Illuminating the town

More and better holiday lighting is on tap for Laguna Beach this year.

Celebrating a truly “green” holiday season, the city has converted its old incandescent Christmas lights to LED lighting.

The Laguna Beach Chamber of Commerce partnered with the Laguna Beach Visitors and Conference Bureau to upgrade to the energy-saving lights — and also expanded the lighting program to more of the city.

“The LED lights draw one-tenth the amount of electricity as the standard equivalent and can be reused for the next seven years,” said Rose Hancock, executive director of the Laguna Beach Chamber of Commerce.

“This season, as we’ve done for many years, we are proud to provide Laguna Beach with festive holiday lighting that stretches from Downtown Laguna to Main Beach and now includes the gazebo in Heisler Park,” she said.

At Main Beach, a dolphin-themed archway illuminates the boardwalk for evening strolls during the holidays. In addition, the city’s historic lifeguard tower is also lit up for the season, decorated in seashore-themed wreaths and illuminated by a backdrop of palm trees wrapped in sparkling lights.

“We are pleased to have been able to partner with the Laguna Beach Chamber of Commerce in assisting them with the expansion of their program and conversion to LED, which has been a longtime goal of the organization,” said Judy Bijlani, executive director of the Visitors Bureau.

Hospitality kickoff

Today, from 5 to 9 p.m., the Chamber presents “Hospitality Night.” Forest Avenue in downtown Laguna Beach will be closed for the event. The official annual lighting of the Pepper Tree at City Hall will begin at 6 p.m. followed by Santa parading down Forest to his house near Tuvalu.

Santa will be in his house from 1 to 4 p.m. daily through Dec. 24 for visits with children and “photo ops” for parents.

The stores will be open late tonight for holiday shopping with many offering refreshments. “It’s a Wonderful Life” will be screened at South Coast Cinemas on South Coast Highway at 9 p.m. Complimentary tickets for the movie can be found at the Laguna Beach Chamber of Commerce at 357 Glenneyre. For more information on Hospitality Night, visit www.lagunabeachchamber.org or call (949) 494-1018.

Tree raffle, prizes

Laguna Beach also offers the chance to win a 9-foot holiday tree decorated with one-of-a-kind ornaments by local artists. The tree will be on exhibit at Laguna Beach Art Museum through Dec. 14. Entrants can register to win by visiting participating stores. Stop by the Laguna Beach Visitors Center, with two locations at 252 Broadway or 381 Forest Ave., to pick up a registration blank. No purchase necessary.

Additionally, visitors can receive a free gift with purchase by showing original receipts with a combined total of $100 or more from any Laguna Beach retail store, gallery or restaurant through Dec. 14 at either of the Laguna Beach Visitors’ Centers.

Laguna Beach Visitors & Conference Bureau has two locations: 252 Broadway, open Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.; and 381 Forest Ave., open Monday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; and Saturday and Sunday from noon to 4 p.m.

For more information, visit www.lagunabeachinfo.com/holiday.