2018 Temple Square Christmas Lights and Concerts

  • 21 November 2018

Visitors enjoy the Christmas lights near Temple Square in Salt Lake City on Friday, November 24, 2017. Christmastime on Temple Square—with all of its festive lighting, music, and Christ-oriented displays—is sure to be memorable again this year. Photo by Ravell Call, Deseret News.

For more than 50 years, Temple Square has been a destination for families and friends to see the colorful lights during the Christmas season. Every part of the decorations—from the white Nativity scene surrounded by floating lights in the reflecting pool, to the luminaria around the square, and the inspiring music and concerts—is meant to draw attention to the story of Christ’s birth.

Lights

For 2018, the Christmas lights will turn on at dusk on Friday, November 23, the day after Thanksgiving. Visitors are welcome to come see the lights any time during the Christmas season from dusk until 10:00 p.m. through December 31.

Concerts

The Christmas on Temple Square opening concert is Saturday, November 24, in the Tabernacle at 6:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. This family-friendly kickoff to the Christmas season features music by We Also Sing! under the direction of Merrilee Web. All ages are welcome.

In addition, choral and musical groups will present free music, carols, and songs of the season in the following venues:

Assembly Hall: Tuesdays through Sundays at 5:30, 6:30, 7:30, and 8:30 p.m. (November 24 through December 22)

Church Office Building: Mondays through Fridays at noon and 1:00 p.m. (November 26 through December 21)

Church History Museum: Various days at noon and 4:00 p.m. (November 26 through December 22) 

Family History Library: Various Tuesdays at 7:00 p.m. and Saturdays at 2:00 and 4:00 p.m. (November 24 through December 22)

Joseph Smith Memorial Building: Mondays through Saturdays at 1:00, 2:00, 3:00, 4:00, and 5:00 p.m. (November 24 through December 22)

North Visitors’ Center: Tuesdays through Sundays at 6:00 and 7:00 p.m. (November 24 through December 22)

Performing groups include high school and collegiate student choruses, ensembles, and madrigals from Utah and surrounding states, as well as children’s choruses, community choirs, and other musical groups.

Adults and children of all ages are welcome to attend any of the above Christmas performances. Download the detailed schedule of performing groups, which includes locations and times of performances, at www.ChurchofJesusChrist.org/events and at information and hostess desks throughout Temple Square. For more information call 1-801-240-3323.

Savior of the World

Savior of the World is a sacred musical drama based on scriptural accounts of the birth and Resurrection of Jesus Christ. Performances are Friday, November 16, through Saturday, December 29, and are presented at the Conference Center Theater (located in the northwest corner of the Conference Center) on Tuesdays through Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Saturdays at 2:00 p.m. Reserve $10 tickets at ChurchofJesusChrist.org/events or call 1-801-570-0080. For this event, Conference Center parking is free to ticket holders.

 

Other activities

Church History Museum

The Church History Museum is open weekdays from 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. and Saturdays from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.  This year the museum features a new art exhibit called A Visual Journal: Artwork of Henry B. Eyring. Since the mid-1970s, President Henry B. Eyring of the First Presidency has produced hundreds of small-scale watercolor paintings that, like his journals, capture his feelings and memories about important moments and people in his life. This display will be open from November 8, 2018, to January 21, 2019. (See related article.)

Family History Library

Discover your heritage through interactive discovery experiences. Additional Christmas activities from November 26 through December 31 include Christmas traditions around the world, arts and crafts, family history videos, music, and short Christmas films. Library hours November 26 through December 21 are Monday: 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Tuesday through Friday: 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., and Saturday: 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Films

Several holiday films are shown in the North Visitors’ Center throughout the Christmas season. For this season, the Legacy Theater at the Joseph Smith Memorial Building will add Mr. Kreuger’s Christmas and the Bible Video “The Nativity” to other ongoing presentations. For a film schedule, call 1-801-240-8945.

Guided tours

Complimentary guided tours of Temple Square’s buildings and grounds, as well as an explanation of basic Church beliefs, are available throughout the day and evening in many languages. The North and South Visitors’ Centers are open from 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. every day.

Organ recitals

Organ recitals are held year-round in the Tabernacle on the magnificent 11,623-pipe Tabernacle organ Monday through Saturday at noon and at 2:00 p.m. on Sundays.

Bells on Temple Square rehearsals

Wednesday evening rehearsals begin at 7:30 p.m. in the Tabernacle on Temple Square. Doors open 10 minutes before rehearsals.  Bells on Temple Square is a 35-member hand bell ringing ensemble that is part of the The Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square organization.

Tabernacle Choir broadcasts

The Tabernacle Choir broadcasts Music and the Spoken Word at 9:30 a.m. each Sunday from the Tabernacle on Temple Square. Broadcasts originate from the Conference Center during the month of December. The public is welcome and should be seated by 9:15 a.m. The public may also attend Tabernacle Choir rehearsals every Thursday at 7:30 p.m. in the Conference Center. There will be no rehearsal on November 22 and 29 and December 13 and 27.

New Year’s Eve Celebration on Temple Square

Guests are encouraged to return for the New Year’s Celebration on Temple Square on December 31.

6:00 p.m.

Family Night Sing-Along: Broadway and the Big Screen (Assembly Hall).   

6:00 p.m.

Gabriel Trumpets (Tabernacle). Trumpets, organ, and percussion come together to perform a broad repertoire highlighting the wide range of trumpet sounds with selections that will please all tastes.           

7:00 p.m.

Fiesta! (Tabernacle). Award-wining Latino performers celebrate life and new beginnings. Artists include Alex Melecio, Tony Garcia, Martha Chavez, and others.

8:00 p.m.

From Now On! The Best of Movie Musicals (Tabernacle). Dallyn Bayless and Mindy Robbins, together with the celebrated One Voice Children’s Choir, present favorite songs from movie musicals.

8:00 p.m.     

Gotta Dance! (Joseph Smith Memorial Building lobby). The Stratford Street Big Band, along with local dance groups, will entertain us with jazz, swing, and big band favorites.

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