City Hall transforms into winter wonderland with annual tree lighting

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- The holidays are officially underway in Philadelphia.

On Thursday night, City Hall transformed into a winter wonderland with the annual Philadelphia Celebrates the Holidays tree lighting on 6abc.

Rick Williams, Cecily Tynan and Alicia Vitarelli were joined by Mayor Cherelle Parker, platinum R&B artist Keyshia Cole and rising star Liamani Segura.

The 50-foot-tall tree is now glowing bright on the north side of Philadelphia City Hall. It features more than 6,000 LED lights and 100 meteor lights.

"I actually love it. I like the white lights. I like it better than the colored lights," said Jenna Frisby of Camden.

For the Guy family, this event meant so much.

"This is our family ritual. Every year we come to Philly for the tree lighting," said Kwame Guy, of Townsend, Delaware.

They've been doing so since their daughter, Karleigh, was five years old. She's now 24 and thrilled to see her family's tradition continue.

"It means so much. It really just brings in the Christmas season. It's so special to me," she said.

In addition to the tree, there is so much else to explore in the area. The Rothman Rink & Cabin is around the corner, and of course be sure to get some shopping done at the Christmas Village, which features roughly 120 vendors, many of them local.