Tennessee Tech University will kick off the holiday season by flipping the switch on thousands of holiday lights at the annual “Lighting the Quad” on Tuesday, Dec. 3 at 5:30 p.m. The free event is held on the university’s historic main quad and is open to the public. 

“This is one of our favorite Tennessee Tech traditions and is always a highlight of the holiday season for our campus,” said Tech First Lady Kari Oldham. “We invite students, faculty, staff, alumni, friends and neighbors to bring their families and join us for this special event as we celebrate the magic of the season together.” 

First started in 2017, Lighting the Quad features dazzling holiday lights, music, hot chocolate, commemorative t-shirts, selfie stations and more. Games, refreshments and additional photo-op spaces will be available inside Memorial Gym just off the main quad. In the event of unfavorable weather, a rain date has been scheduled for Thursday, Dec. 5 at 5:30 p.m.

All told, this year’s light display will include more than 1,000 feet of illuminated trees and over 40,000 individual lights. The display’s centerpiece is a 35-foot-tall tree lit in Tech’s signature purple. The structure was originally part of the Gatlinburg SkyPark “Lights Over Gatlinburg” holiday display and is now getting a second life at Tech.

Once illuminated at Tuesday’s ceremony, Tech’s holiday lights will be available to enjoy throughout the rest of the year, beginning daily at 5 p.m. The community is invited to come out and experience the lights with their friends and loved ones, and to share their photos on social media using #TNTechLights.

Learn more at www.tntech.edu/lightingthequad/.