WASHINGTON — Ho ho ho and bah, humbug. While Thursday’s National Christmas Tree Lighting is sure to delight visitors (and cause the annual traffic headache), there is a litany of items those onlookers aren’t supposed to bring to the ceremony.
Some of the prohibited items make perfect security sense: no guns or knives or drones. But iPads and flags of any kind also are forbidden, according to the National Park Service.
Here’s a full list of what you can’t bring:
- Tablets, iPads, video recorders, tripods, monopods, and selfie sticks;
- All bags, including diaper bags, purses, backpacks, and suitcases;
- Umbrellas with metal tips;
- Drones and other unmanned aircraft systems;
- Animals other than service/guide animals;
- Bicycles, folding chairs, tents, structures, packages, balloons, coolers, glass, thermal or metal containers;
- Signs or flags of any kind;
- Any pointed object(s), including pocket knives;
- Weapons of any kind;
- Food, liquid, aerosols, tobacco products or lighters;
- Firearms, ammunition, fireworks, laser pointers, stun guns/Tasers, mace/pepper spray, toy weapons or knives of any kind;
- Any other items determined to be potential safety hazards.
Strollers and wheelchairs are allowed, but guests should be prepared for a search of all items carried onto the site.
Several big acts will perform at Presidents Park before lighting, including Wynonna, the Beach Boys and the U.S. Navy Band. The ticket lottery for the ceremony took place in October.
Gates open at 3 p.m., the ceremony is slated to start at 4:30 p.m. Thursday.
A few Metrobus routes — including the 30N, 30S and 36 — will be detoured around the closures.
And the National Park Service warns that guests should be prepared for a search of all items carried at Presidents Park.
It will be televised on the Hallmark Channel on Dec. 4.
Below is a map and list of Thursday’s road closures, and a list of the affected roads:
From 12 p.m. to 8 p.m.
- 17th Street NW between Pennsylvania Ave and Constitution Ave NW
- C Street NW between 17th Street and 18th Street NW
- D Street NW between 17th Street and 18th Street NW
- E Street NW between 17th Street and 18th Street NW
- F Street NW between 17th Street and 18th Street NW
- G Street NW between 17th Street and 18th Street NW
- New York Avenue between 17th Street and 18th Street NW
From 2 p.m. to 8 p.m.
- Constitution Ave NW between 18th Street and 14th Street NW
- 15th Street between H Street NW and Madison Drive NW
- 17th Street between Constitution Ave and Independence Ave SW
- Pennsylvania Avenue NW between 14th Street and 15th Street NW
- E Street NW between 14th Street and 15th Street NW
- F Street NW between 14th Street and 15th Street NW
- G Street NW between 14th Street and 15th Street NW
- New York Avenue NW between 14th Street and 15th Street NW
