H-E-B would like to invite the community to join in to see the lights and sounds of the holiday come to life during the 30^th Annual H-E-B Tree Lighting Celebration taking place in Alamo Plaza.

The event is scheduled to take place on Friday, Nov. 28^th – the day after Thanksgiving.

The free community celebration begins at 3 p.m. with kid-friendly events, including musical entertainment, face painting activities and balloon artists.

The 55-foot white fir Christmas tree is H-E-B’s annual gift to the city. In previous years, H-E-B has dedicated the tree to have to an education and military themes.

This year, the tree will honor and celebrate the newly opened Tobin Center for the Performing Arts located in downtown San Antonio. The Tobin – which opened on September 4^th  – is a world-class performing arts center situated in the city’s old municipal auditorium.

Currently, there are more than a 100 acts that are booked in the next few months, connecting arts patrons, major performance organizations and the surrounding counties.

The 55-foot Christmas tree will feature over 10,000 LED environmentally-friendly lights and handmade ornaments that will depict musical instruments in honor of the Tobin.

Among the performers at this year’s H-E-B Tree Lighting Celebration will be the Youth Orchestras of San Antonio and the Ballet San Antonio, who will be showcasing selections of the enduring classic, “The Nutcracker.”

A nine-minute looped San Antonio Symphony holiday performance will be synched up with the Christmas tree lights for a spectacular show that will be sure to delight attendees.

Santa Claus is scheduled to arrive in a horse drawn carriage, and will light the tree with a merry “Ho-Ho” to officially kick off the holiday season in San Antonio.

The lighting will signal the end of the tree festivities and the beginning of the Ford Holiday River Parade on the River Walk which will immediately follow.

In the days leading up the big ceremony, H-E-B customers will be treated to pop up performances at 30 San Antonio stores to coincide with the 30^th anniversary of the tree lighting.