The 53rd Annual Carol of Lights to be Celebrated
November 7, 2011
This year's celebration called “Light up the Night” will commence at 6:30 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 3.
Moving the Carol of Lights from Friday to Saturday will help to eliminate most academic conflicts.
Texas Tech will host the 53rd annual Carol of Lights celebration “Light up the Night” on Dec. 3, a Saturday. The outdoor ceremony, in the Science Quad and Memorial Circle, will begin with carillon at 6:30 p.m. and will be followed by the official ceremony at 7 p.m.
“Moving the Carol of Lights from Friday to Saturday evenings will help to eliminate most conflicts with the academic calendar (final examinations) as it is revised for 2012 and beyond,” said Provost Bob Smith. “Also, holding the event on Saturday evenings should allow for greater participation by the Lubbock community and Texas Tech alumni who want to travel to Lubbock to enjoy the tradition.”
The lights will be on from dusk until midnight through Jan. 1, 2012.
The Residence Halls Association (RHA) sponsors Texas Tech’s annual holiday tradition, Carol of Lights. More than 25,000 red, white and orange lights will illuminate the Texas Tech campus at the end of the annual ceremony. The ceremony draws about 20,000 students, faculty, staff and local residents.
Guests attending the Carol of Lights are encouraged to arrive early. Parking will be available to the public in the North Commuter parking lot near the Jones AT&T Stadium. Campus streets in the vicinity of Memorial Circle will be closed beginning at 5:30 p.m. and will remain closed until following the completion of the event.
Immediately following the Carol of Lights ceremony, the Texas Tech School of Music will hold its annual Carols Concert in the Hemmle Recital Hall.
The Residence Halls Association (RHA) serves as the voice for every student who lives on campus, which makes it the second-largest student organization at Texas Tech University. Their main goals are to promote a high quality of leadership in a democratic form of student government, and to provide the best possible living and learning experience for students living in the residence halls. The students living in the residence halls are represented by their hall Senators and Complex Councils. The RHA provides many programs and activities to enhance the living environment in the residence halls and to encourage the exchange of ideas.
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Fact Sheet
- A 38-foot Christmas tree, purchased by Jim Sowell in 2002, on display beginning Nov. 21
- 20-foot wreath made of fresh-cut pine limbs, created by the Women’s Service Organization, hung on the Science Building the week of Nov. 28
- 3,000 luminarias, made by Alpha Phi Omega and Chi Rho, placed around Memorial Circle the night of the ceremony
- Pre-lighting comments made by RHA President Nick Lamy
- Carillon Concert will begin the ceremony at 6:30 p.m.
- The Tech Trombone Choir, directed by Jim Decker, and the Texas Tech University Combined Choir, led by Karl Dent, will play a fanfare and sing. Dent will sing “Silent Night” immediately before the lights are illuminated.
- Saddle Tramps and High Riders torch light processional at 7 p.m. the night of ceremony starting at the Texas Tech Seal and moving toward the Science Quadrangle
- Texas Tech is in the process of converting 20 percent of the lights used each year to LED bulbs, which are more energy efficient and less likely to break in the wind. The 2013 event will be the first that is 100 percent LED.
- The University Police Department will close off vehicle access to Memorial Circle and the Broadway entrance at 5:30 p.m. Dec. 3 for the ceremony. Parking in the Quadrangle will also be cleared by 5:30 p.m.
- The lights will be turned on from dusk until midnight through Jan. 1, 2012.