The City received some exciting news this fall—and it came directly from the North Pole!

When Santa comes to town later this month for his annual sleigh ride, he’ll be adding extra holiday cheer and a brand new stop to his route. This year, Santa will end his cruise through La Vista in Central Park where he’ll light the City’s Christmas tree, lead a holiday singalong and pose for a giant group selfie. Oh what fun!

Because Santa will use his magic to turn on La Vista’s twinkling lights following his sleigh ride, there will not be a separate tree lighting event on the Monday following Thanksgiving. Instead, two of La Vista’s favorite holiday events (Santa’s Sleigh Ride and the Tree Lighting Celebration) will be combined into one fun-filled festive event on Sunday, November 26.

Why the change from two events to one?

Santa called City Hall to let us know that when he was checking on the children of La Vista to see who belongs on his “nice” list, he noticed The Link and other new additions at the edge of Central Park. The jolly guy was so impressed with the area that he insisted on making it part of his sleigh ride.