Sacramento's Carnival of Lights began with the lighting of the 50ft tall Westfield Plaza Christmas tree. This holiday season, the Carnival of Lights will delight visitors with a dazzling display of lights throughout the Central City from the waterfront through Midtown starting the week of Thanksgiving through January 3. The collaborative effort will feature architectural lighting, holiday décor, and holiday events including the Theatre of Lights in Old Sacramento and the Carnival at St. Rose at 7th & K streets. Below, are scenes of the Carnival at St. Rose and the Carnival of Lights festivities: The Carnival at St. Rose is 5-week holiday event that has transformed 7th and K streets

A worker uses a plumb line to make sure Westfield Downtown Plaza's  Christmas tree stands straight. It was delivered by crane early this morning.  The tall tree was lowered into a hole in the concrete in front of the plaza.   Huge planks of wood are used as shims to straighten the trunk. This worker walked the circumference of the tree, using his plumb line from all angles, to ensure the tree stands upright.   This year will be a brighter holiday for Sacramento. The first-ever Carnival of Lights will delight visitors with a dazzling display of lights throughout the Central City from the waterfront through Midtown starting the week of Thanksgiving through January 3. The Carnival of

The Midtown Business Association is expected to decide Wednesday whether to take on the financial risk to keep Sacramento's holiday ice-skating rink tradition alive this year. The association is considering building an outdoor rink in Midtown this year to temporarily replace the seasonal rink at St. Rose of Lima Park at 7th and K Streets. That rink won't be built this year due to conflicts with a park renovation. Neighborhood input is welcome as the MBA board is expected to vote on the matter during its Monthly Board and Community Meeting, which is always open to the public, said Rob Kerth, executive director of the Midtown Business Association. The meeting will be held at 5:30 p.m. at t

A night parade is in the works to be revived in Sacramento, more than 115 years after the spectacle lit up city streets to celebrate what was said to be the world's first long-distance electric power transmission. The parade was first held Sept. 9, 1895, during a Grand Electric Carnival that heralded the arrival of electric power in Sacramento. Sacramento's electric carnival parade was so beautiful that Walt Disney Co. later used it as a model for its Electric Light Parade. The Old Sacramento Business Association is working to revive the night parade during winter holiday festivities in 2011. The plan is to recreate the parade to expand the seasonal celebration and to play up the city's

More than a century after the Grand Electric Carnival lit up the streets of downtown Sacramento, a new event called the Carnival of Lights will set downtown shimmering again for the 2009 holiday season. The light carnival being arranged by the Downtown Sacramento Partnership (DSP) will mark the grand re-opening of St. Rose of Lima Park and the 700 block of Seventh Street. Both are currently undergoing renovations that are expected to be finished one week before Thanksgiving. The Carnival of Lights will make the intersection of Seventh and K streets glow starting on the Friday after Thanksgiving. The event is timed to coincide with the Christmas Tree lighting held at the entrance to Westf