Gymnasts in Santa hats cartwheeled down Mill Avenue and fireworks lit up the sky Saturday as part of Tempe's celebration to welcome the holiday shopping season.
Between 20,000 and 30,000 people attend the opening of the Fantasy of Lights every year, said Rod Keeling, director of the Downtown Tempe Community, the group that sponsors the event with APS.
"It's a kickoff to the retail season," Keeling said. "Of course, we hope people will do their shopping downtown."
The Fantasy of Lights is an attempt to create an old-fashioned downtown holiday event in Tempe, he added.
The trunks and branches of trees lining Mill Avenue were decorated with small lights, which will stay up until January.
Other holiday events in Tempe will include a nighttime boat parade and music performances on Mill Avenue in December, according to the DTC Web site.
Some people didn't know about the event until they arrived on Mill Avenue for other reasons, like Whitney Schneider, an undeclared freshman.
"I had no idea it was going on," Schneider said. "I just came down to have dinner. I'll watch it for a bit. This is fun."
The main event was a parade, which included more than 30 different groups, and was organized by the Kiwanis Club of Tempe.
Acts in the parade ranged from traditional, such as the Tempe High School marching band performing Christmas music; to the unique, like Tempe garbage trucks covered in white Christmas lights.
After the parade, Tempe Mayor Hugh Hallman welcomed the crowd that had gathered around a Christmas tree decked with lights and bows in front of the Harkins Centerpoint Theatre.
"[Tempe] is a community that has the best of everything happening in it," Hallman said.
After his speech, Hallman, with the help of five local children, lit the giant Christmas tree.
The event ended with parade-goers dancing, as a swing band played Christmas music and fireworks exploded over "A" Mountain.
Reach the reporter at emilia.arnold@asu.edu.
