West Palm Beach's 35-foot sand tree is one of 20 nominees for USA Today 10Best's best public holiday lights. Fans can vote once a day until noon Nov. 30.

Sandi, West Palm Beach’s 35-foot sand Christmas tree, is in the running for a national title again. The city’s Holiday in Paradise celebration is one of 20 nominees for “Best Public Holiday Lights Display” in the USA Today 10Best Readers’ Choice Awards.

The city announced the nomination Friday in a news release. Holiday in Paradise took the top spot in the same contest in 2021, the city said.

How to vote

The city’s release gives the cutoff as 11:59 a.m. Nov. 30. The contest page says polls close at noon. Either way, the last chance is Monday morning.

Who Sandi is up against

A panel of 10Best editors and experts picked the 20 nominees, and readers choose the top 10, according to the contest page. Two other Florida displays are on the list:

  • Light Up Ocala, in Ocala
  • Light Up the Holidays at Cranes Roost Park, in Altamonte Springs

The rest of the field runs from Bentleyville’s “Tour of Lights” in Duluth, Minnesota, to the Dyker Heights lights in Brooklyn and the Macon Christmas Light Extravaganza in Macon, Georgia.

The contest page shows a live leaderboard. On Saturday morning, Holiday in Paradise was not among the top 10.

“I encourage everyone to show their hometown pride by voting daily and helping Sandi reclaim the No. 1 spot,” Mayor Keith A. James said in the release.

What Sandi is

The city describes Sandi as the world’s only 35-foot, 700-ton holiday sand tree. She first went up in 2012. Since then she has won awards including “Best New Event” from the International Festivals and Events Association and a Henry Award from Visit Florida, according to the city.

This year’s Holiday in Paradise runs Nov. 27 to Dec. 31 under the theme “The Art of Holidays.” The city said the season includes:

  • the Clematis by Night Holiday Tree Lighting on Thursday, Dec. 3
  • Sandi’s music and light shows nightly from 6 to 10 p.m. through Dec. 30
  • shows running until midnight on New Year’s Eve
  • performances, live art and student showcases with Bak Middle School of the Arts

All signature events are free, the city said.

What it means for you

Voting costs nothing and takes a minute a day until noon Nov. 30. If Sandi makes the top 10, the city will learn it at noon Dec. 3, hours before the tree lighting that night.

For the lighting, parking and the full season of events, see our guides to the Christmas tree lighting and holiday lights and Christmas events, and what’s on downtown.