The theme for the 2019 celebration is “The Night of 20,000 Lights.”
Texas Tech University will once again light up for the holiday season at the 61st annual Carol of Lights ceremony. Thousands of Red Raiders will gather on campus and online at 6:30 p.m. Dec. 3, to watch more than 25,000 colored lights illuminate buildings around Memorial Circle, the Engineering Key and the Broadway entrance to campus.
The event is presented thanks to the hard work and dedication of students in the Texas Tech Residence Halls Association, part of University Student Housing. Preparations for the ceremony take around nine months to complete.
"The gasp from the crowd the moment the switch is flipped and the lights come on is one of my favorite things about the evening," said D'aun Green, senior associate managing director of University Student Housing. "From the processional to the final carol, Carol of Lights is one of the most memorable and treasured traditions of our university."
In addition to the lights on 18 buildings, a 38-foot-tall Christmas tree that sits behind the Texas Tech Seal at the Broadway entrance also will be lit during the event.
At 6:30 p.m., the Carillon Concert will begin with music tied to the theme, "The Night of 20,000 Lights." At 7 p.m., the Masked Rider, High Riders and Saddle Tramps will begin the Torch Light Processional, which will follow the luminaria-lighted route down the Broadway entrance, around Memorial Circle and to the Science Quadrangle. During the ceremony, the Texas Tech Trombone Choir will accompany the Texas Tech Combined Choirs.
After the event, the lights will be turned on from dusk to midnight every night until Jan. 2.
The ceremony will be broadcast live on 88.1 KTXT-FM "The Raider," Lubbock's PBS station KTTZ-TV and through livestream.
For parking and event information, visit the Carol of Lights website.
