands of additional lights for this year’s show.
But the brightest part of the display’s return isn’t the new lights — it’s the volunteers who refused to let the tradition fade after the Eaton Fire.
City News Service contributed to this report.
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