Mobile, Ala. (WKRG) – Mobile’s Mardi Gras park will be full of holiday cheer this Friday for the annual lighting of the Christmas tree. Mobile Mayor Sandy Stimpson was on the Red Couch to tell us all about what’s happening Friday in downtown Mobile.

Read the full interview below or watch it in the video above.

Bill: All right. Well, Mobile’s Mardi Gras park will be full of holiday cheer this Friday for the annual lighting of the Christmas tree.

Jessica: Here on the red couch this morning for the first time as Mobile Mayor Sandy Stimpson. Tell us all about what’s happening Friday in downtown Mobile. It’s going to be a big event.

Mayor Sandy Stimpson: It’s going to be the biggest tree lighting that we’ve had.
Very Family-Friendly as some new things will happen. We’ll have the Mobile ballet will actually perform starting about five 30, followed by a group of vocalists of children from all over Parks and Rec, all over the city. We’ll interesting to see how they perform. Then Santa comes in on the on a carriage outside, not a sleigh. Okay. Then we light the Christmas tree at six 30, and then we have the vocalladies, the trio of ladies who sang Christmas carols, and they’ll perform till about 9:00 from about seven to about nine.

Bill: This is always a great event. Yeah. So they love it.

Mayor Stimpson: It really is. But all kind of, you know, things that children do face painting, bouncy houses, food vendors, snow zone. Yes, with the snow zone.

Jessica: We’ve brought the kids before for the lighting of the tree, a downtown Mobile. And the snow zone was a highlight for me. Make it snow.

Mayor Stimpson: We’ll make it snow. But, you know, it’s just it’s just geared so that people come out and enjoy themselves. And there’ll be, as I said a moment ago, the street vendors or this food marketing type stuff. So I’m excited about it.

Bill: And it’s fun. And this is Mardi Gras Park where it’s been the last couple of years.It’s the perfect venue for it.

Mayor Stimpson: It really is. It’s got a very spacious we shut down Royal Street so that you can access the park. But also, I don’t know if you’ve read about, but the tree has been up for about a week now and a little bit of new location but I think it’s going to work.

Jessica: It’s a beautiful tree. And then it turns into a Mardi Gras tree in true Gulf Coast fashion, right? That’s right. So it stays up there for a minute. Parking not bad there by Mardi Mardi Gras Park. There shouldn’t be stuff you can’t park on Royal Street and no parking on Royal Street. Good information there. Very good.

Bill: All right. It’s the Mayor of Mobile’s Sandy Stimpson with us this morning talking about the tree lighting.
Here’s all the information you need to know. You can you can show up early, but six 30 is when the tree will be lit.

Mayor Stimpson: The tree is going to light at six 30. Start at five 30 so that you can be there for that, though, with the ballet and so forth.

Bill: Something to look forward to. There you go. Mayor, thanks very much.

Mayor Stimpson: Thank you. I appreciate.