Carrie Ann Inaba To Join Tree Lighting Festivities At Bank Of America Winter Village At Bryant Park

NEW YORK, Dec. 1, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --  Veteran choreographer, actress and television dance personality Carrie Ann Inaba will join celebrated Olympic figure skater Johnny Weir for the 2016 tree lighting event at Bank of America Winter Village at Bryant Park on Friday, December 2. The event will also feature reigning world champion Javier Fernández, along with other Olympian favorites.

Inaba lends her considerable talents to kick off the holidays as the narrator of the Tree Lighting Skate-tacular—a multimedia ice experience and original story created for Bryant Park.

Weir, the two-time Olympian, three-time U.S. Champion and first-ever Winter Village Skating Ambassador, once again takes to the ice at the iconic midtown Manhattan rink. "For the second year in a row, Bryant Park has matched the world's top-ranked skaters with a compelling original story to create holiday cheer with New York City residents and visitors of all ages," says Weir. "I'm excited and honored to help ring in the season."

The show will mark the debut at Bank of America Winter Village at Bryant Park for Fernández, a two-time world champion and four-time European champion from Spain, and the world's top-ranked ice dancing team from Canada, Kaitlyn WeaverandAndrew Poje. Olympian Kimmie Meissner, along with Weir and the Haydenettes, the current and 24-time U.S. National Champion Synchronized Skating Team round out the evening's cast.

New York City big band, Lapis Luna, will provide a live soundtrack of Christmas classics for the star skaters.  

The Tree Lighting Skate-tacular will once again honor the efforts of (RED) and their mission to create an AIDS-free generation. "We are excited to continue the tradition of celebrating the season of giving here at Bryant Park while raising awareness for (RED). At Bank of America we are not only providing the financial support needed to make a difference but also bringing the kind of attention required to create a lasting and global impact," says Jeff Barker, Bank of America's New York state president.

Through Sunday, December 4, Winter Village guests can visit a special pop-up shop, presented by Bank of America, where they can window shop and order products to support (SHOPATHON)^RED, (RED)'s annual shopping campaign. Complimentary gift wrapping will be available during weekday lunchtime hours for items purchased in the Holiday Shops. (SHOPATHON)^RED offers hundreds of (RED) products and chances to win once-in-a-lifetime experiences with celebrities.

Bank of America Winter Village at Bryant Park, New York's only free admission ice skating rink, is a seasonal destination that also features a glass-enclosed eatery and an open-air holiday market under the glow of the city's lights. Located at West 42nd Street and Sixth Avenue, Winter Village is adjacent to the New York Public Library and a short walk from Times Square and Grand Central Station. www.wintervillage.org

About Bryant Park Corporation:
Bryant Park Corporation (BPC), a private, not-for-profit company, was founded in 1980 to renovate, finance and operate Bryant Park in New York City. BPC is funded by income from events, concessions, corporate sponsors, and an assessment on neighboring properties, and does not accept government or philanthropic monies. BPC provides public amenities and activities, including movable chairs and tables, food kiosks, world-class restrooms, and a wide range of free events throughout the year. The Midtown park is visited by more than six million people each year and is one of the busiest public spaces in the world.

About Bank of America:
Bank of America is one of the world's leading financial institutions, serving individual consumers, small and middle-market businesses and large corporations with a full range of banking, investing, asset management and other financial and risk management products and services. The company provides unmatched convenience in the United States, serving approximately 47 million consumer and small business relationships with approximately 4,700 retail financial centers, approximately 16,100 ATMs, and award-winning online banking with 32 million active users and more than 18 million mobile users. Bank of America is among the world's leading wealth management companies and is a global leader in corporate and investment banking and trading across a broad range of asset classes, serving corporations, governments, institutions and individuals around the world. Bank of America offers industry-leading support to approximately 3 million small business owners through a suite of innovative, easy-to-use online products and services. The company serves clients through operations in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico and more than 35 countries. Bank of America Corporation stock (NYSE: BAC) is listed on the New York Stock Exchange.

About (RED)™
(RED) was founded in 2006 by Bono and Bobby Shriver to engage businesses and people in the fight against AIDS. (RED) partners with the world's most iconic brands who contribute up to 50 percent of profits from (RED)-branded goods and services to the Global Fund.

To date, (RED) has generated more than $365 million for the Global Fund to fight AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria, to support HIV/AIDS grants in Ghana, Kenya, Lesotho, Rwanda, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania and Zambia. One hundred percent of that money goes to work on the ground—no overhead is taken. Global Fund grants that (RED) supports have impacted more than 55 million people with prevention, treatment, counseling, HIV testing and care services.

(RED) is a division of The ONE Campaign. Learn more at www.red.org.

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SOURCE Bryant Park Corporation