A crowd braved appropriately chilly weather for the lighting of the Peace Candle on Saturday night in Easton’s Centre Square.
The annual event, presented for 2025 by IBEW Local 102, signifies the importance of unity and peaceful coexistence.
Ironworkers fitted the fiberglass-and-steel candle in pieces around the Soldiers and Sailors Monument on Nov. 13. It will remain in place through the holiday season.
Nearly 150 raffle tickets were sold this year for the honor to join Mayor Sal Panto Jr. on stage in flipping the switch to light the candle.
City officials and the nonprofit Greater Easton Development Partnership also named this year’s winner of the Gretchen Wrenshall Award in recognition of community service.
Easton first lit the Peace Candle in 1951.
The electrified white candle with blue wax-like drippings is said to be the largest non-wax candle in the United States.
For a sixth year, the Peace Candle is surrounded by the Easton Winter Village that opened a day prior on Black Friday. It features 30 vendor huts, live entertainment and more.
A new addition this year is the Winter Garden, an outdoor lounge on South Third Street between Belleville Market and Mesa Modern Mexican restaurant. The space features firepits, Adirondack chairs, and a large screen, and will be presented by LeCompte Realty. There is no skating rink this year.
Throughout the season, the Winter Village will host live music in the Winter Garden every Saturday and Holiday Movie Matinees each Sunday. Holiday Happy Hours will be held each Friday beginning Dec. 5 at the historic 1753 Bachmann Publick House from 4 to 6 p.m.
Joe Dimeck, special events manager at Greater Easton Development Partnership, said Winter Village organizers focused on involving Downtown businesses this year.
“Most importantly, though, one of the things we focused most on for 2025 is better involving Downtown businesses and really reconnecting with the original purpose of the Winter Village, which is to help independently owned small businesses connect with shoppers during the holidays,” Dimeck said. “Our weekly business spotlights should help there, as well as our collaborations with different businesses in the Winter Garden and throughout the Winter Village.”
The Easton Winter Village, presented by Lehigh Valley Health Network, continues Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays through Dec. 21. Regular hours are 4-8 p.m. Fridays, noon-8 p.m. Saturdays and noon-5 p.m. Sundays.
Admission to the village is free. Find parking details at easton-pa.com.
More information is available at EastonWinterVillage.com.
Generative AI was used to organize and structure this story based on information provided by the Greater Easton Development Partnership. It was reviewed and edited by Advance Local.
Supervising reporter Kurt Bresswein contributed to this report. Reach him at kbresswein@lehighvalleylive.com.