Temple Square’s Christmas lights are back. Here’s what to expect this season
Nov 28, 2024, 12:59 PM | Updated: 1:00 pm
Christmas lights at Temple Square in Salt Lake City are pictured on Nov. 21. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints plans to turn the seasonal Christmas lights on daily between Friday and Jan. 1, 2025. (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints)
(The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints)
SALT LAKE CITY — Temple Square remains under construction as crews continue to renovate the Salt Lake Temple and remodel the downtown area around it, but visitors will have more room to roam around its holiday display this year.
Its iconic Christmas lights will return Friday evening with no formal ceremony like church officials once held before construction and the COVID-19 pandemic, according to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The lights will remain on from 4:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. to 8 a.m. daily through Jan. 1, 2025.
Church officials say visitors will notice more open areas since construction began four years ago. Its Main Street and Church Office Building plazas are open to the public this Christmas; both reopened shortly after last year’s holiday season. An area north of the Salt Lake Tabernacle will also be open this year, while there are no closures to areas across from Temple Square, including the Conference Center, Church History/FamilySearch Library, Church History Library, and Brigham Young Historic Park blocks.
A section south of the Tabernacle will be closed this time around, along with land directly north and south of the Salt Lake Temple. The Beehive and Lion houses, as well as the Joseph Smith Memorial Building, are also closed for renovation.
The Temple Square display has been a Utah holiday staple since 1965. Preparation for this year’s display began all the way back in August.
While this year’s display will look different, with many renovated areas open for the first time this Christmas, Jay Warnick, ground services manager for Church Headquarters Facilities, said the reason for the display hasn’t changed.
“Everything that we do points to our Savior. That’s why we do what we do,” he said in a statement on Monday. “As we celebrate his birth, this is a chance to come rest from some of the cares of the world and find some peace and enjoy being with family, friends, and the community.”
Those who aren’t able to check out the holiday lights in person will be able to view them online, according to the church.
A few other events are also planned for the season. These include:
- An opening Christmas concert, “Come and Behold Him,” at the Salt Lake Tabernacle. The Friday show is already sold out, but it will be streamed live beginning at 7 p.m. Almost 300 different concerts are also scheduled across church venues every day between Saturday and Dec. 23.
- The church began performances of “Savior of the World: His Birth and Resurrection” at the Conference Center Theater last week, a theatrical production that portrays the birth, life, and death of Jesus Christ. Several shows are scheduled through Dec. 28.
- “Music & the Spoken Word” will be performed and broadcast live from the Conference Center every Sunday except for Dec. 29.
