Elon’s Festival of Lights Helps Ring in the Holiday Spirit

One of Elon’s most beloved holiday traditions, the Festival of Holiday Lights, took place on December 4th. Students met with friends and professors alike to enjoy hot chocolate and apple cider provided by the university to watch as the campus was lit up.

The celebration featured student speakers detailing Winter holiday traditions of Christian, Hindu, Jewish, Muslim and Buddhist religions and explained the significance of spreading the light. The event also featured performances from one of the university’s a cappella group, Twisted Measure, as well as a jazz quartet playing holiday music between speakers.

The university also lit hundreds of luminaries in honor of donors and alumni around campus, put out by volunteers and physical plant staff across campus.

“I’ve gone to the Luminaries celebration each year I’ve been at Elon,” says Olivia Debes ‘20. “It’s so nice to see campus transformed when the light switch is flipped and I really think the celebration sets Elon apart from other universities.”

The Town of Elon partnered with Elon University to create their own luminaries, lining the street by The Root and the police station across the train tracks to give residents of the town to enjoy their own luminaries show.

As the festival drew to a close, the announcer directed the audience to face Moseley as the first half of campus was lit on the count of 10. Turning to face Alamance, the centerpiece of the festival, the audience once again counted down and celebrated the beginning of the holiday season by singing “Deck the Halls.”