CHARLOTTE, N.C. — It's never too early for a tree lighting. The Panthers and Charlotte FC hosted a Tree Lighting Festival on Tuesday evening.
The free event took place on the corner of Mint Street and Graham Street outside of Bank of America Stadium. The tree lighting was the main event, but there were plenty of things to enjoy too.
“This is a yearly tradition for us," Charlotte resident Nika Forney said. "We’ve been coming every year since he was about 4. We love the hot chocolate it’s wonderful, we love to see the tree, get a look at Sir Purr. It’s a lot of fun.”
The event included holiday activities galore with stations for hot cocoa, photo booths, letter writing and more.
The Panthers and Charlotte FC also held a moment of silence at the tree lighting in honor of WBTV chopper pilot Chip Tayag and meteorologist Jason Myers, who were killed in a helicopter crash along Interstate 77 Tuesday afternoon.
The event also had tables for making fleece blankets with the TopCats and holiday cards for patients at Atrium Health Levine Children's Hospital.
Other guest stars included Sir Purr, Sir Minty, Purrcussion, Black & Blue Crew, and, everyone's favorite, Santa Claus himself.
“This just feels like the start to the holiday season," Forney said.
Just a few blocks away Truist Field was preparing for the Light The Knights event for the holidays which opens on Wednesday that includes an ice rink and snow tubing.
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