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ILLUMINATE DOWNTOWN DECORATING CONTEST

A Holiday Storefront Decorating Contest

A Contest for DTLB Businesses. We recommend registering before public voting begins on Thursday, Nov. 21. Dec. 2 is the final registration deadline.

Help light up Downtown Long Beach this festive season and stand a chance to win while giving back! Downtown Long Beach is already a holiday spectacle with existing decoration efforts from both the DTLB Alliance and the Convention Center complex. Join in on the festivities and complement the downtown charm by adding your unique touch.

Why should your business participate?

  1. Festive Spirit: Ignite the holiday spirit by illuminating and decorating your business or building in creative and vibrant ways.
  2. Visibility: Get featured! The DTLB Alliance and city partners will showcase the storefronts of participating businesses on social media and on websites throughout the holiday season, giving you a spotlight in the heart of downtown.
  3. Give and Receive: To enter, you must also select a Long Beach 501(c)(3) non-profit that your business would like to support. The winning entries will earn $250 in donations to the Long Beach non-profit of your choice! In addition, the Alliance will also host a $250 gift card giveaway on social media for your business during the holiday season. This totals to $500 in winnings for winning entries!

Burke Mercantile’s 2023 Illuminate Downtown Entry in the Historic East Village Arts District

Public Voting became available here Starting Nov. 21!

Duplicate entries from the same IP address and/or email address will be removed. 

Illuminate Downtown 2024 Community Vote

Each day until December 6th at 11:50 PM, you can vote for one business, per user, per day! Select your favorite decorated business to support below. You can also see which nonprofit they are working to supporting. The winning business will earn a $250 donation to the Long Beach based nonprofit of their choice.

Choose as many as are relevant.
Vote for your favorite DTLB illumination! Entries are listed in Business > Address > Nonprofit Sponsor order.(Required)
You may vote once per day, starting Nov. 21 thru Friday, Dec. 6 at midnight.

Timeline

Studio One Eleven’s 2023 Illuminate Downtown Entry

How It Works

Businesses and organizations register, they get festive and win both for them and a nonprofit! 

👋 Register: It’s recommended you register your business by Nov. 20, 2024, to get into the festive competition before Shop Small Saturday! The Alliance will also be hosting a bar crawl on Nov. 21 to encourage patrons to your businesses. Late registrations will be accepted through Monday, Dec. 2.

🎄 Deck the Halls: Use lights, decorations, scenery, and any creative elements you can think of to make your storefront or building shine.

📢 Promote the Public Vote: Use your business’s social media and any other channels you use to get the word out about your business to encourage the public to vote for your storefront. Public Voting will open starting on Shop Small Saturday, so the sooner you register and complete your decorations the more time folks have to vote!

🌆 Complete Decorating: Aim to have your storefront ready to dazzle by Thursday, Nov. 21! The final day to complete your decorations to be considered for the competition will be Monday, Dec. 2.

🎉 Stay Lit: Keep the festive vibes alive by maintaining your decorations throughout the holiday season.

🔊 Win: Four (4) Winners will be announced the week of December 9. Three (3) will be selected by judges using the below criteria, and the public will vote on one!

Judging Criteria

Decorations will be judged using seven (7) categories.

  1. Visibility: Ensure your decorations are easily viewed by walking outside your storefront.
  2. Open to All Themes: While the competition centers around the holidays, designs that celebrate diverse cultures, traditions, and festive moments from around the world are highly encouraged. Creativity and representation matter!
  3. Accessibility: Make your decorations a joy for everyone. This includes thinking about those with disabilities, for instance, providing tactile or auditory elements for those with visual impairments.
  4. Community Collaboration: Collaborate with local artists, schools, or community groups for your decorations. Joint efforts that bring the community together will be highly regarded.
  5. Interactive Elements: Engage visitors with interactive elements in your decor, such as QR codes linking to festive stories, music, or supporting local causes.
  6. Local Pride: Incorporate elements that showcase the beauty, culture, and uniqueness of Long Beach. Show your pride in our city and its rich history.
  7. Downtown Affection: Highlight what makes Downtown Long Beach special. From its landmarks to its stories, let’s spread love and warmth for our city’s heart.

The Promenade in Downtown Long Beach

Register Below

2024 Illuminate Downtown Registration Form

This will be used for businesses and organizations to register for the 2024 storefront decorating contest

Point of Contact Email(Required)
If your business wins First Place in one of the categories, $250 will be donated to your non-profit of choice. It must be a non-profit registered and in good standing within the City of Long Beach. And must be a 501(c)(3).
Consent(Required)