Hundreds of families are expected to attend the Mall at Partridge Creek’s annual Tree Lighting Celebration Sunday evening to watch the shopping center’s transformation into a Christmas wonderland.

New this year is a 46-foot-tall tree that will serve as the main tree for the festivities, according to mall officials.

The event runs from 4-7 p.m. and includes a variety of family-friendly activities, live entertainment, a bunch of freebies as well as Santa’s debut at the regional, outdoor shopping center.

“We are looking forward to welcoming the community as we celebrate the magic of the season at Partridge Creek with more than 325,000 vibrant lights,” said Melissa Morang, the shopping center’s general manager.

Starting at 4 p.m., the first 1,200 children under the age of 10 at each entrance of the mall will receive a light-up wand to help Santa light the tree while supplies last, event organizers said.

At the end of the event, a huge tree decorated in twinkling purple lights will be illuminated followed by trees throughout the center adorned in green, white and blue lights. Guests can use the colorful trees as their background for selfies.

According to the Partridge Creek website, the schedule of festivities includes:

• 4-7 p.m. — free face painting near Sola Salon Suites

• 4-7 p.m. — complimentary photo booth with Partridge Creek trees in the background near Chico’s

• 4-6 p.m. — Nino Salvaggio International Marketplace offers free cider and donuts near Coach, while supplies last

• 5-7 p.m. — entertainment begins on stage at Center Court, featuring Snow Sisters, Break Dancing Elves, The Mean One & The Who Girl, pop violinists NuClassica Electro, and the arrival of Santa and Mrs. Claus. That will be followed by the tree lighting.

Anticipating a large turnout, mall reps say attendees should expect heavy traffic on Hall Road and plan accordingly.

Additional holiday events include Dogs Photos with Santa, taking place the week of Dec. 2-8, and photos with Santa on Nov. 18 through Dec. 24.

The celebration comes as Partridge Creek — which opened in 2007 — is preparing to welcome several new businesses to its roster of 80-plus stores, restaurants and services in the new year. One of the most anticipated is Powerhouse Gym, which is working to renovate and convert the empty Carson’s department store into a two-story, 120,000-square-foot gym. Scheduled to open in early 2025, it will be the largest Powerhouse gym in the world, according to a news release.

The Mall at Partridge Creek is located at 17420 Hall Road (east of Garfield Road), Clinton Township. For more information, call 586-226-0330 or visit shoppartridgecreek.com.