Lucky Strike Tower to be centerpiece of Durham Holiday Lights

"“This is like no other seasonal display in town,” Paul Pope, vice president and general manager of American Tobacco Campus, said. “American Tobacco is a historic Durham landmark that deserves to be decorated and celebrated during the holidays, and we invite everyone to make this event a new family tradition.”

Thousands of feet of garland and lights and hundreds of poinsettias and seasonal planters will blanket the 250,000-square-foot campus. The event is free, and the first 500 people to arrive will receive holiday light sticks.

Highlights also include live performances by more than 200 students from Creekside Elementary children's choir, Carrington Middle School chorus and Northern High School chorus featuring KnightSound.

WRAL's news personality Ken Smith will be hosting, and Dr. Carl Harris, superintendent of Durham Public Schools, will make a special appearance.

The celebration continues into Saturday, with free performances by 50 groups and more than 2,000 youth in four venues in downtown Durham. The performances surround Durham's parade.

“We are fortunate to have the same landscaping and decorating team that makes the WRAL-TV gardens and campus so stunning every year, “ Pope said. "We’re proud to start our own holiday tradition here at American Tobacco for the citizens of Durham.”