Everyone knows the best part of Christmas is the lights. The search for holiday lights is in high demand from apps to neighborhood Facebook groups, and the season of riding around to see the most festive decorations has begun. Cool Spring Downtown District is hosting a one-of-a-kind event to bring Christmas decorations to the backdrop of Downtown. Light Up the City is a “friendly” decoration competition between downtown businesses.

The Viewer Choice Award is where the fun starts. This award will go to the business the community thinks did it best. Voting started on Dec. 1st and ends on Dec. 31st. Voting can be done via the website at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/NQD9KH2. The winner will be announced in the second week of January.

Light Up the City is a new enjoyable concept for the Cool Spring Downtown District. Mimicking the mesmerizing window displays of the New York City holiday season, community members will be able to walk the streets of downtown Fayetteville and delight in all the different sceneries created by local businesses.

“The Cool Spring Downtown District fosters economic vitality through arts and entertainment in Downtown Fayetteville” something they have truly done with this community collaboration. This is a perfect opportunity for a date night, family outing or an outing for your organization. Enjoy light displays and grab a bite to eat from one of the many downtown restaurants, like Blue Moon, Circa 1800, or The Salad Box, warm hot chocolate from Rude Awakening, or hot tea or cocktail from WinterbloomTea. This is an amazing opportunity to experience the beauty of downtown Fayetteville and all it has to offer.

Lauren Falls, Marketing and Events Director for the Cool Spring Downtown District came up with the idea of Light Up the City, said “I created this event because of my love of driving around neighborhoods to view the holiday lights. I wanted to replicate that joy in Downtown Fayetteville. Our friendly competition is one of many ways we encourage visitors and residents to “love where they live” by supporting our small businesses.”

Businesses were asked to be as creative as possible in exploring the theme of the Holiday Season. Businesses can have window displays or bring the theme into the storefront. Imagination is the limit in this decoration contest.

Some businesses have already created their masterpieces. Falls said, “We have one business with a Frosty setup, another with a pink theme, and many with decorative storefront windows.”

Falls is excited about the setup of the Districts Winterscapes. “We have 11 Winterscapes that include our 22 ft. Carolina Fir Tree, Augmented Reality Photo Stations, Letters to Santa, and digital Winterscape projection. You can view all our Winterscapes on our website visit downtownfayetteville.com.”

Downtown businesses that want to participate still have time. Those wanting to register can do so by emailing Lauren Falls at lauren@coolspringfay.org or by calling the Cool Spring District Office at 910 223-1089. This event is only open to Downtown businesses. Participating businesses should keep decorations up until at least December 25th.