Somerville’s Month-Long Illuminations Celebration Kicks Off December 9

Plug in your lights, don your bike helmet, and hit your high notes for Somerville’s interactive Illuminations extravaganza! 

This year, the annual Illuminations celebration will include self-guided neighborhood tours, porch caroling around town, a community lantern project, and a bike tour. As a participant or tour-goer, celebrate the folk artistry and creativity of residents and businesses that transform their spaces and yards with lights, ornaments, and shrines of devotion and fantasy – and song.
 
This month-long event kicks off Thursday, December 9, when the official Illuminations 2021 map will go live on the Arts Council website, somervilleartscouncil.org. The map will include crowdsourced suggestions of snazzy lighting displays not to be missed, caroling schedule and locations, where to view community lantern installations, and information about our traditional Illuminations "winners" from past years. 

Schedule

• December 9 through early January 2022: Self-guided Illuminations tours
• December 9 (rain date December 11): Citywide caroling, 6 to 8 p.m. (outdoor vocal performances, acoustic or with one or two classical instruments)
• December 11: Community lantern project
• December 18 (rain date December 19): Illuminations bike tour, meeting at City Hall main entrance and departing at 5:45 p.m.

How to Participate

• Deck out your home or business with lights and festive décor, sing a few holiday numbers on your porch or driveway, or create a lantern installation in your neighborhood. Sign up at somervilleartscouncil.org/IlluminationsTour to be added to the official Illuminations map by December 8. 
• Check out the official Illuminations map online starting December 9, then head out on a self-guided tour of decorated houses any time you like! 

For more information, visit somervilleartscouncil.org or facebook.com/SomervilleArts, and follow the Arts Council on Instagram, @SomervilleArtsCouncil.