Jingle all the way to Mount Washington, Kentucky, where the annual Christmas festival begins.
Light up Mt. Washington is a yearly festival that the city puts on to officially kick off the holiday season. It is a cherished tradition that brings the community together to celebrate and get into the holiday spirit.
The festival features a variety of activities and attractions, including the parade, a costume contest, food trucks, choir performances, and pictures with Santa. Bullitt East has been a huge contributor to this community event by having their choir and marching band perform for the town.
“I love marching in the parade, it’s so much fun. I looked up to it when I was little. It made me so excited about when I could finally be able to join the band,” sophomore trumpet player Anna McKune said.
The parade helps bring joy and raise awareness about the marching band. Children get inspired by the marching band and aspire to join. The band members go all out for the parade by decorating their instruments with festive decorations and wearing Christmas attire, giving an amusing performance for all.
“It’s something in the city of Mount Washington people can bond over, no matter the age or level each person is at, you’ll see all age ranges from newborns to elderly, and it’s a really beautiful thing and tradition in our townhouse,” McKune said.
One of the activities hosted is a costume contest, in which families compete to have the best costume. This year’s theme was holiday characters, with the winning family dressed up as the thieves from “Home Alone”. The costume contest is a highly popular event within the festival that keeps families coming back each year.
“This was my first year doing the costume contest, safe to say this will become a new tradition for my family. We had fun connecting to find something to wear,” Renee Asher, one of the costume contest winners, said.
Light up Mt Washington has been in the community for generations, becoming a staple for many families’ holiday plans. With activities for all ages, the festival continues to unite the town and celebrate the spirit of the season.
