Wednesday, December 9, 2020

The Tompkins Square Park Holiday tree is now lit (so to speak)

As we reported back on Friday, this year's annual Holiday Tree Lighting ceremony — featuring a choir and music — in Tompkins Square Park has been cancelled over COVID-19 concerns. 

However, the Parks Department still planned on putting the lights on the tree for the season (and I thought they were on year-round) ... 

Anyway, yesterday, workers started installing the lights and adding the electrical wiring ... Steven shared these top two photos...
... and Goggla passed this along later in the day...
And by last night, the lights were shining brightly...
We were originally told the lights would go on Thursday... but we'll take them a little early. Maybe they can stay on through the spring. (C'mon — we've done March before.)
As Stacie Joy reported on Friday...
Albert Fabozzi first planted the much-loved Christmas tree in Tompkins Square Park in 1992 to honor and memorialize his partner, Glenn Barnett, as well as others who died of AIDS. The tree was 8 feet tall when he planted it. Today, the tree is well over 50 feet.

This year would have marked the 29th annual tree lighting celebration. 

Previously on EV Grieve: 
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8 comments:

  1. AnonymousDecember 9, 2020 at 8:49 AM

    It looks fantastic!

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  2. AnonymousDecember 9, 2020 at 9:42 AM

    A symbol of hope during these trying times...

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  3. GiovanniDecember 9, 2020 at 10:50 AM

    This is like the world’s largest Charlie Brown Christmas tree, and it’s all ours.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Lola SáenzDecember 9, 2020 at 12:14 PM

    Love our Tree so much!!

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  5. AnonymousDecember 9, 2020 at 1:29 PM

    Of all the Charlie Brown trees in the world, this one is the Charlie Browniest!

    ReplyDelete
  6. John PenleyDecember 9, 2020 at 3:55 PM

    Fabozzi may have planted this tree but he also got the city to knock down the bandshell and he got Mayor David Dinkins to send in a massive army of riot cops to evict the Park's homeless right before Christmas. Jesus and Christmas like hell no......

    ReplyDelete
  7. AnonymousDecember 9, 2020 at 5:27 PM

    Really a beacon of light in a dark year! Thank you to everyone who made this possible in 2020.


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  8. BarbikatDecember 11, 2020 at 10:02 PM

    I agree with John Penley, there was no Christmas love for the Homeless that got kicked out of Tompkins Square Park and no places to go to. There was also no need for the bandshell to be torn down. It had historical and practical attachment to the neighborhood. Many groups used that bandshell, for religious, entertainment and other purposes. My heart goes out to Fabozzi memorializing the love of his life, however, the bandshell should not have razed to appease one person's demands.

    ReplyDelete

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