Circle of Lights

Circle of Lights is Indianapolis's most honored holiday tradition, the night Santa flips the switch on what the city calls the world's largest Christmas tree. The tree is really the 284-foot Soldiers & Sailors Monument on Monument Circle, wrapped in 52 strands of garland and 4,784 multicolored LED lights. Each of the five bulb colors honors a branch of the U.S. military. Volunteers from IBEW Local 481 have installed, maintained and taken down the display since the first lighting in 1962, hand-checking every bulb, and the Downtown Indy Alliance stages the evening with live music before the big moment.

Our take: Come for the live music before the lighting so you're settled on the Circle when Santa throws the switch.