100 years of Christmas Tree Lane. Holiday light show opens this week. How it will be different

Christmas Tree Lane officially turns on its lights Tuesday night, though anyone passing down the two-mile stretch of old Fig Garden recently will have seen some final tinkering, as the long-standing holiday extravaganza gears up for its 98th season in spite of the coronavirus pandemic.

In the last 100 years, Fresno has been without a Christmas Tree Lane just twice. Once in 1941, due of the wartime restrictions of WWII and again in 1973 because of a national energy crisis. In October, organizers announced they would continue with the 2020 season, but without the popular walk nights, which can draw tens of thousands of people — and would create a logistical nightmare to keep proper social distancing protocols.

Typically, the lane opens the season with a walk-only night that is closed to cars. Another walk night is held mid December.

This year the lane will be open, through Christmas, to vehicle traffic only.

Lane hours are 6 to 10 p.m. Sunday to Thursday and 6 to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

Expect traffic delays in the area.

Candy Cane Lane readies for opening; Santa Claus Lane shut down

In July, Santa Claus Lane announced the community light display on Indianapolis Avenue in Clovis would be no more, due to the coronavirus pandemic. Also known as the Festival of Lights, the computer-synchronized display had been running during the holiday season for the last five years and doubled its size in 2017.

Meanwhile, a flurry of final prep work is happening along Clovis’ Cindy Lane, also known as Candy Cane Lane. While most of the displays are already visible, the whole neighborhood should open, officially on Friday.

There are no official hours, but displays are usually visible from 6-10 p.m.

City signs posted around the neighborhood tell viewers to remain in their cars as safety against the coronavirus.

This story was originally published October 8, 2020 at 10:56 AM.