Nathan Phillips Square and Toronto's City Hall will soon light up in a dazzling spectacle featuring over a quarter-million twinkling lights to close out 2023, when the 57th annual Cavalcade of Lights arrives in town this month.

This year's festivities, presented by Desjardins Group, will light up the square every evening with 300,000 energy-efficient lights, starting with a kickoff event and tree-lighting ceremony on Saturday, November 25, and running until Sunday, January 7, 2024.

The City launched into the holiday season on Monday with the arrival of the massive 16.75-metre (55-foot) white spruce tree grown in Baldwin, Ontario, that will serve as Cavalcade's centrepiece.

Tree installation will take eight hours over the course of Monday, followed by a three-day period where the large spruce will settle into its new position before the enormous Christmas tree is adorned with more than 500 ornaments.

#CityOfTO announces lineup for Cavalcade of Lights and heralds in the holiday season with arrival of the Nathan Phillips Square Christmas tree

News release: https://t.co/qppK1iW1f6 pic.twitter.com/OFmJM79DGI

— City of Toronto (@cityoftoronto) November 13, 2023

Cavalcade of Lights' opening night event on November 25 will run from 3 p.m. to 11 p.m., and feature a range of holiday-themed programming.

Some of the features on opening night include skating presentations from two-time Canadian Champion and Olympian, Madeline Schizas; musical performances by Banda do Senhor Santo Cristo, Polish folk band, Polky, and Zaki Ibrahim; art installations, folk and western street dancing, and a choreographed fire show by the Hoop You trio.

The main event on the 25th will be the official tree-lighting ceremony, which will see masses count down the last seconds leading up to the switch being flipped at 6:30 p.m.

That countdown also sets the clock in motion for the tree's eventual fate, with the City stating that the large spruce will be recycled into much à la Steve Buscemi in Fargo.