Is Fort Worth’s official Christmas tree the largest in Texas? Other facts you didn’t know
Fort Worth will officially kick off the holiday season next week when Mayor Mattie Parker and 70s superstar Marie Osmond will flip the lights on an 80-foot Christmas tree in Sundance Square.
The 77th Annual Fort Worth Community Christmas Tree lighting ceremony is from 6:30-7 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 6. Osmond will kick off the festivities with a holiday themed concert, followed by the tree lighting countdown.
Lights and hand-painted ornaments are being placed on the 80-foot Norway Spruce tree this week. Corporate sponsors for the 2023 event include Sasha and Edward P. Bass, Sundance Square, Amazon, Green Mountain Energy and Wildcat Cranes Inc.
Fort Worth’s Christmas tree tradition was started in 1947 by Amon Carter, where it was originally placed in Burk Burnett Park.
In 1956, Fort Worth Jaycees took over the tree project and later moved the event to the east of the Convention Center at Ninth and Main streets, according to previous Star-Telegram reporting. Fort Worth City Council approved the tree’s relocation to Sundance Square in 1999.
A few years later in 2004, Sundance Square took over managing the annual Christmas tree project. For more information on next week’s tree lighting event, here’s what to know:
Is parking free in Sundance Square for the tree lighting?
Sundance Square has two garages that will be open for free parking after 6 p.m. on Dec. 6:
Sundance Square Garage #3 — 345 W. Third St.
Sundance Square Garage #4 — 265 W. Fifth St.
Is the Fort Worth Christmas tree the largest in Texas?
Yes, Fort Worth’s tree is the largest live Christmas tree in Texas, Sundance Square spokesperson Bryan Eppstein said.
The tree traveled 1,100 miles from northern Michigan to arrive in Cowtown on Nov. 25. A special 2.5-ton boot was made just to hold the 80-foot tree, Eppstein said.
How long will the Christmas tree be up in Sundance Square?
The Christmas tree will be up in Sundance Square through New Year’s Day.
Crews will begin taking lights and ornaments off the tree on Jan. 8-9, 2024, Eppstein said. On Jan. 10, the tree will be taken down and moved out of Sundance Square.
What happens to the Christmas tree after its taken down?
After the tree is removed from Sundance Square, it will be transported to a nearby downtown lot to be broken down.
Parts of the tree will be recycled and made into furniture for the surrounding Sundance Square area, Eppstein said. Other parts of the tree will be turned into mulch and used in landscaping.
Is Fort Worth’s annual Christmas tree lighting the oldest in the country?
No, that distinction would fall to New York’s Madison Square Park which is hosting its 111th annual lighting this year. But there is a connection between Fort Worth and New York’s Christmas tree lighting.
Sundance Square owners Sasha and Edward P. Bass, donated a 30-foot Christmas tree to Madison Square Park this year as a symbol of unity and to hearken back to Fort Worth and New York’s connection, Eppstein said.
New York’s Madison Square Park is just across the street from the Worth Square Monument, which contains the remains of Fort Worth’s namesake — General William Jenkins Worth.
Worth (1794-1849) was born in New York and served in the War of 1812, the Seminole War and the Mexican-American War, according to the Texas State Historical Association. He died in San Antonio in 1849 just after being appointed Army commander of the Department of Texas.
Not long after his death, forts were established along the Trinity River and one was named in Worth’s honor. In 1857, Worth’s remains were moved to New York and he was reburied in Worth Square with a 51-foot tall monument.
Its this connection between Fort Worth and its New Yorker namesake that spurred the Christmas tree donation, Eppstein said.
Now, both Fort Worth and Madison Square Park will both host their Christmas tree lighting ceremonies on Dec. 6, around 1,600 miles a part.
“[The Basses] thought it would be sort of a neat thing to do to draw attention to the connection,” Eppstein said.
