🎄 The Gist: Atlanta’s cherished 74-year holiday tradition, the Macy’s Great Tree Lighting, has officially been retired.
🔍 The Details: The annual Macy’s Great Tree Lighting at Lenox Square in Atlanta, a tradition since 1948, has been officially retired. This event, which marked the beginning of the holiday season for many in metro Atlanta, will no longer be held, ending a 74-year run. Macy’s made this decision as part of its annual evaluation of event programming.
🌲 In Context: The tradition originated at Rich’s department store in downtown Atlanta with the lighting of a large pine tree on Thanksgiving night. After Rich’s closed in 1991, the event moved to Underground Atlanta and then to Lenox Square in 2000. The tree lighting at Lenox Square became a key holiday event, attracting thousands each year for a display of lights and festivities.
This isn’t the first time Macy’s — a national chain — has killed a distinctly Atlanta tradition. In 2021, the New York-based company retired the beloved Pink Pig ride, which was also a Christmas tradition locally.
📈 By The Numbers:
- 74 years of tradition, started in 1948.
- Moved to Lenox Square in 2000.
- Recent years saw the event become invite-only due to COVID-19 and budget constraints.
🛑 But, Why?: While the exact reasons for discontinuing the tree lighting haven’t been specified by Macy’s, the past three years have seen the event scaled back to invite-only due to the COVID-19 pandemic and budget cuts.
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