Macon rallies to keep Christmas Spectacular shining

After calling on the community to keep their annual Christmas concert afloat, Macon Pops announced Oct. 20 that several community partners donated the $75,000 needed for the free concert to return this year.

“We’re so thankful to the sponsors who made this year’s Christmas Spectacular possible,” Steve Moretti, co-founder and CEO of the nonprofit organization, said. “With soaring production costs, we simply couldn’t have done it without their incredible generosity.”

The Christmas Spectacular show is a one-night live performance introducing a month of downtown light displays. The group’s original compositions of holiday music play nightly and are synchronized with the lights across more than five blocks of downtown Macon.

Citing growing production costs — including stage construction and performer pay — Moretti told The Melody in September that the fate of the production was “unknown.” 

The concert draws in thousands of visitors to the downtown area, and the entire month of light displays and music brought in 685,000 visitors last year, according to Visit Macon.

Donors include the Josephine Phelps Fund at the Community Foundation of Central Georgia, the Peyton Anderson Foundation, the Knight Foundation and Middle Georgia State University, according to a Macon Pops press release.

“This concert is our annual Christmas gift to Macon, and they’ve helped us keep a beloved tradition alive,” Moretti said.