FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 15, 2020
City Seeks Holiday Tree and Musical Talent for Special Grand Illumination 2020 Television Broadcast
Charlottesville, VA - The City of Charlottesville and UVA Community Credit Union are excited to present Charlottesville's Grand Illumination 2020 as a special one-night only broadcast and streaming event on Friday, December 4 from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. on NBC29 and CW29. Staff is seeking the perfect holiday tree and a diverse group of musical talent to take center stage for this special holiday broadcast event.
In recent years, the City's Grand Illumination event has attracted thousands of people to the historic Downtown Mall to celebrate the start of the holiday season with music, food, games and festive fun. However, the COVID-19 pandemic has curtailed plans for many in-person events throughout the year, and the Grand Illumination is no exception. Representatives from both organizations are eager to continue the City's popular tree-lighting tradition safely and responsibly and look forward to providing the community with a special holiday broadcast and streaming event. Outstanding musical talent and special guest surprises have made Charlottesville's Grand Illumination a signature holiday event for over 20 years, and this year's event will continue the tradition of providing family entertainment for the community. More details of the broadcast event will be announced at a later date.
TREE SEARCH
All community landowners, homeowners, and businesses are encouraged to submit trees for consideration. Tree candidates are ideally about 30 feet tall, fully branched on all sides, accessible for removal by large equipment, and nearing the end of its life or needing to be removed for other reasons. Submission deadline is Friday, October 23, 2020.
Once a tree is selected, a City representative will contact the owner to coordinate cutting and delivery of the tree at no cost. When the tree is removed from the Mall in early January, it will be prepped for mulch and offered for free to the community. If you believe you have the perfect holiday tree candidate for Grand Illumination 2020, you can:
1) Upload photos and contact info to fileinbox.com/CvilleGrand2020, or
2) Email photos and contact info to cvillegrand@charlottesville.gov, or
3) Call Joe Rice at 434-409-8226
TALENT SEARCH
Producers for Grand Illumination are searching for diverse musical talent to participate in a special holiday concert taking place on the Paramount Theater stage; performances will be featured on the televised broadcast. If you are interested in auditioning, please contact Joe Rice at 434-409-8226 or email cvillegrand@charlottesville.gov.
Stay updated with helpful event details and fun, interactive posts as we get closer to Charlottesville's Grand Illumination on Friday, December 4 by visiting www.cvillegrand.com and following @cvillegrand on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. #cvillegrand
Media Contact
Joe Rice
Deputy Director of Communications
City of Charlottesville
434-409-8226
ricej@charlottesville.gov
