DAYTON — — No snow, but plenty of glow.

Fifty thousand lights will brighten the downtown Dayton sky Friday night as the city flips the switch on its annual holiday celebration, beginning with the Grande Illumination.

The glowing attraction, a 45-foot blue spruce tree donated by Sara and Sam Hemmeter of Centerville, will be lighted shortly before 8 p.m. Courthouse Square is the center of the celebration, which runs from 4 to 9 p.m. and also is the place to see the tree lighting.

"There is just something magical about downtown during the Grande Illumination, and we invite everyone in the community to come down and enjoy the event," said Sandy Gudorf, interim president of the Downtown Dayton Partnership.

The event kicks off the 34th annual Dayton Holiday Festival. Friday's activities include live music, carnival rides, holiday crafts and horse-drawn carriage rides. Many activities are free.

New this year is the addition of a professional-class category in the Gingerbread Homes for the Holidays Contest, said Laura Woeste, marketing manager for the downtown partnership. Entries can be viewed in the Old Court House at Third and Main streets. The $500 prize winners will be announced on the Courthouse Square stage.

Scarves and mittens may be optional as the celebration begins — daytime temperatures in upper 50s are forecast — but you may want to pack them in your pocket. Temperatures at night will dip to the upper 30s.

Parking maps are available at the Downtown Dayton Partnership's Web site: www.downtowndayton.org.

North Main Street between Second and Third streets will be closed Friday from 8:30 a.m. until 11:30 p.m.

Grande Illumination

When: 4 to 9 p.m. Friday

Entertainment on Courthouse Square begins at 4:30 p.m. Performances include Stivers School for the Arts Bell Choir, Wilbur Wright Middle School Choir, Dayton Boys Choir, and the Dayton Contemporary Dance Company.

Gingerbread Homes for the Holidays Contest entries can be viewed in the Old Court House.

Holiday Village in the lobby of the Kettering Tower. Free carnival games for kids, plus workshops where kids can make crafts. They can also call Santa's workshop and give their holiday wish list to an elf. For adults, the Holiday Village Marketplace offers craft items for sale.

Free kid-sized carnival rides on Main Street.

Horse-drawn carriage rides, from 5 to 9 p.m., for $1. Board at Second Street across from the Schuster Center.

In "Sounds of the Season," area choirs perform in the atrium of National City Center, from 5:30 p.m. to just before the tree lighting.

The Tike's Shop, a place where children can shop on their own, opens Friday, 3 to 9 p.m., in the Schuster Center Wintergarden, near the entrance at Ludlow and Second streets. The shop also will be open on selected dates through Dec. 23. For more, call (937) 430-1009.

Kids holiday scavenger hunt; Junior League booth on Courthouse Square. Treasure hunt is 4 to 7 p.m. Tickets are free, but limited to 1,000 children.

Wonderland Windows: Animated holiday windows, once featured at Rike's Department Store, can be seen inside the Schuster Center Wintergarden throughout the season.

Tree lighting, scheduled for 7:56 p.m.

Children's Parade

When: 2 p.m. Sunday

Parade begins at Second and Main streets, then heads south on Main to Fourth Street and ends near Sinclair Community College. The one-hour parade takes place, rain or shine. Grand Marshal is "Curious George" from the animated PBS KIDS series.