The Christmas lights on downtown Salt Lake City’s Temple Square will be switched on Friday, and areas that have been closed off to the public due to construction and renovation will open for the first time in years.
People who visit this season “will find even more lights, open areas, and fun activities since the temple renovation began in 2020,” a news release issued Monday by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints said. “New areas open this year include the Main Street Plaza, Church Office Building Plaza, and the north area of the Tabernacle.”
Areas to the immediate north and south of the Salt Lake Temple itself will remain closed for construction. So will the area south of the Tabernacle, where the Assembly Hall sits, as well as the Joseph Smith Memorial Building, the Beehive House and the Lion House.
There is no formal festivity when the square is first lit, but the lights will shine from 4:30 to 10 p.m. and will then be turned on daily at that time and from 6 to 8 a.m. through Jan. 1.
Along with the lights, the square offers several other celebratory events, some of which require tickets. More information is available on the church’s website, churchofjesuschrist.org.
Other holiday light displays in downtown Salt Lake City have already been turned on for the season:
• Macy’s City Creek, 21 S. Main, unveiled its traditional candy windows Thursday night.
• The Eccles Theater, 131 S. Main, was scheduled to switch on its lobby installation, “Tree of Light” by artist Eric Warner, on Monday night. It will be illuminated nightly through Jan. 26.
• The Gallivan Center, 239 S. Main, turned on its winter installation, the illuminated sculpture garden “Glow,” on Friday. It is set to stay up through March 1.
• The Gateway, on Rio Grande Street (450 West) between 50 North and 200 South, switched on its lights and window displays Nov. 16. The lights will be lit through Dec. 31; the window displays will be up through the winter.
