Glendale Glitters to light up West Valley suburb for the holiday season

PHOENIX — Now that Thanksgiving has officially wrapped up and the leftovers have been put away, it is time to head over to the West Valley for Glendale Glitters.

“We have 1.6 million lights spread across 16 blocks of downtown Glendale,” said city spokeswoman Kim Larson. “That is about 100,000 lights more than we’ve had over the past several years.”

This year’s theme is “Hometown Holiday.” The glittering lights will illuminate downtown Glendale for the first time this season.

Glendale Mayor Jerry Weiers and Glendale Police Officer of the Year Badr Elkhannoussi will be among the special guests helping to flip on the light display at 6 p.m. Friday.

This weekend, a free shuttle service will be offered at Glendale Community College from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. to get guests to and from the event safely.

But Larson said there will be plenty to do, besides see the sparking lights.

“We’ll have all kinds of entertainment, holiday music and dancing,” she said. “We’ll have great food and beverages, Santa Claus, all kinds of kids’ activities.”

There will also be a “Salute to Hometown Heroes” banner that attendees will be able to sign to honor local police officers and first responders. The banner will be near the Glendale Public Safety Memorial this weekend.

Larson said Santa Claus will likely be the biggest attraction at Glendale Glitters. Children will be able to take photos with him.

“Everybody wants to see the big guy this time of year to get their wishes in for the Christmas holiday,” she said.

Attendees can download the Visit Glendale mobile app to help them get around Glendale Glitters.

Larson said this is the first time the app is being used to post information about the event. It includes a map of all the festivities, shopping locations, parking information and directions.

Glendale Glitters will continue to light up the West Valley suburb until Jan. 6.

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