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Beginning Saturday, Automobile Alley twinkles with holiday cheer as the districts shops and restaurants welcome the community for its Lights on, Broadway! open house and lighting display celebrating the holiday season.

The opening event runs 4-8 p.m. Saturday, and the display can be seen dusk to dawn Saturday through Jan. 1.

Lights on, Broadway! is Automobile Alleys first annual holiday open house and unveiling of this years light curtains, said Staci Sanger, Downtown Oklahoma City, Inc. marketing manager. Automobile Alley is a historic district that deserves a display that is as unique as its character and the businesses within it.

To match the growth of the downtown OKC district, Lights on, Broadways display will be the areas largest and share a motif. Approximately 180,000 multicolored LED lights sparkle along Automobile Alleys eight blocks, which stretch along Broadway Avenue between Fourth and 10th streets.

Retail shops and restaurants are creating vintage Christmas-themed window displays and offering special deals and promotions, Sanger said.

Sanger said the free public event showcases everything the district offers and includes entertainment for everyone in the family. Enjoy carriage rides, visits with Santa, artists and musicians, face painting, a holiday-themed photo booth and an outdoor film screening of White Christmas along Broadway Avenue and some side streets between Fourth and 10th streets.

Sanger said blankets are welcome for the 6 p.m. free movie screening in the RCB Bank parking lot, 701 N. Broadway Ave. Just before the movie starts, Holey Rollers will serve complimentary hot cocoa.

Other offerings throughout the district include snacks, a smores station, food trucks, a magician and balloon artist and street chess. District businesses offer sales, promotions and giveaways like free giftwrapping, Christmas cookies, cheese samples, mulled wine samples, Mexican hot chocolate and more.

There truly is something for everyone, Sanger said.

Automobile Alley businesses also come together during Lights on, Broadway! to help those in need. The Salvation Army and Warmth 4 Winter are this years beneficiaries.

The businesses in the district are incredibly generous and wanted this event to stand out in a way that is beneficial to its community, Sanger said. They gathered together to pick a deserving beneficiary, and that is how the partnership came about.

The community can participate, too, she said. New or gently used coats can be dropped off at any one of eight Automobile Alley locations, including OKC Energy FCs office at 1001 N. Broadway Ave., Cultivar Mexican Kitchen at 714 N. Broadway Ave. and Schlegel Bicycles at 900 N. Broadway Ave.

Print headline: Festive glow, Automobile Alley launches the Lights on, Broadway! showcase with special events Saturday.