Join the Santa Barbara Downtown Organization as it welcomes the arrival of the Community Holiday Tree on Tuesday, Nov. 23, to be placed on State Street just in time for the holiday season.

The 45-foot Douglas fir tree is sponsored by the Downtown Organization and donated by Southern California Edison. SCE will deliver the tree to Santa Barbara, and the City of Santa Barbara Public Works and Parks & Recreation departments will install it just north of the intersection of Victoria and State streets.

The tree is expected to arrive on State Street at 8 a.m. Tuesday and be installed from 8:30 a.m. to 10 a.m.

Thanks to the South County Energy Efficiency Partnership, for the first time the tree will be strung with new energy-efficient LED lights.

“LEDs save up to 90 percent of the electricity that is needed to power conventional painted or ceramic-coated bulbs,” said Patricia Bartoli-Wible, local public affairs region manager for Southern California Edison. “The low electricity use of LEDs means less carbon emissions and less money spent on electricity.”

Another benefit is LEDs are encased in hard-to-break plastic vs. the more fragile glass of incandescent lights, and because the LED is electronic, it lasts up to 10 times longer than incandescent highlight light strings.

The official lighting of the tree will take place at 6:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 3 by the Holiday Prince and Fairy at the beginning of the 58th Annual Downtown Holiday Parade. This magnificent tree will shine brightly and efficiently through the holiday season.

For more information on the community tree or the 58th Annual Downtown Holiday Parade, call the Downtown Organization at 805.962.2098 x24.