From Buffalo Place eReport..

Saturday December 2nd -- 5 to 8:30 pm
Fountain Plaza (Main and Chippewa)

Tree Lighting, Ice Skating, Carriage Rides, Music, and Fireworks





Downtown Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony

Saturday, December 2nd, join Buffalo Place Inc. for a celebration of the holiday season in Downtown Buffalo, the annual Downtown Christmas Tree Lighting Celebration at Rotary Rink. The Tree Lighting will take place at Fountain Plaza and will be presented by First Niagara Financial Institution. Bring your inner child along with your own children and join us as we bring to life the holiday spirit in Downtown Buffalo and light our 40-foot Christmas tree in the heart of the City!

Buffalo Place Operations are hard at work preparing to decorate the colossal tree with thousands of lights and Rotary Rink's annual transformation is well underway. Lights, holiday stockings and even six-foot candy canes will light up the City sky on December 2nd! To kick off the festivities, Buffalo's most eclectic musician, Tom Stahl will take the stage for some holiday tunes to entertain the skaters. Holiday music will continue with the popular Dickens Carolers as they entertain in Fountain Plaza with holiday carols. Santa’s jolly laughter will fill the Plaza as children whisper their Christmas wishes to ol’ St. Nick.

At 6:00 p.m. Buffalo Place officials will light the gigantic tree followed by a fabulous fireworks display from Key Center. The first “bang” of the magnificent show will officially ring in the holiday and ice-skating season in Downtown Buffalo. Following the lighting of the Downtown Christmas Tree, Santa and his elves will visit with children and spread holiday cheer to all attendees. Santa’s elves will hand out a small gift and candy cane to every child in attendance. There will also be free horse drawn carriage rides, which will run a continuous loop from Rotary Rink through Buffalo’s Theatre and Entertainment Districts. Our favorite clowns from Buffalo Clown Alley will be face painting, creating balloon art and spreading holiday cheer!

Buffalo Place invites you to celebrate the beginning of the holiday season and the start of the free ice-skating season with us in Downtown Buffalo at the Annual Downtown Christmas Tree Lighting Celebration from 5:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. on Saturday, December 2nd. Rotary Rink, Downtown Buffalo’s only outdoor skating rink, is located at Fountain Plaza at Main and Chippewa Streets. Free ice-skating is available at Rotary Rink from November 28, 2006 to March 18, 2006. There will be extended holiday hours during the week between Christmas and New Years. Buffalo Place would like to offer special thanks to our 2006 Downtown Christmas Tree Lighting Celebration sponsors including presenting sponsor, First Niagara Financial Institution and media sponsors The Buffalo News and Star 102.5.