Michelle Williams headlines Macy’s Great Tree Lighting in Atlanta

Macy’s proudly hosted the 69^th annual Macy’s Great Tree Lighting ceremony on Sunday, Nov. 20 — a moving and memorable way to kick off the holiday season with thousands of Atlantans.

The tree, which stands 56 feet tall atop the roof of the Macy’s at Lenox Square Mall, located in Atlanta’s Buckhead community, is adorned with 45,000 LED lights, more than eight miles of light strings and a giant star, and will be on display now through January 1, 2016.

Headlining the performances was Grammy Award-winning artist and actress Michelle Williams, who also paid a visit to young patients at the Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center in the Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta at Egleston earlier in the day. While there, she took photos with the children, handed out gift bags and even sang some holiday songs to them. Williams, a member of the Destiny’s Child trio, starred in her own TV show, “Fix My Choir,” and recently launched a signature home collection, Believe at Home.

Also performing at the tree-lighting ceremony were soul singer Aloe Blacc and country artist Craig Campbell, along with the Macy’s All-Star Holiday Choir, the Macy’s Great Tree Children’s Choir and the Macy’s Magical Stars. Blacc crossed over from the indie scene in 2010 with his hit single, “I Need a Dollar.” In early 2016, Aloe Blacc released “Let The Games Begin,” which he wrote and produced for the film Race, a Focus Features biopic about Olympic hero Jesse Owens.

Helping to “flip the switch” and illuminate the Macy’s Great Tree this year were Maybin Hornick and Abraham Carpenter, patients of the Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta at Egleston. For the last decade, young patients have served as the honorary tree-lighters. The celebration was capped off with a fantastic fireworks finale set to holiday music, and the event was broadcast live.