SEBASTIAN — Dozens of businesses in Sebastian, Roseland and even Wabasso are gearing up for the 21st annual Light Up Night this Friday. Thousands of people are expected to take to the streets, visiting as many businesses as they can, enjoying refreshments and meeting new people.
Beth Mitchell, executive director of the Sebastian River Area Chamber of Commerce, said that the yearly event serves as a holiday shopping kick off – especially for those who didn’t want to battle Black Friday masses.
The participating businesses use Light Up Night as a giant open house of sorts and as a customer appreciation event.
This year’s Light Up Night will be held Friday, Dec. 4, from 5:30 to 8 p.m. Just how many businesses will participate this year remains unknown.
“Everybody is last minute,” Mitchell said, noting that Monday, Nov. 30, would be the cutoff for businesses to register.
Along with offering refreshments for customers’ enjoyment, they will also be decorated for a competition.
“We don’t reveal who the judges are,” Mitchell said. “It gets very competitive.”
There are five judges this year who will travel separately to the businesses and then meet back up at the end to determine who the winners are.
This year’s decoration categories are: Best Traditional Decorations (inside/outside) and Christmas Fantasy (inside/outside).
Maps will be available on Friday afternoon at the Chamber located at 700 Main Street in Sebastian. Check back with VeroNews.com later this week for a list of participating businesses.
Business owners have today to fill out an application by stopping by or calling the Chamber. The cost to participate is $30 for Chamber members and $60 for non-members.
The event itself is free and open to the public – the only cost for participants is whatever they happen to spend at the businesses as they get a jump on their holiday shopping.
For more information, call the Chamber of Commerce at (772) 589-5969.
