Three thousand Santa hats, two hours of fun and one very special evening are in store for Bridgeport.

Celebrating its 20^th anniversary, Light Up Night will be held 6-8 p.m. Thurs., Dec. 5 on Main Street. To commemorate the occasion, the Associated Businesses of Bridgeport is providing Santa hats, free of charge – one per person – until gone.

“We will be providing 3,000 Santa hats to attendees for what we hope will be a memorable photo opportunity,” said Lisa Lang, ABB secretary. “The community is asked to wear their own if they have one as we would like as many people as possible wearing a hat for a dynamic picture!”

Main Street traffic will be closed with all the usual festivities planned: Live entertainment including solo vocalists, elementary school choirs, the BHS Jazz Band and the BHS Dance Team, among others. ABB member businesses will set up tents and booths, offering free refreshments, toys and trinkets. Santa and Mrs. Claus will be on hand for visits. Emceed by Dr. Mark Povroznik, the 7 p.m. hour will feature the lighting of the Benedum Civic Center Christmas tree. Doing the honors this year are winners of the 2023 Light Up Our City winners, as well as city officials. The tree lighting will be accompanied by a spectacular fireworks display.

Supported by the City of Bridgeport, the ABB has hosted Light Up Night since 2005. There was a celebration every year, even during the COVID pandemic.

“I was never more proud of our group and the City than I was during 2020, when COVID canceled so many community events throughout the world,” said Doug Marquette, founding ABB member and past president. “We started early in the year with the pretext that we would have a Light up Night, that the city residents needed some normalcy. In spite of the restrictions, we found a way to make it special with the tree lit and the Drive-By Light Up Night, handing out goodie bags to the kids as they drove by in their cars and Santa and Mrs. Clause seated out by the road in front of the Civic Center waving at the kids as they drove by.”

It is a special event every year, Marquette said.

“And the 20^th Light Up Night this year makes it even more noteworthy,” he said. “Let’s make this a great one!”

The ABB is open to all businesses which pay business and occupation tax to the City of Bridgeport. Dues are $95 per year. Member businesses participate in Light Up Night, Scarecrows on Main Street and Summer Kickoff. To become a member or obtain more information, reach out to Hilary Gonzalez at hilary.gonzalez@kaufmanrealty.com.

Stay tuned to Connect-Bridgeport for more details on this year’s Light Up Night and the history behind it.