FAYETTEVILLE (KFSM) -- Business owners and event organizers prepared Thursday morning (Nov. 16) for the thousands of people expected to visit the Lights of the Ozarks display.
Around 450,000 lights that now hang in the Fayetteville Square are scheduled to be turned on Friday night (Nov. 17) at 6 p.m. with a lighting ceremony and parade.
Hazel Hernandez with Experience Fayetteville said this is the 23rd year for the display and every year it continues to grow.
She said people can expect a lot of the same, but they will have choirs on the square and other events they have not announced.
Hernandez said in years past, there have been around 3,000 to 3,500 people who visit the lights.
She said this was more than just a light display, it was a Fayetteville tradition.
“The tradition has grown so much that kids that used to come out here are adults and they are bringing their children to see Lights of the Ozarks," Hernandez said. "So, it’s a growing tradition.”
Businesses around the square were also getting ready for the crowds.
Some stores, like The Mustache, plan to remain open a little longer Friday night to accommodate the crowds.
“The Lights of the Ozarks kind of demands that we stay open late," The Mustache owner Brian Bailey said. "You know, there’s extra crowd, extra people and it’s really pretty outside so it’s fun to be here seeing new customers.”
The display starts Friday, November 17th and will last until January 1st. The lights will be on every night from 5 p.m. to 1 a.m.
Hernandez said parking on the square will be closed to the public Friday night for the parade, which will heads east on Mountain Street, making a loop along East Avenue, Center Street, Block Avenue, Dickson and West Avenue where it will end near the Fayetteville Public Library.
