Monument Circle looked more like a construction site than a holiday postcard Saturday morning, as an expected 200 to 300 volunteers and employees from IBEW Local 481 arrived at 7 a.m. to begin hoisting the garland strands that make up Indianapolis's Circle of Lights. The crew planned to spend five or six hours wrapping the Soldiers and Sailors Monument in 52 strands carrying nearly 5,000 lightbulbs apiece, a job that has kicked off the city's holiday season for more than 60 years.
The scale of the install is substantial: according to WISH-TV, volunteers strung 7,984 lights total as part of Saturday's work. The crew's process involves removing the strands from barrels, untangling and testing them, attaching each to a hook, and hoisting it to the top of the monument. Faith Thompson, public relations and communications manager for Downtown Indy Alliance, has described the Circle of Lights celebration as a holiday family tradition spanning generations, per the same outlet's report.
Months of Prep Before the Lights Go Up
The work didn't start Saturday morning. IBEW Local 481 members rebuilt all of the light strands at the end of September, replacing sockets, lightbulbs and garland in the process, the station reported. Union members periodically rebuild the strands as part of that maintenance cycle, taking time off work and away from family to prepare the community display, according to the same WISH-TV account.
That volunteer commitment stretches back decades. IBEW Local 481 has served as the “boots on the ground” team responsible for maintenance, installation and teardown since Circle of Lights began in 1962, according to Visit Indy, which also notes the union dedicates roughly 1,750 hours to the event every year. A related account from the union itself, posted on Downtown Indy, describes volunteer retirees hand-checking each of the display's bulbs at the Indiana State Fairgrounds every year since 1962.
A Family Tradition on the Monument
For some volunteers, the install is personal. Bob Cadwell, a retired electrician, has helped string the lights since 1984, per WISH-TV's reporting. He said the tradition has given him many memories and offers a way to pass it down to his grandchildren, Dawson, age 6, and Everett, age 3.
John Burchyett, another participant quoted by the station, said watching people gather and get excited as the lights go up is what sets the holiday mood. The 2026 display is expected to include more lighting elements, more display elements and photo-op opportunities compared with past years, the outlet reported.
New Décor Coming to the Monument's Base
Beyond the garland itself, additional holiday decorations were planned for installation after Saturday's work wrapped, according to a separate report from Yahoo. Those additions include large illuminated photo-ops, new lighted elements inside the fountain areas, redesigned bollard covers featuring holiday soldier and sailor nutcrackers, and additional lighting around the monument's base. Businesses near Monument Circle were also set to roll out festive front-facing window displays starting Nov. 9, designed to spark nostalgia for two weeks, per the same report.
The finished display will be switched on during the annual Circle of Lights celebration, scheduled for 5 to 8 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 27. Earlier materials from IBEW and comparable installations elsewhere have described similar efforts, including an account on ibew.org describing roughly 315 volunteers, including children and family members, carrying strings of lights in a past year's setup, with about 40 retired Local 481 wiremen checking nearly 5,000 bulbs that October.
