The Covey Center for the Arts presents an annual musical celebration of Christmas titled A Covey Center Christmas. This holiday tradition has been a part of Utah County festivities since 2016.
The production has undergone several name changes over the years. In 2016, the show was known as Remember Angels, followed by Christmas Celebration and Light Up Christmas. The name A Covey Center Christmas was adopted in 2019.
Featured performers included Broadway alumni Dallyn Vail Bayles and Mindy Smoot Robbins, who have held roles in productions such as Phantom of the Opera and Les Miserables. Marvin Payne, who holds the record for most shows produced at the Covey Center for the Arts, has served as the MC for the event for four years.
Each production features over 100 professional musicians. This includes the Utah Valley Symphony, an orchestra with 75 to 80 players, and the Lux Choral Society, a choral association with 40 to 50 singers.
The show features a mixture of traditional, cultural, religious, and popular music. Examples of performed songs include Gesu Bambino and Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire (The Christmas Song).
During the winter of 2020, the Covey Center continued to produce the show despite social distancing requirements that limited ticket sales to under 250 patrons.
Since the beginning of the Light up Christmas series in 2016, more than 3,000 people have participated in the event. For the Dec. 6 and Dec. 7 performances, ticket sales are limited to 650 people per show.
