'Christmas on the River' to feature music, fireworks, giant tree lighting

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The 28th annual lighting of the Christmas tree at the Jacksonville Landing -- the official kickoff to the 2014 holiday season -- will be televised Friday night by The Local Station.

"Christmas on the River" will air on WJXT Channel 4 from 7-8 p.m. It is presented by Sleiman Enterprises and PRI Productions. Nikki Kimbleton and Tarik Minor host the festivities with stories of joy, heroes and more.

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The finale will be the lighting of the 56-foot tree and a fireworks display on the St. Johns River. 

For those who want to be on site, live music in The Landing courtyard begins at 6 p.m. The courtyard will be standing-room-only for the event and the public is asked not to bring chairs.

Featured artists include LaPorscha Aksomitas, Jeff Congo, Amber DeLaCruz, Joy Dennis, Summer Goodman, Pierre Kendrick, The John Lumpkin Trio, Nikos Westmoreland and more.

The tree features over 78,000 LED lights and more than 150 ornaments. The tree is also programmed to perform a 10-minute, synchronized light show set to various selections of holiday music.

Dozens of people gathered early before the event Friday evening to avoid the expected parking traffic and await the big ceremony. About 8,000 to 10,000 people were expected at Friday night's event.

The event is free so parking could be difficult. A spokesperson from the Landing told News4Jax all the parking meters are free since it's the weekend.

There is also a lot of parking available next door to the Landing. It's located to the immediate east of the Jacksonville Landing next to the Main Street Bridge; there are more than 250 parking spaces there. Entry after 5 p.m. is a flat fee of $5.

Not everyone can fit in there so there are parking garages within three blocks of the Landing that are accessible.

The light shows will continue nightly until New Year's Eve.