Wilmington Mayor Mike Purzycki and Cultural Affairs Director Tina Betz announced today that Wilmington’s Caroling on the Square, featuring official lighting of the City’s Holiday Tree, will take place on Tuesday, December 3 at 6:00 p.m., in H.B. DuPont Plaza on Washington Street between 10th and 11th Streets.

Everyone, especially children and their families, is invited to the annual FREE City event. The event is taking place in H.B. DuPont Plaza this year due to the ongoing renovations to Rodney Square.

The Mayor and members of City Council will light the City’s Holiday Tree and sing holiday songs led by Gerald Chavis and The Fast Lane Big Band, featuring special guest Raye Jones Avery, and the City of Wilmington Employee Choral Ensemble with Mayor Purzycki.

There will be free face-painting by Dori Fostok.

Holiday characters, including Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer and Santa’s Elves as well as cast members of The First State Ballet Theatre’s “Nutcracker Suite,” will be on hand to greet guests. Song books will be provided courtesy of Delmarva Power, an Excelon Company.

Free food for event attendees will be provided by ShopRite through the generosity of the Kenny Family Foundation. The Salvation Army will provide hot drinks.

“This is a special time of year for people of many different faiths, cultures and communities,” said Mayor Purzycki. “We are pleased to once again be able to welcome our neighbors from around the city and across the region to downtown Wilmington for a festive and fun event. It is my hope that this holiday tradition helps to bring us together in a spirit of unity and peace as we wind down 2019 and look ahead to 2020.”

In keeping with the holiday spirit, attendees are encouraged to bring non-perishable food items, new or gently used children’s coats, new toys for the Mayor’s Holiday Toy Drive, and/or blankets and adult socks for the homeless. All items will be donated to local charities.

To support and encourage downtown holiday shopping, metered parking downtown is FREE until January 2, 2020. From noon until 6:00 p.m. each weekday, the City will not require payment at parking meters in the Downtown Business District (defined as the area bounded by 2nd Street to 12th Street, and by French Street to Washington Street) and in the entire Riverfront Business District. The standard two-hour parking limit will remain in effect, however. Metered spaces will continue to be free on weekends and holidays.