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SALT LAKE CITY — The Christmas spirit blanketed downtown Salt Lake City on Friday evening when thousands of spectators were treated to the season's unveiling of the Christmas lights at Temple Square and the Gallivan Center.
A cheer went up at Temple Square at 5:25 p.m. when the famed Christmas lights came to life, kicking off a busy holiday season in downtown Salt Lake City. The spectacle attracted out of state visitors and locals alike.
Benson and McKenzie Rice, from Centerville, visited with their 10-week-old daughter to introduce her to her first Christmas.
"She loves lights," Benson Rice said. "We were kind of excited to see how she would react."
McKenzie Rice said she appreciates the spiritual tenor of Temple Square's Christmas celebration.
"It's good (for getting) in the Christmas spirit," she said. "In a sense, it's sharing the joy of Christ in Christmas."
At the Gallivan Center, Kris Fielding happily took photos of family members as they made their rounds on the outdoor ice skating rink there, under thousands of Christmas lights arranged throughout the plaza.
"It's beautiful, it's very beautiful, and a fun, great atmosphere," said Fielding, who is in town from Washington state to visit her daughter.
Fielding was also grateful for the relatively mild temperatures at the outdoor rink, where visitors were also treated to a performance from American Ice Theatre and children met with Santa Claus.
"It's a perfect night, it's gorgeous out here," she said.
Fielding and her family planned to enjoy the sights at Temple Square as well before calling it a night.
"We're trying to take in all this Christmas festivity before we head back home," she said.
Between the Gallivan Center and Temple Square, roughly 350,000 Christmas lights flickered on for the first time Friday, the center reported. Aside from those displays, downtown Salt Lake also bustled with a constant stream of shoppers at City Creek Center, musicians playing Christmas music on several street corners and a contingent of savory smells from busy food trucks.
Bryce and Stacey Benson, from Murray, were on hand to see the Temple Square lights with their children, Gabby and Tanner. The family wanted to change gears to "the spirit of Christmas instead of the spirit of shopping," Bryce Benson said.
"It's a good change of pace," he said.
Stacey Benson said her family had done some holiday shopping on Thanksgiving, which freed up their schedules Friday to see the lights. They stopped and enjoyed some Christmas window displays at City Creek before making their way to Temple Square, after which they planned to go out to dinner together.
"It's a good start to the holiday season," she said.
Mike and Kristin Anderson live in Salt Lake City, but have never previously gone to Temple Square for the opening night of the season. They visited with their three children Friday, Kristin Anderson said, in hopes of making a new family tradition.
"It's fascinating. ... They love the Christmas lights, so it's fun to do with them," she said.
The unveiling of the lights is just a taste of holiday offerings at Temple Square and the nearby conference center, where in December the Mormon Tabernacle will perform its annual Christmas Concert and the LDS Church's First Presidency will give its traditional Christmas Devotional.
School and church choirs, as well as other musical groups, are scheduled to perform in various venues throughout Temple Square daily through Dec. 23. Its Christmas lights will continue to light up the night through Jan. 3. Email: blockhart@deseretnews.com Twitter: @benlockhartnews
