Fullerton welcomed the holiday season on December 5 with its Annual Tree Lighting Ceremony held at City Hall, attracting families and community members for an evening filled with festive activities. The event, which ran from 5 to 9 pm, featured live entertainment, food vendors along Highland Avenue, and a classic car show on Amerige Avenue.

One notable aspect of the evening was a toy drive organized by the Old School Bombs Car Club, aimed at collecting donations for local children and families facing challenges during the holiday season. However, the drive was not well advertised, leaving many attendees unaware of the initiative.

The car show had a stunning array of classic automobiles, adding to the festive atmosphere, though attendees noted that lighting conditions became less favorable once darkness fell.

As live music filled the air, families gathered on the City Hall lawn to enjoy multicultural performances including traditional pieces by the Teen Mariachi group, K-Nanta Drummers, Korean Dance FCC,  Cordially Yours Carolers, Japan Dance Performers, and Folkloric Dance of Mexico – Diana Pirraglia said “The folklorico youth group that performed at this event is from Relámpago del Cielo, a Santa Ana-based group that is now celebrating it’s 50th season.”

However, when it came time to light the tree, poor sound quality from the speaker system caught many by surprise as the tree illuminated the night.

Despite some challenges, the event was a heartwarming display of community spirit, bringing together a diverse group of residents to celebrate the start of the holiday season. As with all first events in the city each year will get better as issues are ironed out. Credit goes to city staff for creating a fun event.