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Holiday Tree Lighting Bus Detours, Dec. 4

Published and updated Category: Bulletins

The Philadelphia Holiday Tree Lighting is a celebration at City Hall that officially kicks off the holiday season in the city. It features an amazing 50-foot concolor fir adorned with thousands of LED lights and meteor lights. The tree sits on a custom base featuring the Philly skyline and plays classic holiday music and messages of joy in multiple languages, reflecting Philadelphia’s diversity.

Getting to the Tree Lighting

If you’re headed to the celebration, SEPTA is a great way to ensure you arrive on time. It takes place outside City Hall, which can be reached on the [B], [L] or [T] Metro lines. Those coming from out of town should exit at Suburban Station.

If you’re taking PATCO into Philadelphia from New Jersey, riders can take the [B] Broad Street Line to travel to the tree lighting. Exit PATCO at 12th/13th & Locust Street Station and walk north to City Hall.

SEPTA Bus Route Detours

Thursday, December 4
2 pm to 11 pm

  • Route 4
  • Route 16
  • Route 17
  • Route 27
  • Route 31
  • Route 32
  • Route 33
  • Route 38
  • Route 44
  • Route 62
  • Route 124
  • Route 125

Convenient Ways to Pay

If using a SEPTA Key card, riders are encouraged to load funds on it before the event. For more information about SEPTA Key, visit www.septa.org.

SEPTA’s multi-rider feature allows up to five riders on one SEPTA Key card. Taps can be on a single bus/trolley validator or a combination of taps on different turnstiles at a station. Multi-rider is available on all modes including bus, trolley, [B] Broad Street Line, [L] Market-Frankford Line, [M] Norristown High Speed Line and Regional Rail. Learn how to activate and fare information.

Credit/debit cards, in physical form or through apps like Apple Pay, Google Pay and Samsung Pay, are accepted on all SEPTA transit at any turnstile or farebox with a simple tap on the validator. 

  • Express Mode: With Express Mode enabled for debit or credit cards, riders don’t need to wake or unlock their iPhone or Apple Watch or even open any apps to pay and ride.
  • Once a user has chosen which debit or credit card they’d like to use with Express Mode, they can simply tap their iPhone or Apple Watch to an enabled reader to ride.

SEPTA accepts cash for travel on bus, Metro and Regional Rail; exact fare is required for bus and Metro.

Customers at Metro stations may purchase a Quick Trip ticket from Fare Kiosks, for a single one-way ride on the [B] Broad Street Line, [L] Market-Frankford Line, [M] Norristown High Speed Line and select Trolley lines. Transit Quick Trips are not valid for bus rides. SEPTA recommends that customers simply use a contactless bankcard to travel, eliminating the need for a Quick Trip ticket and adding additional travel privileges. 

Quick Trips are available from station Fare Kiosks and are valid on the day purchased until 2 am the following day. Customers attending events in the Sports Complex area are encouraged to purchase a Quick Trip for their return trip prior to the event. Free transfers are not available with Quick Trip.

SEPTA Key Tix provides an easy payment solution for occasional riders to enjoy the same benefits as cardholders, including one free transfer. Allows people traveling together the ability to “scan once” by activating up to five one-way tickets using a single barcode. Riders can use SEPTA Key Tix on buses and Metro only. 

PATCO riders traveling to Philadelphia from New Jersey can use their PATCO Freedom Share card for travel on SEPTA Metro and buses for $2.90 per trip. Card must be purchased from PATCO and preloaded with funds in advance.  

Parking Pro Tip

Download the SEPTA Park app before you head out. All SEPTA lots and garages charge for daily-use parking—this includes nights and weekends. Payment must be made using the SEPTA Park app, via text or at the kiosks. To avoid violations, please be sure you’ve paid for enough time. SEPTA allows overnight parking at most Regional Rail stations, [M] Norristown High Speed Line stations, and at Fern Rock Transit Center and 69th St Transit Center parking lots.

The SEPTA app allows you to think ahead with an integrated trip planner, view nearby stations and routes, save your favorite routes and much more; available to download in the App Store or Google Play Store.

View alerts, advisories and detours across the system. To get the latest service news, call Customer Service at 215-580-7800 or follow SEPTA @SEPTA.