Christmas lights have returned to Cross Bay Boulevard in Howard Beach after Council Member Joann Ariola and Howard Beach Hope provided significant funding to install lights along the thoroughfare.
The lights, which stretch between Liberty Avenue and 165th Avenue, were installed on Cross Bay Boulevard last week and aim to bring holiday cheer to communities in Ozone Park and Howard Beach.
Ariola allocated $35,000 in funding to the Queens Chamber of Commerce to help fund the Christmas lights, while Howard Beach Hope – a non-profit dedicated to improving the quality-of-life of the local community – also provided funding, playing a major role in the expansion of the 2025 Christmas lights.
Ariola’s office praised Howard Beach Hope for engaging local businesses and community organizations to contribute greater funds toward additional strands of lighting. Ariola said the 2025 is “more dazzling than ever before” and added that the display helps to spread Christmas cheer among local neighborhoods.
“These lights are something people look forward to, and I am proud to have allocated the funding necessary to bring them back for another year,” Ariola said in a statement. “They bring the Christmas spirit to Cross Bay Boulevard and help to foster a sense of togetherness and pride in the community, and that is something that is so incredibly important.
“When people have neighborhood pride, they get involved more, get to know their neighbors better, and just help to make the entire area a better place to live for everyone.”
Phyllis Inserillo, co-president of the Howard Beach Lindenwood Civic Association, praised both Ariola and Howard Beach Hope founder Doreen DeCandia for providing funds for the neighborhood’s Christmas lights.
“We love the small town feel everyone helps create at Christmastime,” Inserillo said in a statement.
Frank Dardani, president of the Ozone Tudor Civic Association, described the lights as a “beautiful tradition” that help create Christmas spirit in the local community.
