BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB)- The Buffalo Place organization, with the help of developer Rocco Termini, wants to bring downtown Buffalo back to it’s holiday heyday.

A few decades back, window displays and decorations alone were enough to drive people to the Theater District in downtown Buffalo.

Buffalo Place has invested $33,000 to spruce up the streets with new light displays and bring that popularity back.

Executive Director Michael Schmand said finding out which designs would work took time.

“During the month of October they experimented with different garlands and different type of lighting. And we came up with the red garland because that really reflects all the light we have down here,” Schmand told News 4.

There’s also digital lights on trees that line the sidewalk downtown. Schmand expects it will make Main Street brighter than it’s been in the past 30 years.

“With cars coming back on Main Street, we wanted to have the opportunity for when people come down to go shopping at the new stores down here, and there’s 14 of them that just opened up, and 20 new restaurants downtown in the past 6 months, to have the feel of what Main Street used to be like.”

The ultimate goal is to have all businesses downtown coordinate their efforts, Buffalo Place is just leading the way. There’s a light show at Lafayette Square as well.

“If people come down to the shops and restaurants they’ll see additional holiday decorations, they’ll see the old AM&A’s windows at the Hyatt, they’ll see skating going on. So there’s a synergy of things that are happening downtown,” Deputy Executive Director of Buffalo Place B. Morgan Smith told News 4.

The most important display of all though, is 45 foot pine donated by St. Michael’s, equipped with thousands of little ferry lights and dozens of bright red bows. It was officially lit Dec. 3, and sits beside the Rotary Rink in the Fountain Plaza.

“It’s gorgeous,” said Vanessa DeJames, a frequent visitor of the rink.

She said it’s nice to see the area live up to it’s potential.

“I always thought they could do a lot more, because there was so many people coming down here. There’s a lot more they could be doing with this space and I’m just happy to see them doing it.”