A popular holiday tradition, the Redmond Senior Center’s (RSC) Candlelight Dinner Dance, fell by the wayside last year but is returning this year at a new venue, the Redmond Marriott Town Center, 7401 164th Ave. NE.

The dinner dance, including music by the Sophisticated Swing Big Band, is scheduled for 6:30-10 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 8. Tickets are $32 per person. To register, call (425) 556-2314.

For more than 10 years, staff and volunteers at the RSC would turn that facility’s lobby into a “fine dining establishment” and the multipurpose room became a candlelit ballroom.

“Unfortunately, expenses and staff changes made the event increasingly more difficult to manage and last year, we reached the difficult decision to stop holding the event,” explained Teri Burke, program coordinator for the RSC. “Many of our enthusiastic dancers were very sad to see it stop. So I promised I would find some way to bring it back. … The event was never a money-maker but we did it because it was such a special night.”

Now, the Candlelight Dinner Dance will be a senior-oriented component of RedmondLights, the city’s annual festival of holiday activities which kicks off Saturday, Dec. 5 at Redmond City Hall.

“The Redmond Marriott is co-sponsoring the dance and we’ll take advantage of many things the Marriott has — their beautiful decorations and services such as valet parking,” said Burke.

“The event is open to the general public but we simply ask that at least one member of the party be age 50 or better because the purpose for this event is to give the seniors in our community an elegant event to celebrate the holidays.”

For more information, e-mail Teri Burke at tburke@redmond.gov.