Each year, thousands of Houstonians descend upon Uptown to witness the annual Uptown Holiday Lighting. The annual event, which features a fireworks show, is always a hotly attended date and ushers in the shopping season at the nearby Galleria and Post Oak retail spots. But like so many in-person happenings, the lighting event won’t be held this year due to the pandemic.

In lieu of the lighting, Uptown management is inviting the public to submit photos and videos for a holiday countdown video, to be unveiled on Thanksgiving evening, November 26.

The virtual countdown holiday video will be posted to Uptown Houston’s Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube pages on Thanksgiving evening, according to a press release. The deadline for submissions is Sunday, November 4; fans can submit their photos and video here.

As locals know, throughout the holiday season, Post Oak Boulevard (from the West Loop to Richmond Avenue) is dotted by more than 300 holiday trees measuring 20 feet tall. The artisan-fabricated holiday trees create a multi-colored light show with 16,777,216 “color possibilities” across 2 miles of Post Oak Boulevard. The light show is a favorite of pedestrians and passers-by in cars and a popular Instagram snap.

Now, visitors can enjoy the show synced to festive music by downloading the Uptown Radio app, available now on Apple App Store and Google App Store, per a release.

Those interested in more information can visit the Uptown site or follow Uptown Houston on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter @Uptown-Houston.