News from: Palm Springs Aerial Tramway

Abi Carter, Season 22 “American Idol” winner and Coachella Valley native, will serve as the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway’s 2024 celebrity tree lighter at the annual Tree Lighting Ceremony on Sunday, December 8, 2024. KESQ Chief Meteorologist and “Eye on the Desert” Host Patrick Evans will again emcee this year’s event at the Tramway’s Mountain Station. Festivities begin at 5:30 p.m. with the Palm Springs High School Choir and String Quartet performing holiday favorites. Immediately following, Carter lights the Tram’s landmark 45-foot tree comprised of over 4,000 LED lights, which can be seen throughout the Coachella Valley.

Carter stole the hearts of “American Idol” viewers during her audition, singing her rendition of Billie Eilish’s “What Was I Made For?” which earned her a Platinum Ticket. The judges, Blake Shelton, Lionel Richie, and Katy Perry, boasted about her performance, agreeing she could be the next winner of the show. During her “Hometown Hero Visit,” Carter visited places that meant the most to her, one of those being the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway. During her visit, Carter expressed how she visited the Tramway as a child, and it always held a special place in her heart.

Carter became the first recipient of the Platinum Ticket to win the competition and the eighth female winner overall, along with stand-out artists like Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood, and Jordin Sparks. Since returning home to the Coachella Valley after her win, Carter sang the “Star-Spangled Banner” and dropped the first puck at a Coachella Valley Firebirds game at Acrisure Arena; she sang the national anthem at the 2024 United States Olympic trials for gymnastics; and held her first full concert, “No Amount of Dark,” at Acrisure Arena. Carter will also be performing at Stagecoach in Indio in 2025.

The tree lighting ceremony is open to the public and is included with regular Tram admission.