MACON, Ga. — We're just 43 days away from Christmas, but only two weeks away from starting the holiday festivities in downtown Macon.
The Macon Christmas Lights Extravaganza is returning to poplar street for the 6th year since 2017.
You can experience the light shows from November 25 - January 1, with nightly shows at the top of the hour from 6 p.m.. to 9 p.m.
Event Coordinator Bryan Nichols says they began stringing the lights at the end of September.
"We're getting up around a million lights," says Nichols.
He says over the last few years the event has grown tremendously, mostly through word of mouth and social media.
"We didn't advertise the first year, and over 250,000 people showed up the first year just based on social media posts," he says.
Last year, they saw 648,000 people, and Forbes named the celebration one of the top destinations to see Christmas lights in the south.
This year, he says they are hoping to exceed expectations: "We've added five new songs to the show so that's a big addition," he said.
The other new addition is the expansion of the light show. They have added a new row along the strip of Third Street and Plum Street.
Nichols says this process isn't easy. His family helps him hang the five blocks worth of lights, along with a small team of volunteers. Nichols says most days he works as long as 13 hour shifts.
However, despite all the work and preparation, you never know what to expect.
"Every year has a different challenge, and of course adding a city block, we haven't event lit it up yet. So we don't know what were running into, we never do but that's a little bit of the thrill, is trying to make sure that you can make something happen," Nichols says.
He also says a show of this caliber is the first of its kind, so they have no blueprint to follow. However, the end result is always rewarding.
"I'll just come down here and sit, and people will say why are you down here all the time. and its like well I wanna see the kids, I want to see the families, I want to see the joy that it brings them. That's why we do this," he says.
They also do it to show off Macon.
"They can get a real sense of what Macon is all about, to get them downtown to see all the changes in Macon. You know, a lot of people still have the old mindset that there's nothing downtown or its unsafe or whatever. This was a way to get them down here to see that its changes theirs a lot to see. A lot of great restaurants, a lot of great shops, a lot of things to do out here," he says.
He says it helps the local businesses and restaurants.
Jason Green at Kudzu Seafood Company says he's gotten to watch the magic from across the street for three years, and the company loves all the business it brings in.
"We love to meet and great the customers, we're excited," he said.
Nichols says this year they hope to welcome almost a million guests to the show, and says the best night to come is the opening night on November 25.
The event kicks off with a live concert featuring Macon Pops. If you miss the opening, no worries, there will be fun things to do every week.
You can find out more information about the festivities on their website.
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